Taco Salad Recipe — When Memphis Meets Mexico at the Family Table

Mid-September and the relief of a shorter route has settled into something I didn't expect: gratitude. I thought losing half the route would feel like amputation. Instead it feels like putting down a heavy bag — the arm is lighter, the step is easier, and you wonder why you carried it so long. My knee still aches, but it aches at a volume I can live with, and the difference between living with pain and being destroyed by it is the difference between a controlled smoke and a fire — both are hot, but only one produces something good.

Marcus and Angela came for dinner Sunday and announced a date: the wedding will be April 14, 2018. Spring. Mt. Zion Baptist Church. Reception at the Orange Mound Community Center, same place my retirement party will be when it comes, same place where every Johnson milestone is marked — births celebrated, deaths mourned, unions blessed, all under the same roof, because in Orange Mound, one building holds a lifetime.

I volunteered to smoke the meat for the reception. Of course I did. What else would I do — sit in a pew and watch someone else feed my son's wedding? Not a chance. I'll smoke six shoulders and four racks of ribs, and I'll do it with the same devotion I bring to the sickle cell fundraiser, because feeding a wedding is feeding a future, and I have been in the future-feeding business since Uncle Clyde handed me a mop and said, "Low and slow, nephew."

Made smoked pork belly tacos this week — another evolution dish that would give Uncle Clyde palpitations but that I stand behind completely. Smoked pork belly, cubed and crisped, in warm corn tortillas with pickled red onion, cilantro, a squeeze of lime, and a drizzle of chipotle crema. Memphis meets Mexico, and the meeting is respectful and delicious. The smoke of the pork belly carries into the tortilla, and the acid of the pickled onion cuts through the richness, and every bite is a conversation between two traditions that don't know each other but have more in common than they think: both honor the animal, both value patience, both believe that food cooked with love tastes better than food cooked without it.

That pork belly experiment got me thinking all week about the crossover between BBQ tradition and the brightness of good Mexican-inspired food — the acid, the crunch, the fresh herbs doing honest work against rich, smoky meat. When I wanted to pull those same flavors into something weeknight-quick, I landed on this taco salad: it carries that same conversation between smoke and brightness, between hearty and fresh, and it goes together fast enough that you’re not still cooking when the gratitude wears off.

Taco Salad

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Total Time: 25 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef (or shredded smoked pork, if you have it)
• 1 packet (1 oz) taco seasoning
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 large head romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup corn kernels (fresh, frozen, or canned)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup pickled red onion
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 cup tortilla chips, crushed
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Cook the meat. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef, breaking it up as it cooks, about 7–8 minutes. Drain excess fat.
2. Season. Add taco seasoning and water to the skillet. Stir well and simmer 2–3 minutes until the liquid is mostly absorbed. Remove from heat.
3. Build the base. Divide chopped romaine evenly among four large bowls or plates.
4. Layer the toppings. Top the lettuce with seasoned meat, black beans, corn, cherry tomatoes, cheddar cheese, pickled red onion, avocado, and cilantro.
5. Add crunch. Scatter crushed tortilla chips over each bowl just before serving so they stay crisp.
6. Finish and serve. Dollop sour cream and salsa over the top. Squeeze a lime wedge over each bowl and serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 580 | Protein: 34g | Fat: 28g | Carbs: 48g | Fiber: 10g | Sodium: 920mg