Say it’s Friday night and you want to do something a little special. Not “dinner party” or birthday special, but at least a feel-good exclamation point on a finished week. That’s the time for these steak tacos. All meat is special, but the cut I’m calling for here is more accessible than what you’d serve for a big steak cookout.
Even though many grilled steak taquerias in Mexico simply season the meat with salt, there are favorite places across the country that add more flavor. Usually it’s something with a lot of umami like one of the Knorr seasoning products (here I’m using a little Worcestershire and soy), maybe a little tang and spice, almost always a little something sweet. That’s the approach in this topical marinade–the kind you splash on and go right to grilling. Just know that the finished steak-and-onion filling is as delicious from a grill pan as it is from a grill.
I know you’ll balk at the quantity of garlic, but this marinade–very close to the one we’ve used on Frontera’s skirt steak tacos for nearly 4 decades–is just about perfect. We blanch the garlic to take away its harshness and bring out its natural sweetness, then we blend it with the other ingredients to a wonderfully clingy smoothness that coats the meat beautifully. To make this truly “everyday,” buy peeled garlic–just make sure that, for true flavor, your peeled garlic has no preservatives or additives.
INGREDIENTS
- 2/3 cup peeled garlic cloves (for me, the store-bought peeled garlic is fine here, as long as it is a preservative-free, all-natural product–this quantity will come to 3 ounces, about 40 cloves, 3 depending on size)
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- OR 3 tablespoons cider vinegar plus 1 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey or agave syrup
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil, plus more for the onions
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh black pepper
- 2 teaspoons salt, plus more for the onion
- 1 medium onion, sliced into ¼-inch rounds
- 1 pound everyday thin-cut steak (¼ inch-sliced chuck, chuck eye and sirloin tip are good choices), (if yours are thicker, just extend the cooking time)
- 12 warm corn tortillas,
- About 1 cup salsa (you can use store-bought, but I highly recommend a very fast Avocado-Tomatillo salsa
INSTRUCTIONS
Make the marinade. Heat a gas grill or grill pan over medium high; or light a charcoal fire and let it burn until the charcoal is covered with gray ash but still quite hot. Scoop the garlic into a small dish, cover with water and microwave for 1 minute. Drain (it will be very hot), then scrape the garlic into a blender or food processor. Add the lime (or vinegar mixture), Worcestershire, soy, honey (or agave), oil, pepper and salt. Blend until smooth, then scrape half of the marinade into a wide, shallow dish (a 9x13-inch baking dish is good here). Set the rest of the marinade aside.
Grill the onions and steaks. Spray or brush the onion slices on both sides with oil, sprinkle with salt, then grill, turning regularly, until richly browned and softening, about 8 minutes. Remove the onion to a cutting board, chop into little pieces and scoop into a skillet.
While the onion is grilling, lay the meat into the marinade, smearing it all over to coat evenly on all sides. When the onions have been chopped up, lay the meat on the grill or grill pan in a flat layer (If your grill pan is small, you’ll need to do this in batches). Grill until the meat has dark grill marks, then flip and grill the other side–total cooking time for ¼-inch steaks is about 3 minutes. Remove to a cutting board and chop into small pieces. Sprinkle with salt, then scoop the meat in with the onion.
Serve. Taste. Then season with a drizzle (a tablespoon) or so of the reserved marinade over the meat and onions if you’d like. (Refrigerate the remaining marinade to use with fish, chicken, pork or beef on another day.) Set the skillet over medium heat and toss or stir the meat and onions until piping hot. Scoop into a warm bowl and serve right away with warm tortillas, lime wedges, and the salsa you’ve chosen.
