Having greasy, oil covered hands is a sign of someone that truly takes pride in building things themselves. They don’t mind getting dirty and tearing their engine apart, doing the work themselves. The worst part is when you’re finished you can’t touch anything, or even wipe the sweat of your face without putting war paint across your forehead. Some people shy away from this, but not you. You grab your tools and get to work because you know that it’s part of racing, and you live for the thrill. Grease and oil is just a part of racing, there’s no avoiding it. It’s just part of the fun, you can wear all the gloves and coveralls you want to but no matter what you do it will always get on you. These tacos embody that same messy spirit, they speak to all the grease monkeys and grease pits at the speedways, doing what needs to be done to get on the track and going faster, and faster to win the trophy. These are delicious and perfect for breaks between working on your bike at home, or those quick stops between races to refuel and get your octane boost. Just be sure to wipe off your hands well before throttling back on the track. You don’t want to be slipping off the handlebars in those turns because of taco grease.
What you need;
1 lbs Ground beef
Corn tortillas
Cilantro
1/2 Onion
1 Jalapeño
3 cloves of Garlic
2 tsp Dill
2 tsp Parsley
Shredded cheese
Olive oil
Hot sauce (I used a smoked chipotle hot sauce)
Salt
Pepper
Large cast iron
Small pan
Large wooden spoon
Bowl
The trick to making these tacos as with in racing is in the prep work. You have to make sure everything is ready to go and running smoothly, or the fast pace will catch up to you and things will start falling behind. Which can be disastrous, especially when dealing with hot grease. Make sure all your ingredients are ready to go because once the green flag goes down and you’re cooking, you’re going to need a fast moving pit crew to keep up if you aren’t making them solo.
What to do;
Dice up your cilantro, onion, garlic, and jalapeño
Make sure to put more onion and garlic than you think is necessary. I mean like a lot more, this recipe calls for a strong flavor to get you moving. Plus they will reduce a lot so don’t worry if you added a bunch.
Heat your cast iron to medium/low heat and put in your ground beef.
Brown the meat until it is slightly pink inside and then drizzle your hot sauce all over it. (Pro-tip, don’t add hot sauce to a hot pan, it basically becomes pepper spray. Which as you can imagine sucks a lot. So make sure your pan isn’t overly hot or prepare for a bad time.)
Add salt and pepper, dill, and parsley to the meat and mix well.
Toss in all your diced veggies (making sure to leave some cilantro aside for the end), and stir everything together until golden brown.
Turn your heat to low and push all the meat to one side of the pan, leaving space.
While you are cooking your meat make sure to get your small pan heated up to medium heat and pour in a small amount of olive oil.
Put your bowl off to the side of the stove and ready a wooden spoon laying across the top. This is to shape your taco shells.
Gently put your corn tortilla into the pan and let brown on one side. Note, these burn EXTREMELY quickly so you have to watch them diligently.
Once the edges begin to golden brown, flip your tortilla and do the same to the other side.
Remove your tortilla and drape it over your wooden spoon to shape and drip the excess oil into the bowl.
Repeat this for each tortilla you make, be sure to add a tiny bit of oil for each tortilla.
Remove each tortilla from the spoon and rest them off to the side on a plate, ensuring to keep them on their side to keep their shape until filled with meat.
After your tortilla is shaped and has had time to cool, grab it and load it up with meat. Cover it with cheese and then lay back down into your cast iron right next to the ground beef. (This will give each taco that delicious flavor and crisp you’re looking for.)
Flip your taco so both sides get heated evenly and your cheese melts throughout.
Once you’re all done cooking up your tacos and ready to serve, squeeze a fresh lime across them and sprinkle the fresh cilantro you left aside at the beginning, and top with your favorite hot sauce. Make sure to keep some shop towels handy when you eat, because these things are messy in the best of ways!
Enjoy your meal and get back to ripping around the track!