Easy Midwest: Fried Beef Tacos

Apr 23, 2025 • Tom Jackson

These fried beef tacos bring comfort to the backyard grill while keeping prep simple. Simple pantry staples transform into a weeknight favorite without fuss. Expect crunchy shells, melty cheese, and bright toppings in about half an hour.

Serve immediately—six tacos loaded with savory beef, melty cheese, and fresh crunch.

Fried Beef Tacos

Chef Tom Jackson

Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users

Cuisine

Mexican

Servings

12

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

8 minutes

Calories

243

Quick, crowd-pleasing fried beef tacos with pepper-jack, Mexicano seasoning, and a touch of Heat Maverick’s Hot Sauce—finished fast on the YS640s pellet grill.

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
Cattleman’s Grill Mexicano Seasoning
3/4 cup 505 Red Chile Enchilada Sauce
Avocado oil, for frying
6 (6”) flour tortillas
1 cup pepper jack cheese, grated
2 cups romaine lettuce, sliced thin
1 cup pico de gallo
3/4 cup Mexican crema
Heat Maverick’s Anti Gravity Hot Sauce, to taste

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Directions

Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 450ºF, set up for direct grilling and install your Yoder Smokers cast iron griddle (diffused removed).
Cook the beef on the griddle, seasoned with Cattleman’s Grill Mexicano Seasoning until browned and cooked through, tossing occasionally. Add in the Enchilada Sauce sauce to finish off the ground beef.
Steam your tortillas wrapped in paper towels in the microwave or inside a foil canon the indirect side of the grill to get them flexible.
Place 1/4 cup of cheese in each tortilla, then 1/3 cup ground beef.
Fold into a taco and toothpick the tortilla together in two places to hold the filling.
In a skillet add about one inch of oil. Bring the oil up to 350ºF. Fry the tacos until golden brown on the bottom, then flip and brown the opposite side. The gorillas should be slightly crispy but still pliable. Remove from the oil and let the oil drain off on a wire rack over a sheet pan.
Remove the toothpicks, open the tacos and add your toppings; shredded lettuce, pico de gallo and top with Mexican cream and hot sauce.

Recipe Note

Other Recipes You Might Enjoy:

Walking Tacos

Smash Burger Tacos

Behind the Flavor: Why the U.S. Can’t Get Enough Tacos

Tacos have gone from regional street food to national staple in just over a century. According to industry estimates, Americans bite into more than 4.5 billion tacos every year—enough tortillas to circle the moon and back twice. A separate 2024 roundup of food trends notes that 95 percent of U.S. consumers say they enjoy tacos, with 76 percent eating them at least once a month. In other words, only about five percent of the population can honestly say they’re “not a taco person” (yes, someone actually measured that).

The dish’s runaway popularity is rooted in versatility. A single tortilla welcomes a universe of fillings—braised brisket, quick-grilled shrimp, even crispy tofu—so every eater can make tacos a personal ritual. That adaptability is exactly why our Fried Beef Tacos recipe works: it pairs melty cheese and crunchy shells with fresh toppings, yet leaves room for your own twists.

More Taco Ideas from ATBBQ.com

Surf n’ Turf Tacos – steak & shrimp share the same tortilla for special-occasion flair.
Smoked Tri-Tip Tacos – reverse-seared beef kissed with hardwood smoke.
Pork Street Tacos – quick-grilled pork and bright, crunchy toppings.
Chile Relleno Brisket Tacos – leftover brisket meets roasted poblanos and cheese.
Tacos Sofritas – plant-based tofu filling with smoky chipotle-pineapple sauce.

Still hungry? Browse the full ATBBQ taco recipe archive and keep your own taco count climbing toward that 4.5-billion mark.