Tacos al Carbon

Tacos al Carbón
1 ½ lbs flank steak (or a comparable thicker cut)
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
½ teaspoon kosher salt
corn tortillas

Prepare the grill (med-high heat). In a bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients together with a fork. Rub onto both sides of steak and let rest for 10-20 minutes. Grill meat 8 minutes per side, or until desired. (DLL grilled over a lower heat for a longer time, I think.) Prepare tortillas per package instructions – personally, I like preparing them in a skillet so they get a little crusty at the edges. After the meat is removed from the grill, let it rest for 5 minutes so the juices are retained. Cut the meat against the grain, and cut into smaller taco-sized bites. Add meat to tortillas and garnish.

Garnish ideas:
salsa (see below)
guacamole (see below)
grated cheese (I like Cotija)
sour cream (try crema mexicana – it’s so so so yummy)
grilled peppers and onions (see photo above)


Kate’s Guacamole
2 avocados, pitted and scooped out of skins
1 large garlic clove, peeled and finely minced
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons minced cilantro
kosher salt to taste

In a bowl, mash the avocado with a large fork or a potato masher. Add the garlic, cilantro and lime juice and mix. Add the kosher salt to taste.


Salsa Fresca
1 lb ripe tomatoes
2 serrano peppers, stemmed and halved
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1/3 cup cilantro, loosely packed and roughly chopped
1 large green onion, finely sliced
2 tablespoons lime juice
kosher salt to taste

Using a food processor’s pulse setting, add the garlic and peppers one at a time until finely mined. Take half of the tomatoes and set aside. Chop the second half of the tomatoes into quarters, add to the food processor with the cilantro. Spoon into a medium bowl. Chop the remaining tomatoes into a ¼” dice and add, along with the onion, to the processed mixture. Season with lime juice and salt to taste.