It’s no secret, really. We love tacos. Just in the U.S. alone, we ate 4.5 billion of them last year. With more get-togethers on our calendars these days, and since BBQ tacos have long been one of our favorite party foods, it doesn’t look like we’ll be giving up our taco habit any time soon.
We came up with many reasons why tacos deserve a special place in our hearts. We managed to crunch away at our list until we had our absolute best, top 10 reasons why we love tacos. Then we’ll get into our all-time favorite Taco Tuesday recipes, which we think could have the family rushing to the table any night of the week—especially if there’s plenty of BBQ sauce.
Tacos don’t care what time it is.
Whether it’s 2pm or 2am, tacos are there for you. Hungry for breakfast? Fry up some bacon, eggs, and cheese, and cradle them together in a soft corn tortilla. Need a quick lunch? Fill your taco shells with last night’s leftovers. When it’s time to have a late-night snack, nothing hits the spot quite like Instant Pot Chipotle Chicken Tacos. Tacos don’t care what time it is. Whenever you need them, they are there for you.
Tacos accept you for who you are.
There’s a taco for everyone, whether you’re vegetarian, gluten-free, or eat red meat and Texas toast for all 3 meals and snacks. Tacos are built to suit. Whatever your lifestyle, or whatever your dietary needs, tacos are up for it. Speaking of which, if you haven’t tried jackfruit tacos, you’re missing out—even you carnivores out there will note its deliciousness, which is a lot like BBQ pulled pork.
Tacos don’t care how much money you have.
Tacos know how to stretch a dollar. If your budget is giving you the side-eye, tacos are a great way to take low-cost proteins like pulled pork, ground beef, and chicken thighs—veggies, too—and make them into a delicious meal that can feed a crowd. Plus, they’re fantastic for rejuvenating tired leftovers. These 3-Minute BBQ Chicken Tacos are one of our favorite Taco Tuesday recipes for exactly this reason.
Tacos never travel alone.
Tacos are like pack animals, or dads when a grill lid is open. If you see one, there is bound to be more. Tacos make it easy to snack freely, without concern that the taco supply will run dry, giving you multitudes of opportunities to try new fillings, toppings, and even shells. By the way, have you ever tried a bacon-weave taco shell? You should.
Tacos warm you up when the world is cold.
Tacos always bring the heat. With piping-hot fillings and spicy sauces, tacos are always a delicious way to warm up. These Instant Pot Short Rib Tacos are especially good at banishing the chills. When you’re shivering, these tacos are delivering. Definitely add them to your Taco Tuesday recipes line-up.
Tacos are the life of the party.
Tacos are never boring. In fact, if you look up “party” in the dictionary, we bet you’ll find a picture of an extremely tasty taco. Where there is something to celebrate, there are tacos, just waiting to be built, customized, and enjoyed by each and every partygoer. Feeling alone in a crowded room? Leave it to a taco—like these Quick and Easy Steak Tacos—to be a true friend.
Tacos support your dreams.
Ever dream of having a body that can keep up with everything you want to do in life? Tacos want to help. Fill them with grilled meats and fresh veggies and tacos become a delicious, satisfying way to enjoy a balanced diet (you can even top them with sugar free BBQ sauce). Tacos have dreams, too, after all. What taco wouldn’t want to wake up one morning and find that overnight it had transformed into the largest taco ever made, like the 2011 taco from Queretaro, Mexico, which was 246 feet long?
Tacos are great teachers.
Need to practice your math? Use tacos. Try this one: 10 tacos minus 5 tacos for me leaves 5 tacos for you. Want a science lesson? When you bite into a taco, you are tasting the results of an ancient chemical process called nixtamalization, a process where an alkaline substance is added to corn while it steeps, making tortillas softer, tastier, and much more nutritious. Like history? The first taco was actually invented somewhere between 1,000 and 500 B.C. How about spelling? T-A-C-O-S spells tacos.
No two tacos are exactly alike.
Every taco is unique, like a fingerprint. Did you know that even identical twins don’t have identical fingerprints? Tacos remind us that in spite of how things look on the outside, there are always surprises to offer inside. Tacos are just like us, really. We are tacos, and tacos are us. That’s why it’s important to see potential in each and every taco.
Tacos bring people together.
Just like BBQ, our first-favorite food, when there’s a platter of tacos on the table, everyone naturally gathers around. We know that when you whip up a batch of tacos, you’re not just making a meal. Tacos are a delicious way to make memories with friends and family.
The best Taco Tuesday recipes, plus some taco-flavored favorites
Quick and Easy Steak Tacos
What they are: The best steak for tacos? In this recipe, it’s chuck steak. The inexpensive, well-marbled cut makes for the perfect hearty filling for street-style steak tacos. All it takes is a simple marinade and a quick sear on a smoking-hot grill before you’re ready to fill your tortillas to the brim—and add these tacos to the top of your Taco Tuesday recipes list.
What to stock up on: Head Country All-Purpose Premium Marinade
FULL RECIPE: Quick and Easy Steak Tacos
Instant Pot Chipotle Chicken Tacos
What they are: Succulent pulled chicken is paired with a zesty broth, fire roasted tomatoes, spicy chipotle BBQ sauce, and a bit of punch from freshly squeezed lime juice in these Instant Pot chicken tacos. And they’re ready in just 20 minutes.
What to stock up on: Our Chipotle Bar-B-Q Sauce
FULL RECIPE: Instant Pot Chipotle Chicken Tacos
Instant Pot BBQ Short Rib Tacos
What they are: With rich, cozy, comfort-food flavor with just five ingredients, these Instant Pot BBQ Short Rib Tacos are going to be your go-to weeknight dinner hero. They’re amazing for leftover short ribs, too.
What to stock up on: Our Original Seasoning, your favorite flavor of BBQ sauce
FULL RECIPE: Instant Pot BBQ Short Rib Tacos
Loaded Totchos Street Taco Style with BBQ Pulled Pork
What it is: Make the most out of weeknights—and leftovers—with this quick, piled-high sheet-pan dish inspired by tater tot casserole and your favorite roadside taco stand. The smoke of the chipotle, the twang of the pickled radish, and the bright cilantro add grown-up flavors to this family favorite.
What to stock up on: Our Sweet & Sticky sauce, our Original and High Plains Heat Seasonings
FULL RECIPE: Loaded Totchos Street Taco Style with BBQ Pulled Pork
Pulled Pork Tacos with Mac & Cheese and Bacon Weave Shell
What they are: Know what’s gonna take your #TacoTuesday up a notch? Bacon. 72 slices, to be exact, woven into warm, crispy taco shells. Creamy mac & cheese and a tangy red-cabbage slaw top BBQ pulled pork in what might just be our most porktastic recipe ever.
What to stock up on: Our Original sauce, our Original seasoning
FULL RECIPE: Pulled Pork Tacos with Mac & Cheese and Bacon Weave Shell
Leftover BBQ Chicken Keto Burrito Bowls
What they are: Just because you’re watching carbs or sugar doesn’t mean you’re out of luck on taco night. These keto burrito bowls combine the BBQ you couldn’t quite get through over the weekend with a cilantro-lime cauliflower rice. It’s bold and balanced, like our Sugar Free BBQ sauce.
What to stock up on: Our Sugar Free Bar-B-Q Sauce
FULL RECIPE: Leftover BBQ Chicken Keto Burrito Bowls
3-Minute BBQ Chicken Tacos
What they are: When you shop your pantry and dip into the BBQ you couldn’t quite finish over the weekend, these shredded chicken tacos are ready in just 3 minutes.
What to stock up on: Your favorite flavor of Head Country Bar-B-Q Sauce
Full recipe: 3-Minute BBQ Chicken Tacos
BBQ Jackfruit Tacos
What they are: We love the jackfruit tacos at the food truck, and we couldn’t wait to sauce them up. Jackfruit shreds like pulled chicken, pork, or beef, and loves to party with jalapeno, radish, and your favorite flavor of our Bar-B-Q sauce.
What to stock up on: Our Chipotle Bar-B-Q Sauce, our Original Seasoning
FULL RECIPE: BBQ Jackfruit Tacos
