American Taco Night

For the taco sauce

1. Pre-heat a pot of boiling water on the stove.

2. Add the deseeded ancho, guajillo, and árbol chiles, smashed garlic, and halved shallot to the boiling water.

3. Boil everything together until the chiles become very soft and tender, about 15 minutes.

   Then 15 min of waiting

4. Transfer the drained chiles, garlic, and shallot to a blender with a splash of the cooking liquid, chicken bone broth, salt, and white vinegar.

5. Blend on high speed until completely smooth, then set aside.

For the taco seasoning

6. Add the New Mexico chile powder, standard chili powder, coriander, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne, sumac, black pepper, and MSG to a mixing bowl.

7. Whisk all the spices together thoroughly, then transfer to an airtight spice jar for storage.

For the guacamole

8. Halve and pit the avocado, then scoop the flesh into a bowl and mash with a fork.

9. Add the lime juice, grated garlic, torn cilantro, and salt, then stir to combine.

For the toppings

10. Finely shred the iceberg lettuce.

11. Finely grate the Colby Jack cheese on the finest setting of a box grater.

12. Quarter the tomato, slice out the seeds and gel, and finely dice the remaining flesh.

For the taco shells

13. Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).

14. Stack the corn tortillas, wrap them in a damp paper towel, and microwave for 20 seconds to soften.

15. Hang each softened corn tortilla over a single bar of an oven rack.

16. Bake undisturbed for 10 minutes, watching as they begin to curl closed.

    Then 10 min of waiting

17. Open the tortillas slightly and reposition each one so it drapes across two rack bars instead of one.

    Draping across two bars opens up the gap so toppings actually fit inside the shell later.

18. Continue baking until the shells are firm but still slightly pliable, about 10 minutes.

    Then 10 min of waiting

19. Flip the shells upside down, nestling them between the rack bars, and bake until golden brown and crispy, 5–10 minutes.

    Then 7 min of waiting

20. Remove the crispy corn taco shells from the oven and set aside on a cutting board.

21. Place the small flour tortillas on a plate, top each with a portion of shredded cheese, and microwave for 20–30 seconds until the cheese melts.

22. Wrap each cheesy flour tortilla around a baked crispy corn shell, pressing firmly so the melted cheese glues them together into a double-layer shell.

For the ground beef filling

23. Heat the neutral oil in a wide skillet over high heat until hot.

24. Add the ground beef and press it into the pan, breaking it into large chunks, then leave undisturbed to sear and brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes.

25. Stir and mince the beef into fine bits, cooking until the liquid evaporates and the meat begins to sizzle in its own fat, 5–8 minutes.

26. Season the beef with the salt and 3 tablespoons of taco seasoning, stirring to bloom the spices for 1 minute.

27. Stir in the tomato paste, if using, and cook for another minute until darkened.

28. Pour in the beer to deglaze the pan, scraping up all the browned bits stuck to the bottom.

29. Add 60 ml (1/4 cup) of the prepared taco sauce and simmer until the sauce thickens and coats every bit of meat, 3–4 minutes.

30. Turn off the heat and finish with a fresh squeeze of lime juice.

Assembly

31. Fill each prepared shell with a layer of warm taco meat.

32. Top with sour cream, shredded cheese, iceberg lettuce, diced tomatoes, guacamole, pickled jalapeños, and your favorite hot sauce.