Taco seasoning?
 

Does anyone have a good mix for Taco seasoning? I am spoiled by my Penzey's but have ran out and there are none close to where I am. I decided to make my own, but need some guidance. Last (first) time I did it, I burnt my mouth off. Apparently cayenne pepper and crushed red pepper are the same thing in 2 different forms!

Thanks!

Ortega taco mix with Old El Paso shells. ;)

Oh, homemade? Never mind. However, I will be watching this thread and might try to make it sometime.

Interpret these quantities as you will:

Good strong base of ground ancho chili (not very hot). (Smoked paprika will do in a pinch.)
Lots of toasted ground cumin.
Some Mexican oregano.
Some garlic powder.
Some onion powder.
Souring agent (citric acid crystals, dried tomato powder...?) Or add a dash of lime juice or vinegar to your final product.
A little ground chipotle for heat.
Pinch of sugar.
Pinch of kosher salt.
Smidge of ground cinnamon or allspice.
Smidge of unsweetened coco powder.

And oh yeah, Penzey's ROCKS! Someday I'll have to photograph my collection and post it here.

so now I finally learned what Kosher salt is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosher_salt

for anyone else who wondering whether the grains are circumcized or if it's guaranteed never to have touched a shellfish.....

So kosher salt, like the sea salt mom keeps trying to get me to eat, won't prevent a big old goiter poppin' out on your neck.

I'll stick with Morton's, with that umbrella chick. Salt is gooooodddddd...

Sure. Salt is (mostly) salt. :D

If you leave out the ground beef, you don't need any seasoning beyond salsa and hot sauce....

Great sounding recipe Pie! Cumin is the ingredient that makes taco seasoning taste like taco seasoning. Don't skimp. And get some cilantro.

An actual Mexican recipe would involve a dozen-teen different chilies, precisely mixed and calibrated to my Abuelita's exacting standards... :yum:

Two different peppers, actually. Cayennes are a small pepper with a lot of heat and next to no other flavor; it gets used to throttle your seasoning up to more hotness, in whatever quantity necessary. Crushed red peppers are more medium-heat, though there's plenty of lively in there too.

Nowadays, it's easier to find a variety of peppers, dried or fresh, in markets about anywhere.

The basic principle in making up a chile-pepper blend for tacos or chili is the bulk of the blend is the milder chiles -- anchos, poblanos, dried Californias all whopped up and ground to powder or flakes. Perhaps a medium-heat one in there too like crushed red pepper/pizza pepper. Then add in the hot guys to taste, fresh or dried: serranos, smoked jalapeños a/k/a chipotles for a smoked taste note, guajillos if you think you want a bitter note too (good for fans of Carroll Shelby brand chili mix).

A picked-that-day hot pepper off the bush delivers a rather subtle brightness to the flavor of the dish that is a nice note to have.

Thanks for all the tips! Unfortunately, the day I wanted tacos, I forgot to print this out. So I used Old El Paso Hot and Regular mixed. WAY salty. I am printing this out now so I have it next time!

When you say "taco seasoning", I assume you mean the sweaty grime permanently rubbed into the hands of the old woman who makes the tacos down at my favorite local stand?

Yeah, it would've been salty. Chop tomatoes finely and season with added crushed red pepper and powdered cumin, stir into the Old El Paso.

Kind of enough to be making your own, isn't it? Start with lots of powdered cumin and some hot red pepper -- at least one kind, preferably two or three mixed, and a spoonful or two of oregano, or lesser amount of Italian seasoning, which has oregano in it.