If I'm being honest, I've never been one to see a trendy and viral food recipe and jump out of my seat to head to the grocery store and try it. So imagine my embarrassment when the one TikTok recipe that really and truly piqued my curiosity was not some fancy garlic and herb-infused focaccia or creamy one-pot orzo, but Big Mac tacos.
However, I'm certainly not the only one who was completely mystified and entranced by this burger-taco hybrid. Over 145 million people on TikTok have viewed this recipe, so of course, I felt completely compelled to see what the hype was all about!
The best thing about this recipe is that it takes less than 10 minutes to prep, and the most you'll ever toil is when you're making the Mac sauce. Literally, if you know how to use a spatula, you can make this dish. All the ingredients cost less than $40, but considering the fact that you'll get plenty of future use from the condiments and spices, the actual cost to make this specific recipe is a lot less.
OK, so, the first thing I did was make the Mac sauce. Making this sauce was what I was most excited for when trying out this recipe, simply because I think the Big Mac sauce is the modern day nectar of the gods.
To start off, add mayonnaise to the bowl. The amount of mayonnaise you put determines how much sauce you'll actually have, so it's up to you whether you wanna get heavy-handed with it or not.
Next, it's time to dress this mayo up. In the same bowl, I added the sweet pickle relish, dijon, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, white pepper, vinegar, and (tomato) ketchup. This makes a pretty big batch of Mac sauce, so feel free to decrease the quantities as needed!
If it looks like a bowl of mucus, don't worry, because that's what it's supposed to look like. Give it a hearty mix, and I promise you it'll start looking like the Mac sauce we all know and love.
After the sauce tastes to your standards, toss that bad boy in the fridge and whip out the tortillas.
Next up, you're going to grab your ground beef and put a thin layer right on top of each tortilla — about 1/4-inch thick or less. One major tip I have is to make sure the meat is as evenly spread out as possible, and to make sure the layer isn't too thick. Otherwise, the meat is going to have a hard time cooking through! I just used a spatula to press the meat down, but if you have a burger press, even better. I learned the hard way, but also be sure that the meat covers as much of the tortilla as possible to combat meat shrinkage.
That's all the prep! Now, it's time to get cooking. Heat up a pan with oil, then once hot, throw those meaty tortillas face-down onto the pan. Make sure the heat isn't too high — the tortilla will start to puff and bubble up, and it'll start to burn once you flip it over. I didn't think about that the first time around, so my first time cooking these was a total fail.
There were actually so many things that went wrong when I first tried cooking these. Not only did the tortillas bubble up, but the meat was raw, and I didn't take into account the meat shrinkage, so the meat-to-tortilla ratio was way off.
Alright, after realizing my mistakes, I tried cooking the meat and tortilla a second time. Each side only needs about two to three minutes to cook, so after the meat-side is done cooking, give it a nice flip so that the tortilla can toast up and the meat on the other side can start cooking as well. This side of the meat has to cook through the tortilla, which is why a thin layer is essential. To stop the tortilla from burning, you can lower the heat to medium-low. Next, add a cheese slice on top, cover the pan with a lid, and let that cheese get its melt on.
Once the cheese has melted, you're basically done with cooking! At this point, your cheese should be gooey, your tortilla should be toasty, and your beef should be...beefy. Add your tacos onto a plate and gather all your toppings.
It's clear that these tacos need some TLC, so grab your lettuce, onions, pickles, and of course, your lovely Mac sauce, and go to town. If you want to keep it true to the Big Mac way, dice up your onions and shred up your lettuce! I just bought my lettuce pre-shredded because I'm not good with a knife, and I am also lazy.
After everything is topped and garnished, fold all the tortillas up, and voilà! You have Big Mac tacos.
Now, for the taste test:
NGL, when it came to the first bite, I — and all my fly-aways — liked it! There was a good meat-to-tortilla ratio, the tortilla had a little crunch to it, and the Mac sauce tasted like Ronald McDonald himself dropped it off at the doorstep. But then...the novelty wore off.
The more I ate it, the more I disliked it. At some point, I was just wondering why I couldn't just use a burger bun and eat a homemade Big Mac instead of taco-fying it. I became aware of how strange the tortilla paired with the burger ingredients was, and my disdain grew when I reflected on just how annoying it was to cook the meat with the tortilla.
So, do these Big Mac tacos live up to the hype? At least for me, not really. I understand the hype, I really do, but I'd prefer to just eat my burgers and tacos separately. However, the Mac sauce recipe is definitely something I'm going to keep in my back pocket for future uses.
Would you try the Big Mac tacos? Is there anything you would have done differently? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
