From Emily's Kitchen...

 

We spent 4 years living in San Antonio and absolutely loved the Tex Mex food!  I made a goal to learn as much about that style of cooking as I could while we lived there.  

Here is a recipe for authentic Crispy Beef Tacos.  It uses fresh tomatoes and requires a little extra work, but is very worth it to me :).  You can also use this meat as a topping for nachos with a cheese sauce or even use it in soft tacos if you prefer.  

**As a side note, coarse salt and table salt are not interchangeable.  If you only have table salt around the house, use 1/2 teaspoon instead of 1 teaspoon of coarse salt.  

Crispy Tacos Picadillo

Ingredients:

• ½ large onion, chopped ( 1 ½ c)
• 1 lb ground sirloin (90% fat)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1 ½ t paprika
• 1 t chili powder
• 1 t dried oregano
• 1 t coarse salt​
• 1 t freshly ground pepper
• ¾ t ground cumin
• 1 c water
• 1 t white vinegar

Directions:

Cook meat, onion, garlic, and spices over medium-high heat until meat is cooked through. Using wooden spoon, break meat into small pieces. Do not drain liquid. Stir in tomatoes and 1 c of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until thick and very little liquid remains (30-40 minutes). There should be no visible pieces of tomato at this point, just a thick sauce. Stir in vinegar.
Serve in hard shells with shredded cheddar cheese, shredded iceberg lettuce, and salsa.