TikTok Peer-Pressured Me Into Making These Viral Big Mac Tacos, And Now I Have A Gallon Of Mac Sauce Sitting In My Fridge
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.
I like Big Macs, and I like tacos, OK? Combining the two just blew my mind (I live in America).
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!
12 screenshots and a trip to the grocery store later, I was ready to rumble.
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.
These aren't in the picture because my brain is the size of a quail egg, and I forgot, but you'll also need mayonnaise and onions (though you can skip the onions if you want). TBH, a majority of these ingredients is solely for the sauce, and a lot of these ingredients might already be in your pantry! Except, of course, if you're Filipino like me and only had banana ketchup instead of tomato ketchup.
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.
Like I said, more than half of the ingredients needed are for the sauce and the sauce alone. This Mac sauce is super simple to make, and once you realize how simple, you'll be making it all the time (I know I will).
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.
I had my sister put the mayo in, and as you can see, she decided we needed 13 servings of Mac sauce. The biggest measuring tool I used for this recipe was my heart, but if you want to use your handy dandy measuring spoons, here's what you'll need:
- A cup of mayonnaise (for a fairly large batch)
- 4 tablespoons of sweet pickle relish
- 2 tablespoons of dijon mustard
- 1/2 tablespoon of white vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of paprika
- 1 teaspoon of onion powder
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of white pepper
- 3 tablespoons of ketchup (optional)
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!
Before anyone tries to come for me, yes, I am well-aware the Big Mac sauce doesn't actually have any ketchup in it. Adding ketchup just felt right, okay?
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.
Since we're not using any formal measurements, be sure to taste as you go and add more seasoning if necessary. The only thing I felt like I needed more of was the sweet pickle relish, so I went ahead and added another spoonful.
After the sauce tastes to your standards, toss that bad boy in the fridge and whip out the tortillas.
I chose to use the six-inch tortillas, but feel free to go smaller if you want something more bite-size friendly. Or, you can even go bigger and try to make a Big Mac burrito. Who's stoppin' ya?
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.
Another thing I learned from making this recipe is that you have to season the meat pretty well. Originally, it didn't cross my mind that only one side of the "patty" was being seasoned, so the meat tasted a little bland. That said, I recommend going a little heavy-handed. I just used salt and pepper, but feel free to season the beef however you like!
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.
A nice medium heat is actually the way to go.
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.
Because I want you to do better than I did, try your best to make your ground beef layer thin, and pound it out until it covers the entire surface of the tortilla. Again, aim for 1/4-inch thick or less! Not only will it make cooking easier, but it'll also ensure that you have a good bite each time.
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.
There's nothing more aesthetic-looking than cheese boils.
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.
This picture was taken pre-onions and pre-pickles because I was just so thrown off by how unappetizing these looked. Maybe I was the problem??
After everything is topped and garnished, fold all the tortillas up, and voilà! You have Big Mac tacos.
After folding them, their cute factor went from a 4/10 to a solid 7/10.
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.
I didn't really mind, but some of the meat was still a wee pink.
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.
Honestly, I recommend just cooking the patties separately. It might take you a little longer to cook the meat and then toast the tortillas, but it'll save you the hassle of wondering whether or not your patties are cooked all the way through.
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.
If you do want to try your hand at making these viral Big Mac tacos, here are some tips to remember:
- Spread the ground beef out thinly and evenly, covering the entire surface of the tortilla
- Aim for your ground beef to be at 1/4-inch thick or less
- Season your ground beef fairly well
- Use a medium to medium-low heat
- To avoid your patties not cooking through, consider cooking them separately from the tortilla
- Continue to check your tortilla while it's toasting to make sure it doesn't burn
- Save any extra Mac sauce for burgers, fries, or even chicken nuggies
