Tacos al Carbon
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
45 mins
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Cook Time
20 mins
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Total Time
1 hr 5 mins
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Servings
6 servings
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Calories
567 kcal
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Course
Main Course, Lunch
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Cuisine
Mexican
Tacos al Carbon
Description
This recipe for Tacos al Carbon begins with preparing an avocado salsa by blending tomatillos, onion, jalapeño peppers, garlic, avocado, cilantro, and crema to a pourable consistency seasoned with salt. The steak—venison, beef, or any tender sinew-free red meat—is salted and wiped with oil before grilling over high heat, ideally on mesquite charcoal or wood for authentic flavor.
Green onions are seasoned and grilled alongside the meat, imparting a sweetness from the char. The meat is cooked to preferred doneness with minimal flipping to develop good sear marks. Warm flour tortillas, ideally sourced from a Latin market and finished on a comal, serve as the base. The tacos are assembled with sliced grilled steak, shredded cabbage, optional cucumber slices, garnished with cilantro and a squeeze of lime, and served with the avocado salsa and hot salsa on the side.
Using freshly ground black pepper and authentic ingredients enhances the simple seasoning and allows the quality of the meat and grill smoke to shine. Leftover meat can be repurposed in empanadas with cheese. Preparing salsas and garnishes beforehand ensures smooth assembly once the meat is grilled.
Ingredients
AVOCADO SALSA
- 5 tomatillo husked and sliced in half, large
- 1/2 cup onion white, chopped
- 3 jalapeno pepper chopped
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 1 avocado halved and pitted
- 1/3 cup cilantro chopped
- 1/2 cup crema or 1/3 of that sour cream + milk
- salt
TACOS
- 2 pounds steak venison or beef (see above for cuts
- salt
- black pepper
- oil for the grill and to slick the meat and onions
- 1 pound green onions
- 18 flour tortillas
- 1/2 cup cilantro for garmish, chopped
- 2 cups cabbage shredded
- 1 cucumber sliced (optional, large
- lime see below, hot salsa of your choice
- salsa see below, hot salsa of your choice
Instructions
SALSA
- Put all the ingredients for the salsa except for the salt in a blender and puree. Add enough water to make the salsa pourable, blend again, then salt it to taste. Keep it cool while you get everything else ready.
TACOS
- Salt the steak well while you get your grill ready. If you're using a thick steak like a ribeye, leave it out to come to room temperature. If a thin steak like flank, skirt, flat iron or hanger, leave it in the fridge.
- Once the coals are ready, scrape off any residue, then wipe the grates with half of an onion, if you have one. Then dip a paper towel in oil or melted fat (beef fat is ideal), and wipe down the grates. Pat the steaks dry and slick with a little oil. Lay them on the hottest part of the grill.
- Slick the green onions with oil, salt them, then grill alongside the meat.
- Grill the steaks to the doneness you like; remember you can always cook it more if you're unsure. I prefer to flip only once to get good sear marks. Generally speaking, you'll want thin steaks on the hot part of the grill the whole time, for about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Ribeyes need that, plus more time on the cooler side of the grill.
- Move the meat to a cutting board to rest, and grind black pepper over it. Let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes before chopping for tacos. Remember when doing this that you want bits -- slices tend to pull out of the tortilla when you're eating them.
- To build a proper Sonoran carne asada taco, fill a warm flour tortilla with meat, then add some shredded cabbage and maybe some cilantro, some of the avocado salsa, then some hot salsa. Cucumber slices and the green onions go on the side, to eat between tacos.
Notes
- This recipe works with various sinew-free red meats including beef, venison, lamb, or bison.
- Use mesquite charcoal or wood for authentic smoky flavor if possible.
- Prepare salsas and garnishes before grilling for efficient assembly.
- Purchase fresh flour tortillas from Latin markets and finish them on a comal for best texture and flavor.
- Freshly grind black pepper for seasoning to enhance the meat's flavor.
- Leftover grilled meat is delicious used in fried empanadas with melty cheese.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 6servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 567 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 567kcal | 28% |
| Carbohydrates | 60g | 20% |
| Protein | 41g | 82% |
| Fat | 19g | 29% |
| Saturated Fat | 5g | 25% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 3g | 18% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 6g | 30% |
| Trans Fat | 0.05g | 3% |
| Cholesterol | 10mg | 3% |
| Sodium | 831mg | 35% |
| Potassium | 1278mg | 27% |
| Fiber | 9g | 36% |
| Sugar | 9g | 18% |
| Vitamin A | 1199IU | 24% |
| Vitamin C | 43mg | 48% |
| Calcium | 252mg | 25% |
| Iron | 9mg | 50% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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