Taco Bell Meat Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do they make the meat at Taco Bell? ›

We use 100 percent USDA premium beef in our seasoned beef. We prepare it much the same way you prepare taco meat at home: after simmering, it is drained of excess fat and pre-seasoned with our signature blend of 7 authentic seasonings and spices.

Boiling ground beef is the best way to cook it so that it comes out in small, fine crumbles. Trust me, this is the secret to all those amazing tacos and pasta sauces at your favorite restaurant! It's also a healthier option, because the boiling process helps separate the fat from the meat, and it comes out quite lean.

Taco Bell is revealing what's in its beef, and it turns out it's actually mostly beef. The fast-food chain's recipe contains 88% beef and 12% "signature recipe," according to a new webpage posted by Taco Bell. Also, addressing a widespread rumor, Taco Bell beef is not grade D beef, according to the website.

Taco Bell's primary meat mix consists of 88% USDA-inspected premium real beef. The remaining 12% is made up of a signature recipe that includes water, spices, and a blend of oats, starches, and other ingredients to enhance the flavor, texture, and moisture.

Where do your ingredients come from? We buy many of our ingredients for our restaurants from the same brands that you see in the grocery store and your kitchen: for example, lettuce from Taylor Farms, tortillas from Mission, Hass avocados and poultry from Tyson.

A typical 12-serving taco seasoning mix recipe uses about 1 ½ tablespoons of cornstarch. If you want to skip the cornstarch in your homemade seasoning to use it for other purposes, just sprinkle ⅓ to ½ teaspoon of cornstarch per pound of browned, spiced meat before adding ¾ cup of water and heat until thickened.

Ever wonder why some taco meat found at restaurants or in chili is ground SUPER fine and how they get it that way? That is the result of actually boiling the hamburger first. This method of cooking brings the temperature of the meat up slowly and prevents it from clumping, keeping it finely ground.

Not enough people use cilantro. Iceberg lettuce can be refreshing in a burrito, but when it comes to tacos, cilantro, onion and lime are king. I know Tex-Mex enthusiasts love their dairy on a taco. Big pinches of cheddar cheese that lack flavor or the ability to melt.

The "taco meat filling" as it's written on their containers has only 36 percent real beef; the rest is a combination of chemicals and odd-ball ingredients like 'cocoa powder'. The USDA defines "meat taco filling" as having at least 40 percent fresh meat.

Food Safety Network recently reported that fast-food giants McDonald's, Taco Bell and Burger King are no longer going to be using ammoniated beef in their products. Ammoniated beef is just a fancy name for 'pink slime' which has been the subject of controversy the past few years.

How much horse meat is in Taco Bell meat? ›

The British Food Standards Agency said Taco Bell's products contained more than 1% (pdf) horse meat. “We apologize to our customers and take this matter very seriously as food quality is our highest priority,” a spokesman for the chain said.

If you want to keep your Taco Bell order as healthy as possible, registered dietitian Yelena Wheeler, RDN, says to steer clear of the steak grilled cheese burrito, which she says is the absolute least healthiest item on the menu.

Beefy Melt Burrito

The Grilled Cheese Burrito available at Taco Bell stands out as one of the least healthy selections on the menu. Packing an astonishing 38 grams of fat in each serving, this option alone covers nearly half of your daily recommended fat intake.

It then is slow-cooked and simmered with proprietary seasonings and spices to provide Taco Bell's signature taste and texture. Our seasoned beef recipe contains 88% quality USDA-inspected beef and 12% seasonings, spices, water and other ingredients that provide taste, texture and moisture.

The USDA's rules apply to meat processors - the companies Taco Bell buys its meat from. Tyson Foods Inc., the company's largest meat supplier, said it mixes and cooks the meat at three USDA-inspected plants and that the meat is tested daily to make sure it meets requirements.

They don't cook food at Taco Bell. They simply warm it up. The seasoned beef, cheese, chicken, etc comes in clear plastic bags that they put into a hot water bath. On table they have a griddle for warming the tortillas, and at the end of the line is a grill press.

Taco Bell Tests Improved Plant-Based Protein in a Cheesy New Taco. Despite the chain's foray into proprietary fake meat, Taco Bell says another plant-based product from Beyond Meat is still on the way.