Tacos over an open fire – Friday taco night moves out to the fire pit

Spiced mince in cast iron, tortillas off the grill and tubs to dip into

4 servings
Time: 20 min at home + 30–45 min until the embers are ready + 20 min by the fire
Difficulty: Easy
26 ingredients
11 steps

Photo: Robert Loescher, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Friday, June, six o'clock. The fire pit by the lake is free, the fire has burned down to an orange bed and five screw-top jars stand on a stone: tomato, cucumber, sweetcorn, grated cheese and soured cream. The cast-iron pan sizzles as the mince goes in, and the smell of cumin drifts out over the water. Last of all the tortillas go on the grill one by one, and after a few seconds they puff up and get brown spots. Friday taco night has moved outdoors.

For years tacos have topped the lists of what Swedes eat at the weekend, and they work surprisingly well by the fire. Everything that takes time is done at home at the kitchen sink. By the fire there are only two steps left: the mince in the pan and the tortillas on the grill. The tricky part is doing them in the right order, so everything is hot at the same time.

The memory model: jar, pan, grill

Jar. Chop, grate and mix everything at home. Each topping gets its own jar with a lid, and the seasoning is mixed in a small bag. Nobody should need a chopping board by the fire.
Pan. The mince is fried in a hot cast-iron pan in two batches until cooked through. Then the pan is moved out to the edge of the embers, where it stays warm.
Grill. The tortillas are warmed last, when everyone is sitting ready with their jars. A few seconds per side, straight into a tea towel.

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The tortillas on the grill

The tortillas are the step that most often goes wrong, and it's almost always down to too much heat for too long.

Embers, not flames. A flame licking up through the grill blackens a tortilla in a second. Put them where the embers are steady and grey at the edges.
The sign to turn. The tortilla turns soft, gets brown spots and starts to bubble. It usually takes 20–40 seconds per side, less if the grill is low and the embers are hot.
Corn or wheat. Wheat tortillas are more forgiving and stay soft longer. Corn tortillas have more flavour and get lovely charred edges, but they dry out quickly and crack if they're left sitting. Warm them just before they're eaten.
The tea towel. A clean tea towel keeps them warm and soft for several minutes. The steam from the warm tortillas does the job.
Lots at once. If there are more of you, the whole pile can be wrapped in a foil parcel and put on the cooler part of the grill for a quarter of an hour. Turn the parcel halfway through. How to fold it tightly is explained in the guide to the foil parcel.

Variation: taco pie in a cast-iron pot

Taco pie became popular in Sweden in the nineties, and in a pot with embers on the lid it becomes an outdoor dinner served with a spoon. Here the tortillas replace the pastry. As well as the mince you'll need 1 tin of beans, 2 dl crème fraîche and 150 g grated cheese, not taken from the taco bar's jars.

Fry the mince as in steps 3–8 above and mix in the sweetcorn from the tin and the rinsed, drained beans.
Put a sheet of baking paper in the bottom of a 25–30 centimetre cast-iron pot. Line the bottom and sides with 4–5 large wheat tortillas overlapping each other, like a pie case.
Pour in the hot filling. Stir together the crème fraîche and grated cheese and spread it over the top.
Put the lid on. Set the pot on a thin layer of embers and put about three times as many embers on the lid. The filling is already hot, so it's the top that needs to bake, not the bottom.
Bake for 15–20 minutes, longer if the filling has had time to cool. Turn the pot a quarter turn and the lid a quarter turn the other way roughly every five minutes.
The pie is done when the cheese is bubbling and browned and the tortilla edges are crisp. Brush off the ash before lifting the lid, and let the pie rest for five minutes.
Serve with tomato, cucumber, lettuce and salsa from the jars.

Why most of the embers should go on the lid, and how to tell when they need replacing, is explained in cast-iron pot over a fire.

Safety with mince, pan and embers

Mince cooked through. Minced meat must always be cooked through. The colour isn't proof enough: 70 degrees in the centre is a good benchmark, and the juices should run clear.
Raw and cooked. The spatula that has touched raw mince shouldn't go into the cooked mince. Wash your hands straight after handling raw mince, and put the finished tacos on different plates from the ones the raw meat was on. How to get clean hands and clean boards without a tap is explained in hygiene and washing up outdoors.
The chilled items. Cheese, soured cream and crème fraîche should be left out for no more than two hours in summer heat, and never in the sun. Keep them in the cool box in the shade until you eat, and put them back afterwards.
Fried at home. If you fry the mince at home, let it cool quickly, keep it cold in the cool box and reheat it in the pan by the fire until it's bubbling and piping hot all the way through.
The salsa and the foil. Tomato salsa and lime are acidic. Never put them directly against aluminium foil, neither by the fire nor in a parcel.
Fat fires. If the fat in the pan catches fire, put on a lid or another pan and never pour water on it.
Burns. The cast-iron handle gets as hot as the pan. Cool a burn with cool water for about a quarter of an hour, no longer, and never with ice or snow. Seek medical care if blisters form and the burn is larger than the injured person's own hand, or if it's on the face, the hands or over a joint.
Fire bans. The county administrative board's or the municipality's decision determines whether you can light a fire. The other rules that apply are explained in lighting fires outdoors.

Tacos with children

Tacos are perhaps the most child-friendly food there is to cook over a fire, because everyone builds their own. The jars become a taco bar, and anyone who only wants cheese and cucumber can have just that.

At home: the children can mix the seasoning in the bag, grate the cheese and cut cucumber with an adult beside them.
By the fire: they can carry wood, set out the jars and count tortillas. Older children can turn tortillas on the grill with long tongs, wearing fire gloves and with an adult close by.
The hot stuff: the pan and the grill are handled by an adult. The mince and the melted cheese in the taco pie stay hot for a long time and can burn mouths, so let them cool for a while on the plate.
Raw mince: never let small children taste raw minced meat.
The heat: the chilli stays in its own bag, so the tacos are mild for the children and hot for anyone who wants it.

More ideas for what the children can do can be found in cooking with children over a fire.

Common mistakes

The mince turns grey and watery. The pan was too cold or too full, so the mince stewed in its own juices. The fix: push the pan over hotter embers, let the liquid boil off, and next time fry it in two batches.
The seasoning smells burnt. It went into a dry, hot pan with no liquid. The fix: pour in the water straight away and pull the pan off the embers. If it has turned bitter, stir in an extra tbsp of tomato purée.
The tortillas crack when folded. They're too dry, too cold or have been on the grill too long. The fix: put them in the tea towel for a few minutes so the steam softens them, or warm them two at a time instead.
The tortilla turned black. It was over a flame. Wait until the flames have died down, or move the grill to the part where the embers are steady.
The mince goes cold while the tortillas are warming. The pan was on the stone instead of by the embers. Put it at the edge of the embers, where it stays warm without burning.
The taco pie has burnt on the bottom. Too many embers underneath. The fix: scrape away the embers under the pot and add more to the lid. Always use baking paper in the bottom.

Ways to vary the tacos

Chicken: cut chicken fillet into strips, fry it the same way and always cook it through. 70 degrees in the centre is a good benchmark.
Fish: cod or coley in chunks, fried in the pan with the seasoning. The fish is done at no less than 60 degrees in the centre, when it flakes apart.
Beans or soya mince: mash half the beans with a fork in the pan, and they'll bind the rest together. Frozen soya mince is fried straight from frozen and only needs to get hot all the way through, so it's ready in a few minutes. It soaks up liquid, so add an extra splash of water if the filling gets dry.
Breakfast tacos: scrambled eggs, fried potatoes and salsa in the tortilla. How to make it by the fire is explained in breakfast burrito over an open fire.
Crispy versions at home: if you want tortillas with cheese fried until crisp, or mince pressed straight onto the bread, you'll find them in crispy beef tacos and smash burger tacos.
Leftovers: leftover mince and cheese become lunch the next day as campfire quesadillas. And when it's cold out and you'd rather eat from a pot, vegetarian chilli over an open fire is a better fit.

Allergens

Wheat tortillas contain gluten. Corn tortillas made only from corn are gluten-free, but read the ingredients list. Cheese, soured cream and crème fraîche contain milk protein, and soya mince contains soya. Ready-made taco seasonings and salsas can contain wheat, celery or mustard, which is why your own spice mix is easiest if anyone has allergies.

Frequently asked questions

How do you warm tortillas over an open fire?

Put them on a grill over steady embers, not over flames, and turn them after 20–40 seconds when they have brown spots and have started to bubble. Put them straight into a tea towel and they'll stay warm and soft.

How do you know the mince is cooked through?

No pink mince should be visible and the juices should run clear. Even so, the colour isn't proof enough, so check with a meat thermometer: 70 degrees in the centre is a good benchmark.

Can you prepare tacos at home before the outing?

Yes, and that's what makes tacos easy outdoors. Chop and grate everything at home, mix the seasoning in a bag and fill a jar with each topping. Raw mince, cheese and soured cream go in the cool box, and chilled foods should be left out for no more than two hours in summer heat.

Should you use wheat or corn tortillas over a fire?

Wheat tortillas are the most forgiving and stay soft longest, so they're best for children and larger groups. Corn tortillas have more flavour and get lovely charred edges, but they dry out quickly and should be warmed just before they're eaten.

Can you make taco pie over an open fire?

Yes, in a cast-iron pot with a lid. Line the pot with baking paper and tortillas, fill it with hot fried mince and top with crème fraîche and cheese. Bake for 15–20 minutes with a thin layer of embers underneath and about three times as many on the lid.

How do you make vegetarian tacos over a fire?

Swap the beef mince for beans or soya mince and fry them with the same onion and seasoning. Mash half the beans, so the filling turns juicy and stays inside the tortilla.