When good steak is on the grill, something great is happening. Something that encourages folks to slow down a little, maybe have another drink, enjoy the company, celebrate all there is to celebrate. And when the meat gets sliced up, packed into steamy tortillas and drizzled (or slathered) with salsas, you know it’ll be a fun crowd.
Yes, there’s the essentials for making just the tacos in this recipe, but I thought you’d appreciate my sketching out how to do a complete taco feast–for the occasion when the whole shebang is what’s called for. Arroz Rojo and Frijoles Refritos are welcome accompaniments and be sure to include a salsa like: Chipotle Salsa, Roasted Tomatillo Salsa, or Pico de Gallo.
INGREDIENTS
- For the marinade:
- 12 garlic cloves (about 1 head), unpeeled
- 1/4 cup vinegar (white and apple cider vinegar are common in Mexico, though for the deepest, richest flavor I suggest you try balsamic)
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire (Salsa Inglesa in Mexico)
- 4 canned chipotle chiles en adobo , plus 3 tablespoons of their canning liquid
- 3 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil, plus more for the vegetables
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey or agave syrup, optional
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin cumin (for a more intense flavor, you may want to toast whole cumin over medium heat until aromatic, then pulverize it in a mortar)
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
- 1 tablespoon salt, plus more for the vegetables
- For the meat and vegetables:
- 3 pounds thin-cut ribeye steaks (thin-cut ones are available at Mexican groceries) or skirt steaks (see note below)
- About 12 ounces (6 medium-small) nopal cactus paddles, cleaned (see note below)
- 16 knob onions (about 2 pounds), roots and any withered parts cut off
- For the feast:
- 4 or 5 limes , cut into wedges
- Guacamole
- Salsa or Pico de Gallo
- 24 (or more) warm corn tortillas
INSTRUCTIONS
Marinate the meat. In a small ungreased skillet, roast the unpeeled garlic cloves over medium heat, turning them frequently, until blackened in spots and soft, 10 to 15 minutes. While the garlic is roasting, combine all the marinade ingredients in a blender jar. When the roasted garlic is cool enough to be handleable, peel off the papery skins and add to the blender. Blend until smooth. Smear the marinade over both sides of the meat, cover and refrigerate for about 15 minutes–any longer and the meat will discolor and be dry.
Grill vegetables and get set to serve. Heat a gas grill to medium-high; or light a charcoal fire and let it burn until the charcoal is covered with gray ash but still quite hot. Brush or spray both sides of the cactus paddles with oil, then sprinkle with salt. Lay them on the hot grill. When they have browned underneath, flip them over and move them to the side of the grill to coast to complete tenderness (they will fade from bright to olive green and lose all their rigidness). When you move the cactus, start grilling the onions: brush or spray the bulbs and green stalks with oil and sprinkle with salt. Lay on the grill, bulbs toward the hottest part, greens away. Turn regularly until the bulbs are browned and tender (if they easily pierce with a knife, they’re ready). When the nopales are ready, transfer them to a cutting board and let cool a little, then cut into slices between ¼ and ½ inch thick. Scoop into a serving bowl; taste and season with salt if necessary. Transfer the onions to a deep plate. Set nopales and onions out on your serving area, along with the limes, guacamole (or avocado-tomatillo salsa) and salsas. Set out a basket of warm tortillas wrapped in a towel. I like to set out the rice and beans in covered pans or serving dishes that I can rewarm on the stove or in the microwave.
Grill the meat and serve. Let your guests know you’re starting to grill, then, a few pieces at a time, lay marinated meat on the hottest part of grill. Don’t touch it for a minute or so, until the meat has dark grill marks and has started to release itself from the grill. Flip it and cook until it’s as done as you like–thin-cut ribeye will cook very quickly (about a minute per side) to that perfectly medium-rare/medium, but skirt will take a couple of minutes longer to reach that perfect temperature (skirt is always chewy when rare, perfect for me at medium, still delicious at medium-well). Transfer to a cutting board, cut into small pieces or slices (cut skirt across the grain) and set out in a deep warm serving platter. It’s time to dig in.
A note about meat: Meat is the star here, so I suggest you do not skimp. Thin-cut ribeye is available at most Mexican groceries I’ve been to and it’s a great choice. But skirt steak is my all-time favorite. There are, however, several things to know when choosing it. There are 4 skirt steaks per animal and the outer 2 skirts are more tender (and more expensive) than the inner two. (Be prepared that some butchers don’t know which they have.) Often, in the Mexican markets, butchers butterfly the thick inner skirts, making them look more like outer skirts. Though those inner pieces have skirt steak’s typically beefy flavor, they are chewier. One more skirt-steak caveat: The texture of skirt steak is visually more open than most meat, making it very easy to see which direction the grain runs. Once cooked, it is imperative to cut the meat across the grain to experience its tenderness.
Another good choice for carne asada is the beefy-flavored flap steak (AKA flap meat and Bavette steak), a thin cut from the bottom round. It is usually less expensive than ribeye or skirt, but you’ll have to cut it into slabs (between ¼ and ½ inch thick) to grill for tacos.
How to clean cactus paddles: Holding a cactus paddle with a pair of tongs, trim off the edge that outlines the paddle, including the blunt end where the paddle was severed from the plant. Slice or scrape off the spiny nodes from both sides of the paddle.
