These Tacos Were Made for Dipping: Taco Bell Adds Birria-Inspired Menu Item

The Grilled Cheese Dipping Taco is an intentional riff on a popular and classic Mexican dish.

If you spend enough time on LinkedIn, you'll probably come across someone talking about the genius of Taco Bell's business model, spinning the same stable of ingredients into multiple menu items. And while it may be true that much of Taco Bell's lineup shares the same core elements, its latest limited-time offering is actually putting something new on the menu.

Staring on August 3, Taco Bell locations nationwide will serve the Grilled Cheese Dipping Taco. The product is described as "slow-braised shredded beef in a fresh white corn taco shell with cheddar, mozzarella, and pepper jack cheeses grilled on the outside." It's served with cups of both "savory red sauce" and nacho cheese. The a la carte item will sell for $3.49 and marks the first time the chain has rolled out its new shredded beef nationwide.

In no uncertain terms, the item is an overt play on birria tacos (we're partial to our recipe, but you do you). The base of the dish is the slowly cooked beef which gets its "birria" name from a stew that originated in Jalisco, Mexico.

Related: Taco John's Is Giving Up Its Trademark on 'Taco Tuesday'

"The rich and spicy flavors often found in birria were a major point of inspiration as we created the new Grilled Cheese Dipping Taco. By combining slow-braised shredded beef with the two dipping sauces, our fans can enjoy a new range of flavors they may have never had from Taco Bell before," Liz Matthews, global chief food innovation officer at Taco Bell, said. "This Mexican-inspired dish represents an evolution of what fans typically expect from Taco Bell. We’re excited to bring this menu item nationwide after an incredibly successful test in 2022."

And despite what you might think of fast food, it seems the Taco Bell team actually took things slow to get this essential part as right as possible. A video posted to the chain's YouTube channel shows Taco Bell Innovation Kitchen chef Kristine Paquet going through the process of braising, shredding, and stewing the beef used in this particular recipe.

According to Paquet's comments in the above video, the new tacos required two years of development and 50 attempts at getting the shredded beef right before finally landing on the recipe hitting Taco Bell restaurants next week.

But despite all that effort, the Grilled Cheese Dipping Tacos will only be available for a limited time at participating locations, while supplies last, and all the usual jargon associated with these kinds of things. Unless, of course, they turn out to be the next Mexican Pizza.

For more Food & Wine news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on Food & Wine.