The Golden Rules of Hosting a Taco Bar
How much meat cooks down per pound?
Raw 80/20 ground beef loses about 25% to 30% of its volume after rendering fat and simmering with taco seasoning. For every pound of raw ground beef, expect about 11 to 12 ounces of cooked taco filling. Boneless, skinless chicken breast retains roughly 80% of its weight.
Hard shells vs. soft flour or corn tortillas?
A crowd-pleasing taco bar uses a 60/40 ratio of soft street-taco size tortillas (flour and yellow corn) to hard crispy shells. Always buy 15% to 20% extra shells because hard shells frequently break in the box or during buffet handling.
How to keep taco meat warm for a crowd?
Use 2-quart or 3-quart mini slow cookers (Crock-Pots) set to "Warm" with a splash of broth or salsa at the bottom to keep the taco meat juicy for hours without burning.