These rolled tacos were one of he first things I learned to cook as an adult. I lived with a Hispanic family right out of high school. They spoke very little English, swore in Spanish A LOT, and cooked some really delicious food. I picked up on the swearing and the cooking, so with a little time and practice, I got pretty good at both!
Usually this beef will cook in the crock pot for hours, and you can certainly do it that way, but for a quicker dinner, I used the Instant Pot and got a very similar result.
The key to making the seasoning easy on this is using the fresh salsa. Get the blended stuff from the refrigerated case in the grocery store (I use Fresh Homestyle Salsa by El Sol). You can also use canned diced tomatoes, your favorite enchilada sauce, or cut everything up yourself (tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic, jalapenos, cilantro, etc.).
Also...don't fry these up naked. You'll want to drain as much of the liquid out of the meat as you can before rolling up and securing them with a toothpick. The juices from the meat will make the oil spit and spatter if there's a lot of it coming out of the taco as it cooks. I'm a big fan of wearing my glasses while cooking with oil these days.
Aussie Grass-Fed Braised Beef Rolled Tacos
Prep Time: 10 minutes / Cook Time: 55 minutes / Servings: 8 rolled tacos
Ingredients:
2 lbs. Aussie Grass-Fed NY Strip Steak (I use Open Nature from Safeway)
2 cups of fresh salsa (see above)
2 cups beef broth
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
8 corn tortillas
32 oz. vegetable oil for frying
2 cups shredded green leaf lettuce
2 cups fresh pico de gallo
1/2 cup queso fresco crumbles
Steps:
Cut the steak up into large chunks, trimming away any excessive fat. Place them in the Instant Pot and add the fresh salsa, beef broth, chili powder and ground cumin. Stir to combine and lock the lid. Pressure cook for 35 minutes, then allow the steam to naturally release for at least another 10 minutes (the longer you let the steam release naturally, the more flavor and moisture you'll have). Manually release the rest of the steam, remove the meat and shred it with a fork. Return it to the broth and stir well until combined.
Heat the oil on medium heat in a large frying pan to approximately 375 degrees.
Warm the tortillas in the microwave to soften them for about 30 seconds. Place 2-3 tablespoons of the meat mixture into the center of the tortillas, roll them up and secure them with a toothpick.
Place the tacos into the hot oil, 1-2 at a time, toothpick side down. Fry on each side for about 1 minute, until the tortillas are crispy and golden brown. Drain the tacos of any excess oil as you remove them from the frying pan. Place the tacos onto a plate that's been lined with a paper towel and repeat until all the tacos are fried.
To Serve: Place 2-3 tacos on a serving dish. Garnish with the shredded lettuce, pico de gallo and queso fresco crumbles.
For more great summer recipes to help you get #BACKTOPOOL featuring Aussie Grassfed Beef, visit https://www.trueaussiebeefandlamb.com/own-your-party/
Not near a Safeway? Find out where to purchase Aussie grass-fed beef here.