• Griddled Crispy Fast Food Style Beef Tacos W/ Homemade Fresh Salsa

[Moose]

[FONT=&quot]I had several ideas for the Fast Food Throwdown, all of them recreations of iconic Los Angeles privately owned establishments with cult-like followings. I finally chose Tito’s Tacos in Culver City.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Tito’s Tacos has been around since the early 60’s, with a simple menu that draws long lines from the time it opens to closing. Longtime fans that have moved out of the area will drive many hours to get their Tito’s fix.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]

[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]From the above collage, their taco is substantial, larger than most any crispy taco I’m aware of – and is made with a shredded beef filling, iceberg lettuce, and a generous heaping of cheddar cheese on top. While its size is impressive, it’s short on flavor, and that’s where Tito’s salsa comes in - the salsa brings the taco alive and is an essential component to getting the most out of the taco. The salsa ingredients are simple – roma tomatoes, white onion, pickled jalapeño, and pickled jalapeño juice, salt, and large flecks of ground black pepper. I was able to duplicate the salsa many years ago, but added two additional ingredients – cilantro and fresh jalapeno. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Here’s the ingredients for the tacos:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]

[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Salsa ingredients:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]

[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Into the food processor:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]

[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]All finished, and ready to go on the fridge for a few hours:[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]

[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]When dinnertime approached, taco creation began. First, browned a lb of 85/15 ground beef:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]

[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Added some homemade chili powder and salt:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]

[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Taco assembly consisted of heating each tortilla over an open flame, then brushing each side lightly with oil and then folding into a taco shape onto a pan. Doing this makes them more pliable:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]

[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]

[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]And onto the Blackstone to get nice and crispy:[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]

[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]One of the reasons I like making crispy tacos on the griddle is that it uses way less oil, and since the taco is not submerged in cooking oil, the “fold” of the taco doesn’t firm up during cooking like the rest of the tortilla, which allows for easy taco assembly, meaning you can stuff the taco full of toppings and not worry about it breaking![/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]And the finished effort, tacos filled with iceberg lettuce, cheddar cheese, and topped with the Tito’s style salsa:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]

[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]

[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]I ate three of them, and could have eaten three more! They were delicious, and worth the effort. Thanks fer lookin’! An animated gif regarding the salsa:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]

[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]

 

[Stingerhook]

Nailed it Richard.

 

[SMOKE FREAK]

I love taco Sunday!

 

[ssv3]

Love it Richard! Way better than Tito's. Your griddle technique is awesome.

 

[Mike Twangzer]

Road Trip Everyone .... to Richards !!!! Love crispy tacos ...

 

[tom b]

I havn't been there since the 80's, looks like you stepped it up a notch

 

[LYU370]

Good lookin' gringo taco's! :thumb:

 

[snadamo]

nice job! looks great!

 

[gtsum]

Looks great and I dig your shell and flat top routine!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[4ever3]

Yessssssss SIR!!!

 

[bowhnter]

Perfect!

 

[ModelMaker]

Si.
Ed

 

[Big George's BBQ]

Outstanding as always Richard

 

[BDAABAT]

YUM!!!

Excellent work!

Bruce

 

[timzcardz]

Love it!

And REALLY loved the explanation of the foldable crispy taco technique!

Thanks.

 

[creek bottom]

Just beautiful!!! :clap2:

 

[oldgfbbq]

I lived in the San Antonio area almost 20 years, anyone there that liked tacos would be all over that!

re..last photo of salsa in food processor, immediately before first shot of beef in cast iron skillet....what are the black flakes? In my kitchen, it would be from some grilled ingredient that cooked too long and left some residue on a spoon....or something like that...is it an ingredient that was not in one of the earlier photos?

great stuff

 

[ronbrad62]

Outta the park...touch'em all....take a bow! You definitely had a home run there!

 

[Moose]

I lived in the San Antonio area almost 20 years, anyone there that liked tacos would be all over that!

re..last photo of salsa in food processor, immediately before first shot of beef in cast iron skillet....what are the black flakes? In my kitchen, it would be from some grilled ingredient that cooked too long and left some residue on a spoon....or something like that...is it an ingredient that was not in one of the earlier photos?

great stuff

I think you're referring to the animated gif at the end of my post? The black flecks are coarse ground black pepper; Tito's uses quite a bit of it in their salsa, though it doesn't overpower it in any way.

 

[bbqwizard]

I bet they are fantastic!