Crockpot Taquitos
The title of this post is actually misleading – the only part of these taquitos that get made in the crockpot is the shredded beef filling!
Taquitos (also referred to as rolled tacos, though I refuse to call them that) are a favorite of the whole family. A local quickie Mexican restaurant sells them, but I’ve only gotten them a few times because they taste like they’re just heated-up frozen taquitos from a box (and yes, we’ve tried those too!).
Anyway, so I wanted to figure out how to make these myself, and here’s what I’ve come up with. The first time I did it I tried to shred the beef with two forks, which, as you can imagine, took forever. Now I transfer the beef and about 3/4 of the liquid into a food processor, pulse it a few times, and voila, done! I also like my taquitos extra-crispy (see picture above) so I let mine cook just a tad longer in the oil.
I’ve got these in the crockpot right now (Cinco de Mayo!) and the house smells amazing after just a couple of hours.
Recommended equipment:
~ 1.5 to 2 qt crockpot
~ Heavy-bottom pan
~ Splatter screen
~ Cooling/draining rack
~ Tongs
Crockpot Taquitos
~ 1.5 – 2 lbs beef stew meat, or other beef of your choice (other than ground)
~ 1 packet of taco seasoning mix, or homemade taco flavors of your choice
~ 1 4oz can of chopped green chiles
~ 1 cup of water (or beef broth)Put all ingredients into a small crockpot (I actually use my little guy for this, you don’t need a lot of room and it only goes up about halfway) and gently stir to combine. Set on low and let cook for about 6-8 hours.
Transfer beef and about 3/4 to 1 cup of the liquid into a food processor (you can add more liquid as you need to, especially if it looks dry). Pulse just a few times to get the beef shredded up (or, if you’ve got kids in braces like I do, you can shred it a bit finer, too).
Using warmed up corn tortillas (place about three tortillas and a cup of water in your microwave and microwave for 30 seconds), place about 2-3 tablespoons of shredded meat (I don’t actually measure, just put in what looks right) just off-center on the tortilla and roll up.
Shallow fry (about 350 degrees and no more than 1/2″ of oil) in a heavy-bottom pan on one side for about 30 seconds or until golden brown, and turn over. I use my tongs and a fork to keep the taquito in the oil just long enough that it doesn’t come apart, and after it’s “set” it’ll sit by itself in the oil just fine. I do three taquitos at a time in the pan so it doesn’t get overcrowded.
Remove finished taquitos from the oil onto a rack to drain and immediately sprinkle just a bit of salt on top. Serve warm or at room temperature with sour cream, shredded cheese, salsa, and whatever else you want!
They’re also called Flautas, especially if you’re in an authentic (read: Run by Mexicans) Mexican restaurant. I hope we get to go to Denver together some day, because I want to take you to my favorite Mexican place there…. the flautas are so freaking good.
[Reply]
Heather
May 6th, 2010 at 12:29 pm
Ah! See, I knew about flautas but from what I found online, though they can be interchangeable, they’re considered slightly different from taquitos because they usually use flour tortillas instead of corn (El Pollo Loco has some yummy ones!). Do you make them? Which do you prefer?
[Reply]
Hey Heather! I’ve been making taquitoes since my kids were little. It has always been a fav in our house, especially for parties. We like making them with chicken and flour tortillas. These are more like the flautas you get in a restaurant. You can make a nice sauce to drizzle on top with some sour cream and taco sauce mixed together and then some home made guacamole to dip. Mmmmmmm..
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