A Girl Obsessed – Grilled Skirt Steak Tacos

My 17 year-old daughter is obsessed with tacos. Like a serious teenager in love with a movie star, except it’s a taco infatuation. She searches them out at taquerias and divey Mexican restaurants wherever she goes. She’s in Brooklyn visiting friends. “What did you eat?” “Tacos.” She goes on a trip to Philadelphia. “How was your trip?” “We had some great tacos.” What should I make for dinner tonight? “Tacos.”

The other day she found a new taqueria not far from our home. We ate them for dinner at 4:30 on a Friday afternoon, because that’s when she had to have tacos. A comparison with other taco joints and a critique of the components followed.  “The meat here is really good, but it’s a little more flavorful at Oaxaca.”  “Taqueria Mexico Lindo has better guacamole and is more generous with their portions.” “The tortillas at this new place are not just put on a dry griddle, but almost fried!!” “I love their salsa verde.”

Because my daughter cannot get enough tacos in her life, I’ve learned to cook a pretty fair taco, if I do say so myself, with all the amenities. I cannot claim authenticity, but they work pretty well.

Taco ingredients vary widely. They can be filled in many different ways, with many different components; steak, chicken, or pork; different types of salsas; added vegetables or not; different varieties of cheese. Here I present you with a grilled skirt steak filling, but I’ll provide you with recipes for a chicken filling, as well as guacamole and various salsas in the future. Add toppings as you like; I provide suggestions, but the list is endless.

Grilled Skirt Steak for Tacos

Nothing beats salty, spicy bites of juicy steak with charred edges on a taco. I sometimes eat as much of the meat while cutting it for the table as I do in my tortillas.

6 servings, 5 minutes prep time, 2 hours marinating, 15 minutes cook time

2 lbs. skirt steak

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. ancho chili powder

½ tsp. cayenne pepper

½ tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. freshly ground pepper

½ tsp. kosher salt

1. Mix the olive oil, spices, and salt in a small bowl until well-blended.
2. Put steak in a zip-top bag or bowl and cover with oil mixture. Make sure meat is well-covered with oil and spices by mixing with your hands. Zip bag or cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. (When you don’t have this much time, no worries, it turns out just fine.)
3. Prepare charcoal or gas grill for high heat and preheat for at least 15 minutes.
4. Grill steak with lid open for about 5 minutes per side so that the edges char. Skirt steak cooks quickly because it’s so thin, and becomes tough if overcooked. The high heat lets you char the edges without overcooking the meat.
5. Remove steak from the fire and let rest for a full five minutes. (I know that seems like a long time, but you will be rewarded with much juicier, and therefore more flavorful meat.)
6. Place the steak horizontally on a cutting board and slice thinly against (i.e., perpendicular to) the grain. You may need to cut each slice in half or thirds to make them bite-size for tacos. Try not to eat too much before it gets to the table.

A Word About Tortillas

If you make homemade tortillas from masa harina, you get extra credit, but most of us will buy tortillas in a market. I prefer corn tortillas, but flour are fine. Try to get them from a market with a substantial Mexican clientele; they will be much fresher. And wherever you get them, a little condensation in the bag is an indication of freshness. A half minute on each side in a hot skillet, then placement in a tortilla basket or under a kitchen towel to steam, will make them perfect.

Suggested Toppings (optional)

Onion – finely chopped, then soaked in water for 5 minutes (to remove the bite), drained

Cilantro – chopped

Cotija cheese (a feta-like, crumbled cheese that you can find at Mexican groceries)

Sour cream or Mexican crema

Salsa – pico de gallo, salsa verde

Guacamole

Sliced avocado

Sliced radishes

Juice from quartered limes

Shredded lettuce

Chopped tomatoes

Shredded cheese (queso blanco or cheddar)

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