Skirt steak (carne de falda) is a terrific and inexpensive cut for grilling, probably the best for quickly cooked, juicy steaks. For breakfast and lunch all over Mexico, you see them as huge, thin steaks that practically cover the whole plate, but they’re really only about six to eight ounces of beef. It’s called skirt steak because it’s from an area along the outside of the belly of the cow—where a skirt would sit (if cows wore skirts). It’s a perfect cut for tacos and fajitas, but be sure to slice against the grain for juicier pieces. The fat on skirt steak is what makes it so tasty, but the meat should not be too fatty—no more than one-quarter covered with a thin layer of fat. Remove any excess. Note that the meat must marinate overnight. You can also cook the meat indoors on a ridged stovetop grill over very high heat, 2 minutes per side.

　　

Ingredients

makes 8 tacos

　　1 pound skirt steak, silver skin and most of the fat trimmed away (see headnote)

　　8 to 10 cloves garlic, dry-roasted (page 158) and chopped

　　2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

　　2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

　　1 tablespoon red chile powder

　　Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　1 teaspoon cumin seed, toasted and ground (page 164)

　　2 teaspoons onion powder

　　1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves

　　1/4 cup corn or other vegetable oil

　　2 tablespoons Red Chile Sauce (page 133)

　　1 teaspoon chipotle puree (page 153)

　　8 (5 1/2-inch) soft yellow corn tortillas (page 13), for serving

　　Garnish: Radishes, lime wedges, finely shredded green cabbage, chopped onions

　　

Step 1

Pound the meat with a butcher’s mallet until a uniform 1/4 inch thick. In a large bowl, combine the garlic, Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, red chile powder, 1 tablespoon of the salt, 2 teaspoons of the pepper, cumin, onion powder, cilantro, oil, and the red and chipotle chile sauces to make a marinade. Rub the mixture over the meat, cover, and marinate overnight in the refrigerator (or less time, if you want more obvious beef flavor).

　　

Step 2

Prepare a charcoal or gas grill. Season the meat with additional salt and pepper as you throw it on the grill. Grill the meat over medium-high heat, flipping it once during cooking, 6 minutes total. Remove the meat from the heat and cut into 1/4-inch-thick strips (my preference) or 1/4-inch dice.

　　

Step 3

To serve, lay the tortillas side by side, open face and overlapping on a platter. Divide the filling equally between the tortillas and top with salsa and garnishes. Grab, fold, and eat right away. Or build your own taco: lay a tortilla, open face, in one hand. Spoon on some filling, top with salsa and garnishes, fold, and eat right away.

　　Tacos by Mark Miller with Benjamin Hargett and Jane Horn. Copyright © 2009 by Mark Miller with Benjamin Hargett and Jane Horn. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.Mark Miller is the acclaimed chef-founder of Coyote Cafe in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He has started and owned thirteen different restaurants on three continents from 1979 to 2008. He is the author of ten books with nearly 1 million copies in print, including Tacos, The Great Chile Book, The Great Salsa Book, and Coyote Cafe. Mark currently works in International Culinary Consulting and lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.Benjamin Hargett is a travel-loving chef who has cooked in Europe, the Carribean, Mexico, and the United States, where he worked with Mark Miller at the Coyote Café for many years.