I wanted steak yesterday, but I also had guacamole from earlier in the week that needed to be eaten and a tomato that needed to be used. I also had a couple of ¾ pound packages of outside skirt steak in my freezer that I got on mega sale at Wegmans a couple of weeks ago. (When I find anything in the meat case at Wegmans with the orange “Today’s Special” stickers on it, I usually buy several packages of it for my freezer. Stock up while you can!) Between the guacamole, tomatoes, and the fact that I had skirt steak, naturally this meant I needed to make steak tacos.
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These turned out great, and I’ll definitely be making them again. This entire recipe is borderline for something I’d do on a weeknight. I think as long as I had the guacamole and sour cream already made in advance, these work well for a weeknight dinner because the steak part is easy. I also tried freezing the rest of the steak, so I will find out how well this could work as a make-ahead meal, too.
A tip for the chipotles in adobo sauce – I’ve never used a whole can of these at one time. When I open a can of these, I usually go ahead and chop all of the peppers, split the mixture into thirds, and freeze it.
This recipe was also a good use of my KitchenAid Stand mixer, the mini bowl of my 14-cup food processor, and my Le Creuset grill pan. I used the KitchenAid mixer for the guacamole because 1. it’s easy, and 2. I no longer have a molcajete. You could also grill these outside on an actual grill – the grill is not my forte, so I just stick to the grill pan.
Skirt Steak Tacos with Guacamole and Chipotle Sour Cream
Equipment
- Grill, grill pan, or cast iron pan
Ingredients
- 1 lb skirt steak
- Soft tortillas
- Shredded Monterey Jack cheese fot topping
- Guacamole (half of the linked recipe should be enough)
Marinade
- Juice and zest of 1 lime
- 1 clove garlic grated or minced
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp oregano
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp cayenne
Pico De Gallo
- 1 large tomato
- 1 small onion
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ tsp kosher salt
Chipotle Sour Cream
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp liquid from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
Instructions
- Remove the fatty membrane from the steak, if applicable (for a how-to on removing the membrane, see this post from Serious Eats for instructions.) If needed, cut the steak so it will fit into the pan you’re going to be using later, but leave it in as long of pieces as possible. Also make sure your pieces are the same size.
- Combine all marinade ingredients in a large freezer bag. Add steak to the bag and toss to coat with the marinade. Remove as much air as possible from the bag, and marinate in the fridge for at least an hour.
- Prepare the pico de gallo. Cut tomato into large large pieces (probably about 6-8 pieces). Remove the membranes and seeds. Add to a food processor bowl or blender. Cut onion into large chunks, and add to the food processor/blender. Add garlic and salt. Process until the onions and tomatoes are cut to small, uniform sizes. Set aside in the refrigerator.
- Prepare the chipotle sour cream by combining all ingredients. Set aside in the refrigerator.
- Preheat grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Once the pan is super hot, coat it with olive oil (or if using a grill, coat grill grates with nonstick high heat spray).
- Add steak(s) to the pan and cook undisturbed for 2 minutes. Flip and cook the other side for 2 minutes. Flip again, rotating slightly so the grill marks at an angle. Flip and repeat for the other side. (This cooked them to medium. I did not bring the steaks to room temperature before cooking them. See notes below for food safety information.)
- Remove steak from the pan and let it rest for 3 minutes. Cut the steak at an angle against the grain.
- Warm tortillas in the microwave for about 10 seconds. Place meat onto tortillas, followed by some Monterey Jack cheese and the pico de gallo. Drizzle with sour cream. Top with guacamole.
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