This is a recipe for mild taco meat filling with that really finely-ground texture.
Think Taco Bell texture. But way more tasty and homemade.
It also makes a great topping for a hot dog.
If you don't have Mexican oregano, use whatever you have. But you really should go find some Mexican oregano... it's amazing stuff.
1 pound lean ground meat (beef, venison, bison, etc.)
2 cups warm water
2 t ground ancho chile powder (or any chile powder, really)
2 t ground cumin
1 t dried Mexican oregano, crushed with your hands into a powder
2 t dried parsley
(don't crush this one)
1 t salt
1 t freshly ground black pepper
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder
1 t cider or white vinegar
optional - cayenne pepper to taste, if you want it spicy
Mix the meat with the warm water in a large, non-stick skillet.
Get in there with your hands and really mush it around until it's a nice, smooth, pink meat slurry with no lumps.
Add all the remaining ingredients & stir well.
Bring it to a boil. Stir it and mash it as it cooks from pink to brown to make sure no lumps of meat form.
Once the meat turns brown, you can stop hovering: just stir it once in a while until all the water cooks out.
When the water has cooked out, it's done.
Cook it pretty dry for hard tacos to keep them from getting soggy.
You can leave it more "saucy" for soft tacos or for a hot dog topping.
The Johnson Family Cookbook