CARNE ASADA TACOS
By: Los Tacos No. 1
Making these beefy soft tacos from scratch, right down to the tortillas, is a very enjoyable accomplishment. Don’t let the long ingredient list daunt you, each one of the components is easy to prepare.
Wooden table with plates of cooked steak, avocado spread in a bowl, tortillas wrapped in a napkin, a bowl of onion, cucumber, cilantro and limes
Ingredients : Makes 24 Tacos
FOR CARNE ASADA:
¼ cups (40g) chopped white onion
¼ cup (15g) finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for brushing
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon onion salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 ½ pounds (1.6 kg) skirt steak, cut into 3 or 4 manageable portions
FOR TORTILLAS:
5 cups (630 g) unbleached all purpose flour
½ cup (110g) vegetable shortening, cut into chunks
½ teaspoons fine sea salt
1/8 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ cups (360 ml) warm water
FOR SALSA RANCHERA:
½ cup (50g) coarsely chopped white onion
¼ cup (10 g) packed fresh cilantro
1 or 2 dried chiles de arbol, seeded, stemmed, and coarsely chopped
1 jalapeño chile, seeded, stemmed, and coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
2pounds (910g) ripe tomatoes, cored and seeded
Kosher salt
FOR GRILLED SCALLIONS:
8 whole scallions, trimmed
Tablespoon canola oil
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
1 cup (40g) packed fresh cilantro
4 limes, cut into wedges
1 medium cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
Directions:
1.Make the Carne Asada: Whisk ¼ cup (60 ml) water, the onion, cilantro, oil lemon juice, salt, garlic salt, onion salt, black pepper and cayenne together in a large nonreactive bowl. Put the steak in a -gallon (3.8L) zip tight plastic storage bag and add the marinade. Close the bag and refrigerate, turning the bag occasionally, for at least 12 hours up to 24 hours.
2.Make the Tortillas: Combine the flour, shortening, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl. Stir in the water. Knead the mixture in the bowl until it forms a smooth dough, about 1 minute. Shape into a ball. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough stand for 20 minutes.
3.Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces, and shape each into a ball. One at a time, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough balls into 6-inch (15cm) rounds. Stack the tortillas, separated by sheets of waxed paper.
4.Heat a large griddle or skillet over medium heat. Working in batches add the tortillas in a single layer and cook until the undersides have golden brown splotches, about 1 ½ minutes. Turn and cook until the other sides look the same, about 1 ½ minutes more. Stack the cooked tortillas (no need to separate them) on a baking sheet. (The tortillas can be cooked, covered with plastic wrap, and stored at room temperature for up to 8 hours.).
5.Make the Salsa Ranchera: Pulse the onion, cilantro, chiles de arbol, jalapeño, and garlic in a food processor until combined and chopped a bit more finely. Add tomatoes and pulse to make a coarse salsa. Season with salt. Transfer the salsa to a serving bowl. Let it stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Up to 8 hours.
6. Make the Avocado Sauce: Puree the avocados in a food processor, adding enough milk to give the sauce the consistency of yogurt. Season with salt. Transfer it to a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap, pressed directly on the surface of the sauce. Refrigerate until ready to serve. (The sauce and be refrigerated up to 8 hours.)
7. Prepare an outdoor grill for cooking over direct high heat. For a gas grill, preheat it to at least 500 F (240 C). Place a disposable foil smoker pan directly on the heat source. For a charcoal grill, let the coals burn until they are covered with white ash and you can hold you had just above the cooking grate for only 1 to 2 seconds.
8. Meanwhile, remove the steaks from the marinade and shake off the excess marinade. Lightly brush the steaks with oil. Let them stand for 15 minutes.
9. Sprinkle the drained woods chips into the heated smoker pan in the gas grill, or directly onto the coals of the charcoal grill. Wait until the chips begin to give off smoke. Place the steaks on the grill. Cook, with the lid closed as much as possible, until the undersides are well browned, about 2 ½ minutes. Turn over the steaks and grill until the other sides are browned and the meat is a medium- rare (when it feels somewhat soft with a bit of resilience when the top is pressed with a fingertip), about 2 ½ minutes more. Remove the steaks from the grill. Transfer the steaks to a carving board and let them stand for 5 minutes.
10. Make the Grilled Scallions: Brush the scallions with the oil. Place them on the grill, perpendicular to the cooking grate. Cook, with the lid closed as much as possible, rolling the scallions on the grill to turn them, until they are seared with grill marks and wilted, about 3 minutes. Removed them from the grill. Cut each scallion into thirds and transfer them to a serving bowl.
11. To serve, warm the tortillas on the grill until heated through, about 1 minute per side. Transfer them to a towel lined basket or bowl and cover to keep warm. Cut the steaks across the grain into thin strips and transfer them, with any carving juices, to a serving bowl. Serve the tortillas, steak strips, and scallions with bowls of the salsa, avocado sauce, onion, cilantro, lime, and cucumber. Let each guest build a taco, filling a tortilla with the desired ingredients and folding it in half before eating.
* To make the tacos indoors. Position the broiler rack about 6 inches (15cm) from the heat source and preheat the broiler on high. Place the oiled steaks on the broiler rack and grill, turning once, until they are browned and medium rare, 5- 6 minutes. Transfer to carving board and let sit 5 minutes. Brush scallions with oil and broil until lightly browned and wilted, about 3 minutes. *
***Special Equipment: 1 large handful of mesquite wood chips, soaked in water for 30 minutes, drained***
courtesy of Abrams books