In the heart of Texas, where barbecue is king, we bring you a breakfast that embodies the spirit of a Texas sunrise—Leftover Brisket Breakfast Tacos. A harmonious combination of smoky, tender brisket along with scrambled eggs, salsa and fresh tortillas, these tacos promise to kickstart your day. Join us as we pay homage to the Texan love affair with barbecue and uncover the secrets to breakfast tacos that are big on flavor and even bigger on Texas charm.
Breakfast tacos are a big thing in Austin, Texas. They are so popular that you can find them made to order in restaurants, food trucks and even inside gas stations. While there are many different kinds of meat that can be put into a breakfast taco, a brisket breakfast taco is distinctly Texan. We love our brisket and we love our breakfast tacos. Besides, brisket breakfast tacos are a great way to use up brisket leftovers.
Whenever I make a brisket, I always seem to have a lot of leftovers. Making brisket breakfast tacos a perfect way to use up some of that delicious leftover smoked brisket. If you need a good beef brisket recipe, see my recipe for Smoked Brisket and Burnt Ends. Also, read my posts How Long to Cook a 15 Pound Brisket and How to Know When a Brisket is Done.
This was inspired by my other recipes for Chorizo Breakfast Tacos, Authentic Tex-Mex Migas and Huevos Rancheros.
Ingredients
Steak Sauce
- Dried guajillo chiles
- Canola oil
- White onions
- Garlic cloves
- Kosher salt
- Cumin
- Chili powder
- Red wine vinegar
- Lime juice
Brisket Tacos
- Canola oil
- Butter
- Brisket
- Eggs
- White onion
- Fresh Cilantro
- Limes and lime juice
- Green onions
- Queso fresco cheese
- Jalapeño peppers
- Pickled red onions
- Sour cream
See Brisket Breakfast Tacos recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Make the Sauce
The star of this dish is the guajillo chile sauce that adds amazing flavor and a little bit of punch. The sauce is made from dried guajillo chiles and some roasted onions and garlic and it's great on all kinds of meat.
Remove the stems and seeds from three dried guajillo chiles.
Toast the chiles in a dry skillet over medium-high heat for one minute each side. Next, soak the toasted chiles in hot water for 30 minutes. Then, drain the chiles and discard the soaking liquid.
Sauté some white onion with two whole garlic cloves until the onion is softened and slight browned and the garlic has begun to brown. Add all of the sauce ingredients to a blender.
Blend the sauce until smooth.
Heat Up Some Brisket and Make the Eggs
Lean leftover smoked brisket was used for these brisket breakfast tacos. Fatty brisket would just add grease you don't want.
Chop the brisket into bite-sized pieces and sauté it in a little canola oil and butter over medium heat, in a non-stick pan, until the meat is slightly browned.
Reduce the heat to low heat. Add the eggs. Stir occasionally and remove from the heat when the eggs are almost done but still a little wet. They will continue to cook.
Build the Brisket Breakfast Tacos
Warm tortillas are essential for this brisket taco recipe. Stack three or four corn tortillas in a small skillet over medium low heat. Flip them over a few times to heat them through.
Spoon a generous helping of brisket and eggs onto a fresh corn tortilla. Add some of the guajillo steak sauce, top with chopped white onions, fresh cilantro, queso fresco, thin slices of fresh jalapeño peppers, some pickled red onions, a spoonful of sour cream and a squeeze of lime. Serve with lime slices and grilled green onions. If you are really hungry, serve with Mexican rice and maybe some refried beans. Bet you can't eat just one.
Substitutions
If you don't want to go through the steps to make the sauce, try adding a bit of pico de gallo, hot sauce or other salsa to your breakfast tacos instead.
This recipe was made with fresh corn tortillas (see the recipe for Homemade Corn Tortillas), but flour tortillas also work well.
Variations
Leftover carnitas can be used to make awesome breakfast tacos. Just chop the carnitas meat and heat it up the same way.
Equipment
No special equipment was used in this recipe.
Storage
Leftover meat and eggs can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 day. Remember, the leftover brisket was already leftover so you don't want to keep it very long.
Top Tip
Alton Brown says, "If scrambled eggs look done in the pan they will be overdone on your plate." These are words to live by. Take scrambled eggs off the heat while they still look a little wet because they will continue to cook on the plate.
Brisket Breakfast Tacos are as a reminder that breakfast can also be a culinary adventure. The combination of smoky brisket, fluffy scrambled eggs and zesty salsa underscores the rich culinary heritage of Texas. We hope this recipe has inspired you to bring a taste of the Lone Star State to your morning routine with a breakfast that's as bold as a Texas sunrise and sure to become a family favorite. Enjoy!
Related
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Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with this recipe.
📖 Recipe
Brisket Breakfast Tacos Recipe
Ingredients
Steak Sauce
- 3 dried guajillo chiles stemmed and seeded
- ¼ cup canola oil
- ½ cup white onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic whole
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder preferably chipotle
- ½ teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1 lime juiced
Brisket Tacos
- 1 tbs canola oil
- 1 tbs butter
- 1 lb brisket lean, cooked
- 8 eggs scrambled
- ½ cup white onion
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- ½ cup queso fresco cheese crumbled
- 1 jalapeño pepper thinly sliced
- ¼ cup pickled red onion
- 8 green onions grilled
- 1 lime sliced
Instructions
Sauce
- Remove the stems and seeds from three dried guajillo chiles. Heat the chiles in a skillet over medium heat for 1 minute per side. They should get darker in color. Soak the toasted chiles in hot water for 30 minutes.
- Sauté the white onion with two whole garlic cloves until the onion is softened and slightly browned and the garlic has begun to brown. Remove from heat and set aside. Drain the chiles and discard the soaking liquid. Add the chiles to a blender with the onion, garlic, salt, cumin, chili powder, red wine vinegar, canola oil and lime juice. Blend until smooth.
Brisket Tacos
- Chop the brisket and sauté in a little canola oil and butter over medium heat in a non-stick pan until the meat is slightly browned.
- Add the eggs and reduce the heat to simmer. Stir occasionally and remove from the heat when the eggs are almost done but still a little wet. They will continue to cook.
- Spoon a generous helping of brisket and eggs onto a tortilla. Add some of the guajillo steak sauce, top with chopped white onions, cilantro, queso fresco, thin slices of fresh jalapeño peppers and some pickled red onion. Serve with grilled green onions and garnished with lime slices.
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