Carne Asada Tacos

Recipe

Ingredients

Skirt Steak
3 whole dried ancho chiles
3 whole dried guajillo chiles
2 whole chipotle pepper
Fresh juice from 3 sour oranges
Fresh juice from 3 limes
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp of soy sauce
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp of brown sugar
1 bunch of cilantro
6 garlic gloves
1 tbsp toaster cumin
1 tsp toasted coriander
salt

Instructions

First we need to toast the chiles. Just like we need sunlight and heat every once in a while, we have to bring these chiles back to life. Using either a microwave or a heavy skillet, such as cast iron, toast the chiles until fragrant. You will either love or hate the smell. Take time to figure out which.

Remove the seeds and stems from the chiles and place into a blender. Then add chipotle pepper, fresh orange juice, fresh lime juice, olive oil, soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar, cilantro (make sure to use the stems; that’s where the flavor is), garlic, cumin, and coriander. Close the lid and then blend away. We want the mixture to be smooth. You can add a little water to help get the blending started.

Place your skirt steak into a ziplock bag or any sealable container. I like using ziplock because it helps massage the marinade into the meat while keeping my hands clean. Place about half your mixture in with the steak and let rest for up to 24 hours. This mixture is acidic and will break down your meat. Just like too much doom scrolling leaves us a mushy mess, acid will mush your meat.

Remove you meat and let it reach room temperature while you wait for your grill to warm up. Grill on medium high until the steak is done to your likeness. If you don’t have a grill, cook in oven at 350 degrees until finished. Let the meat rest and dice. I then like to crank up the broiler, and just before serving, I will place the meat under to give it a nice caramelization and a slight crunch on the outside.

Take warm tortillas (flour or corn) and add a spoonful of meat. Now it’s time to show your flair. Traditionally a street taco is topped with onions and cilantro, and whatever sauces you like. I like to add some cheese such as cotija or melt some oaxaca cheese on top. Pickled red onion add a nice sharpness and helps cut the spice of any sauce, plus it gives a real nice pop of color. Just like us, each taco is unique. Enjoy!