If you have ever eaten from a taco truck, you will know why carne asada (grilled beef ) tacos are the ultimate Mexican street food. Charred crispy beef is wrapped in a warm and chewy corn tortilla and drizzled with your choice of fresh tomato or tomatillo sauce. It is easy to make and even easier to serve because you can have your guests make their own.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　About 2 cups red wine vinegar

　　1 red onion, thinly sliced

　　1 pound skirt steak

　　1 clove garlic, halved

　　Salt and black pepper

　　2 limes

　　2 tablespoons olive oil

　　12 (6-inch) fresh corn tortillas

　　1 avocado, pitted and sliced (see Cooking Notes, page 73)

　　1 cup Fresh Tomato Salsa (page 96) or Fresh Tomatillo Sauce (page 95)

　　Cilantro sprigs, for garnish

　　

Marinate the Onion

Step 1

Put the red onion in a small bowl and pour in enough red wine vinegar to cover well. Set aside for at least 30 minutes.

　　

Pound and Marinate the Beef

Step 2

Cut the skirt steak into 4 equal pieces. Using a meat mallet, pound the beef to a 1/4-inch thickness.

　　

Step 3

If using an outdoor grill, preheat it now. Rub the cut side of the garlic clove all over the meat and season generously with salt and pepper. About 5 minutes before grilling, squeeze the juice of 1 lime over both sides of the beef.

　　

Grill the Beef

Step 4

Place a grill pan over high heat and add the olive oil. (If using an outdoor grill, brush the grill with olive oil and set the heat to high.) Grill the beef for 4 minutes per side. Remove from the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes before chopping it into 1/2-inch pieces.

　　

Heat the Tortillas

Step 5

Place four of the tortillas on a plate and sandwich them between two slightly dampened sheets of paper towel. Microwave on high for 45 seconds. Place the warm tortillas in a towel-lined basket or plate and cover. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

　　

Assemble and Serve

Step 6

To assemble the tacos, place a heaping spoonful of the grilled skirt steak onto the center of a tortilla. Top with marinated onions and a slice of avocado. Serve accompanied by tomato salsa or tomatillo sauce.

　　

Step 7

Cut the remaining lime into wedges. Garnish with the lime wedges and cilantro sprigs.

　　

COOKING NOTES

Step 8

INGREDIENTS

　　

Step 9

Skirt Steak

　　

Step 10

The traditional cut for carne asada tacos is skirt steak because it is fatty enough to resist drying out over high heat, which allows you to get a nice char on your steak.

　　

Step 11

TECHNIQUES

　　

Step 12

Pounding the Steak

　　

Step 13

Pounding the meat not only tenderizes it, but it increases the meat surface area and allows you to season more of it, making for a more flavorful steak.

　　

Step 14

To easily pound the skirt steak, pound at a 45° angle (in other words, don’t pound straight down) with a meat mallet and go with the grain (follow the muscle fibers).

　　

Step 15

ADVANCE PREPARATION

　　

Step 16

The sauces and marinated onions can be made up to a day in advance.

　　Reprinted with permission from Simply Mexican by Lourdes Castro, © April 2009 Ten Speed Press. Buy the full book at Amazon or Bookshop.