Slow Cooker Browns-in-the-Crockpot Spicy Ground Beef Taco Meat

Ingredients

• 3 lb. lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup Cholula hot sauce or other hot sauce of your choice.
• 2 T ground cumin
• 2 T garlic powder
• 2 T onion powder
• 1 tsp. coarse grind black pepper
• Salt to taste
• 1/4 cup water

Directions

1. Thaw the ground beef in the refrigerator overnight. If dinner planning got away from you, use hot water to defrost it for about 20-30 minutes instead. Coat the inside of the slow cooker with non-stick spray, then add the thawed beef and pull it into smaller pieces with your hands.
2. In a separate bowl, stir together the Cholula hot sauce, ground cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, salt, and water. Spoon that seasoned liquid over the beef, then work it through the meat with a large spoon.
3. Set the slow cooker to high and cook the beef mixture for 3-4 hours. Once every hour, lift off the lid and press through the meat with an old-fashioned potato masher about 8-10 times, which helps it finish as a fine, even crumble.
4. If you went lighter on the hot sauce, add a couple of tablespoons of water during cooking if the mixture seems to need it. You can probably use low heat for 6-8 hours and mash the meat every couple of hours, but that method has not been tried here.
5. Use the finished taco meat for Kalyn’s Black Bean and Beef Taco Salad, Perfect Low-Carb Taco Salad, ground beef tacos, lettuce wrap tacos, or beef burritos. For quick future meals, freeze the meat in small containers so it can be thawed fast in the microwave when you need it.