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Homemade Mighty Taco Beef Copycat

4.33 Mitt(s) 3 Rating(s)3 votes, average: 4.33 out of 53 votes, average: 4.33 out of 53 votes, average: 4.33 out of 53 votes, average: 4.33 out of 53 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5

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Level: Easy

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Description

Mighty Taco fans (you know who you are), this recipe is for you!

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds Lean Ground Beef
  • 9 cups Water, Divided
  • 1 can (14.5 Oz Can) No-salt-added Diced Tomatoes, With Juices
  • 3 whole Medium-large Onions, Diced
  • 3 cloves Large Cloves Garlic, Minced
  • 1 whole Fresh Jalapeno Pepper, Stem And Seeds Removed And Minced
  • 3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
  • 3 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 2 Tablespoons Honey
  • 3 Tablespoons Chili Powder
  • 1 Tablespoon Coarse Kosher Salt
  • 1 Tablespoon Dried Oregano
  • 1 Tablespoon Ground Cumin
  • ½ teaspoons Black Pepper

Preparation

1. Add the beef and 8 cups water into a 5.5-quart pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn heat down and simmer for 45 minutes, skimming off the fat as it rises to the top and stirring occasionally.
2. Stir in all of the remaining ingredients (including the remaining 1 cup water), turn heat up to high, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat down to a simmer, cover the pot and cook until the liquid is evaporated. This will about 3 hours. Make sure that you stir it occasionally.
3. Use the beef to make tacos or taco salad. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days (it’s even better after the first day).

2 Comments

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Lucca Rossi on 12.7.2013

Can’t wait to try this Faith. I didn’t know Buffalo was famous for 2 great foods! Thanks

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Diane on 11.6.2013

OMG, I’m a Buffalo transplant in CA and while I love the Mexican food here on the west coast, nothing beats a Mighty!!

3 Reviews

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Ed on 2.25.2021

Pro-tip – for those complaining about too much water – water evaporates. The recipe is accurate. And you have to cook it like this to get that fine, soft texture that Mighty Taco meat has. It’s a dead ringer, and now that Mighty sauces are marketed and sold in grocery stores, it’s easy to make super mighty’s at home. Would recommend.

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Tina on 8.31.2014

Being originally from the Buffalo area, I miss my Mighty Taco. I was so excited to find your recipe for their beef. I also purchased a bottle of their hot sauce online and was ready to make me my own Mighty Tacos. I tried this recipe last night and, although the flavor was very good, I thought 9 cups of water seemed like a lot. After it had been cooking for well over 4 hours, I still had a big pot of beef soup. I ended up scooping at least 4 or 5 cups of water out, just to be able to use the meat. After making a bunch of very wet tacos, I placed the remaining meat into a mesh strainer over a bowl and was able to strain out another cup or so of water/juice. What I now have left is a nice taco meat. I would definitely try this again but would start out with only a few cups of water. I can add more if needed, but it was really a pain to keep removing it. So, thank you so much for this recipe but after spending $12 on beef, I was a little disappointed in what it took to get this the way it needed to be.

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Laura on 2.20.2014

My husband and kids look forward to taco night and they LOVED this of version of taco meat. This recipe is a keeper! Thanks for sharing!

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