The Secret Recipe Blog

On May 11th, 2007 Pat Said:

I really enjoy the copy cat recipes… Now that I live in the UK, they are a little bit of ‘home’ that I can put on my dinner table.. ButI never felt so far from home till I tried to recreate this recipe Jack in the Box Taco recipe..

Refried beans?? There seems to be a misunderstanding here about exactly what these are… I can’t even find dry pinto beans in the store to make my own..
Nope… and no Ortega taco sauce either…
Corn Tortillas?? Nope… those are out too.. We can actually get flour tortillas and if we’re lucky, we can get El Paso Mexican meal kits that have flour tortillas in them with an expiration date on them of about 5 months from now… A far cry from the warm ones I used to get at the market in So. Calif…

Ah… Crisco… I can get several brands of cooking oil, but good old Crisco is not on the shelf.. If I drive down to Manchester… About 45 minutes away.. and go to the foreign food section in Selfridges, I can get little containers of Crisco shortening, but you can imagine the price since it’s imported…

But the best one was the American Cheese… The British version of American cheese is about as authentic as their verison of American hot dogs… So called American Hotdogs come packed in water in a can or bottle and taste like Vienna sausages… Rather limp and squishy… Certainly not Oscar Meyer quality…

Unfortunately, things like cheese and meat products can’t be imported and I can’t even sneek them into my luggage.. so I suppose this recipe will simply have to be left for those who still reside in the USA…

On June 2nd, 2007 Esther Said:

My favorite fast food is JITB tacos! Unfortunately there are none where I live. This is a great copy cat recipe. And to the other comment about the beans, the beans are used to get the meat to be the same texture and consistency as JITB tacos. I’ve heard that you can use potato flakes to do the same thing. You can’t taste the beans in the tacos. They are GREAT!

On June 24th, 2007 Tisha MaGouirk Said:

I’ve been researching this exact dilemma. It’s very useful to type in Jack In The Box, and read the company’s web page. They explain exactly how they’re made. That’s half the battle. There are NO BEANS. Also, when you fry them, lower the heat, and either hold them closed with a kitchen tool of some sort, or use toothpicks to hold them together. Hope this helps. When you’re jonesin’ for a taco, you’re jonesin’ for a taco…!

On December 29th, 2008 Ray Said:

I used to get JITB tacos for 10 cents when in high school in Phoenix. Sure would lieke to get the mix for the secret sauce they used on their little burgers 10 cents too!

On March 15th, 2009 Stacey Said:

OMG! My husband was traveling on business and just discovered that JIB tacos have been taken off the menu as of the end of February. Hope this recipe lives up to the JIB reputation.

On March 25th, 2009 DanB Said:

Do you have any idea how many tacos the average Jack In The Box sells every day? They were not “taken off the menu as of the end of February,” and they’re not going anywhere any time soon. Wonder what other lies Stacey’s husband has been telling her about his adventures on the road.

Oh, and also, while this is a very nice recipe, it’s not even close to what JITB does. That filling is almost 100 percent textured vegetable protein.

On May 9th, 2009 Arturo Said:

The JITB do have beans in the tacos, they also have anchovies which no body taste…

On June 5th, 2009 Todd Said:

The taco ingredients are listed on JIB’s Web site: http://www.jackinthebox.com/pdf/Ingredients.pdf

No. 1 ingredient is “beef.” Because it is listed first, that means it is the largest single ingredient in the filling. Next ingredient is water, then textured vegetable protein, then soy grits. TVP and soy grits can be had at Whole Foods Markets. Also there’s salt, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce, which can also be had at any grocery store. Parts of this that would be hard to duplicate at home include the “seasoning” portion of this ingredient list, No. 5 on the list of ingredients, which includes several industrial food additives and flavor enhancers as well as the non-specific “spices” — which could include any number of things. Also, while the ingredients are listed in descending order of weight, there’s no way to know the exact proportions. As a former JIB employee (18 years ago), I can tell you the tacos start out frozen, the filling is nearly a paste, which means you’ll need a blender, and the tacos are fried using a specially made multi-taco clamp that holds the folded halves of the shells together during cooking. As far as anchovies are concerned, they are not listed in the ingredients at all. Anchovies are usually one of the last ingredients listed on a bottle of Worcestershire sauce — so it is a nominal ingredient there. And Worcestershire sauce, being listed last in the filling ingredients, is itself a nominal ingredient in the JIB taco filling. Additionally, on their Web site, the individual ingredients of the Worcestershire sauce used are broken out — and they do not include anchovies as an ingredient, though “natural flavors” could include anchovies. As far as “beans” are concerned, the only beans here are soy beans, and only after they have been processed into industrial food additives, including: soy flour as part of the TVP, soy grits, hydrolyzed soy protein and soybean oil.

JIB out to sell these damn things frozen in your grocer’s freezer. The closest JIB to Washington, D.C. is in North Carolina. The next four-day weekend I’m driving down there for some. Or on my next trip home to St. Louis.

On July 21st, 2009 Hawkins Said:

Worcestershire contains anchovies…the meat itself doesn’t

On November 14th, 2009 Kerrie Said:

You Have to deep fry the tacos in Crisco oil and Make sure it is hot. If you have problems with them coming open put tooth picks in them.
I get JIB Tacos first thing everytime I stip off of the plane in Houston, the on to Whata Burger!
These are close and great in a pinch.