Skirt Steak Tacos with Roasted Poblano Rajas

These are soooooo good and easy to make. Do yourself a favor and use corn tortillas. Stack a dozen in a steamer basket lined with a heavy kitchen towel. Steam the tortillas for 1 minute then turn the heat off and let the tortillas sit with the lid on for 15 minutes. Keep the basket over the hot water to keep the tortillas warm for 30-45 minutes.

For grilled beef tacos, skirt steak is a great choice. A simple marinade of lime juice, garlic and cumin enlivens a very beefy tasting cut that’s perfect with grilled chile strips.

Makes 12 tacos, serving 4 as a light meal

3 medium white onions, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds (keep the rounds intact for easy grilling)

3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/2 teaspoon cumin, preferably freshly ground

Salt

1 pound skirt steak, trimmed of surface fat as well as the thin white membrane called “silver skin"

4 medium (about 9 ounces total) fresh poblano chiles

Vegetable or olive oil for brushing or spritzing the onions and meat

A small bowlful of lime wedges for serving

12 fresh, warm corn tortillas

1. Marinating the meat. In a food processor or blender, combine 1/4 of the onion, the garlic, lime juice, cumin and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Process to a smooth puree. Using a spoon, smear the marinade over both sides of the skirt steak. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or up to 8 hours.

2. Making the grilled chile-and-onion rajas. Turn the burner(s) in the center of the grill to medium-low. Now, lay the chiles on the hottest part of the grill, and cook, turning occasionally, until the skin is blistered and blackened uniformly all over, about 5 minutes. Be careful not to char the flesh, only the skin. Remove the chiles from the grill and place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Brush or spray the remaining onion slices with oil, and lay the whole rounds of onions on the grill in a cooler spot than you chose for the chiles. When they’re starting to soften and are browned, about 10 minutes, use a spatula to flip them and brown the other side. Transfer to an ovenproof serving dish and break the rings apart Rub the blackened skin off the outside of the chiles, then pull out the stems and seed pods. Rinse briefly to remove stray seeds and bits of skin. Slice into 1/4-inch strips and stir into the onions. Taste the mixture and season it with salt, usually about 1/4 teaspoon. Keep warm in the oven.

3. Grilling the meat. Remove the steak from the marinade and gently shake off the excess. Oil the steak well on both sides, and lay it over the hottest part of the grill. Grill, turning once, until richly browned and done to your liking, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side for medium-rare.

4. Serving the tacos. Cut the long piece of skirt steak into 3- to 4-inch sections, then cut each section into thin strips across the grain (that is, in line with the full length of the skirt steak). Mix with the chiles and onions, season with a little salt and set on the table, along with the lime wedges and hot tortillas, for your guests to make into soft tacos.


Working Ahead: Thin steaks like skirt, taste best with a shorter tour in the marinade–1 to 8 hours. Leave them longer and the marinade flavor overpowers and saps the rosy color of the meat. The poblano-and-onion rajas can be made several hours ahead and left at room temperature; rewarm before serving. The steak, of course, must be grilled when you’re ready to eat.

From Mexico–One Plate at a Time by Rick Bayless (Scribner 2000).