Skirt Steak Street Tacos
on Jan 23, 2022, Updated Nov 21, 2023
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Tender cubes of flavorful beef soak up a simple marinade to become one of the best soft tacos ever.
You’re going to love these soft tacos stuffed with little cubes of steak and whatever toppings you are partial to. We go for Pico de Gallo or Salsa Ranchera, cilantro leaves, minced onion, avocado, and lime wedges. You might also think about pickled red onions and guacamole.
This recipe was largely inspired by a recipe by BBQ expert William Horst (@hooked_on_bbq). He makes his on a griddle on the grill, but I translated the recipe to a cast iron skillet indoors so we could have them year-round. I love to serve these tacos with Vegetarian Black Beans and Rice. They also pair terrifically with a Grilled Corn Salad or Grilled Mexican Street Corn. You can also whip up a quick Pico de Gallo to top it all off.
Table of Contents
Skirt Steak Tacos: Tender cubes of flavorful beef soak up a simple marinade to become one of the best soft tacos ever.
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Skirt Steak Street Taco Ingredients
A quick marinade adds so much flavor to the beef in this taco recipe, and then it’s all about the toppings!
- Soy sauce – Stay with me here! This recipe calls for very little soy sauce, just a quarter cup, and it adds a rich, umami saltiness to the steak marinade.
- Lime juice – I definitively prefer fresh here. Quick tip: roll your lime out with the palm of your hand a couple of times before squeezing. It helps to release the juice!
- Vegetable oil
- Orange juice – As with the lime juice, orange juice is best when it’s fresh for a marinade like this one.
- Minced garlic – Really chop the garlic finely so the marinade has that appealing garlicky blended throughout.
- Chili powder and cumin – Adds smokiness and a bit of heat.
- Skirt or flank steak – Cut your steak into small, 1/2-inch pieces, the perfect size for tacos.
- Flour or corn tortillas – To wrap all of that goodness up.
- Toppings to serve – Think about pico de Gallo, salsa ranchera, cilantro leaves, minced onion, lime wedges, and sliced or diced avocados.
How to Make Skirt Steak Street Tacos
- Marinate the steak: Combine the soy sauce, lime juice, vegetable oil, orange juice, garlic, chili powder, and cumin. Add the steak cubes and toss to coat them thoroughly with the marinade. Seal or cover, and marinate in the fridge from 2 to 6 hours.
- Heat the tortillas: Heat a large pan, preferably cast iron, over high heat. When the pan is hot, heat the tortillas – one or two at a time, as many as will fit in a single layer, for about 30 to 45 seconds per side, until brown spots appear. Stack the browned tortillas.
- Cook the steak: Remove the steak from the marinade. Cook in a hot skillet for a total of about 6 minutes, until the steak is browned and cooked to your liking. Transfer to a serving plate.
- Top your tacos and dig in: Serve the meat with the warmed tortillas and the toppings of your choice.
FAQ
The term street taco refers to small, soft corn tortilla-encased tacos meant to be eaten out of hand, sold, and consumed on the street. They originated in Mexico as a popular lunch option for time-strapped workers and then made their way to the U.S., arriving with Mexican immigrants, probably in the very early 1900s.
There are many tacos that benefit from a last squeeze of fresh lemon, lime, or orange juice at the end. I find this especially true of steak tacos and fish tacos. Make sure to supply those lime wedges for your diners to squeeze over their assembled tacos.
Mexican street tacos can be filled with any number of things, often meat of some sort. They might be topped very sparsely, though when you are preparing them to eat at home, you can get more ambitious with the garnishes. On the street, they are meant to be eaten in a few bites, and too much filling can get messy.
Because, as the name suggests, street tacos are eaten out of hand on the go, many street tacos incorporate two soft corn tortillas: this prevents any saucy filling from seeping through the outside. I’ve also read that sometimes people redistribute the filling between the two tortillas to make the folding and eating easier. I stuck with one tortilla, but you should feel free to make that decision for yourself. And don’t forget to get your tortillas nice and toasty – see here for How to Warm Tortillas.
Skirt Steak Street Taco Cooking Tips
- I used skirt steak in these tacos, which is one of my favorite cuts of steak to prepare and one of my guys’ favorite cuts to eat. You really could use any tender but firm cut of beef here; flank steak is another good and easy-to-find option.
- Obviously, tacos need to contain small pieces of meat, whether it’s ground meat, shredded meat, thinly sliced meat, or, as in this case, cubed meat. In this skirt steak tacos, the small pieces of diced meat absorb the marinade really well, so there is amazing flavor all throughout.
- Use tongs or a spatula to turn the cubes of meat as they get color on the bottom. You are looking for light caramelization, so don’t keep moving the meat around too frequently, or it will cook but not sear.
What to Serve with Steak Street Tacos
More Taco Recipes
- Ground Beef Tacos
- Grilled Pork Tacos with Salsa Ranchera
- Shredded Chicken Tacos
- Shrimp Tacos
- Ground Turkey Tacos
- Greek Fish Tacos
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Steak Street Tacos
Ingredients
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 pounds skirt or flank steak (cut into 1/2-inch pieces)
- 12 small flour or corn tortillas (see Note)
To Serve:
- Pico de gallo or salsa ranchera
- Cilantro leaves
- Minced onion
- Lime wedges
- Sliced or diced avocados
Instructions
- In a medium bowl or container or sipper top bag, combine the soy sauce, lime juice, vegetable oil, orange juice, garlic, chili powder, and cumin. Stir or mash it around to blend well. Add the steak cubes and toss to coat them thoroughly with the marinade. Seal or cover, and marinate in the fridge for 2 to 6 hours.
- Heat a large pan, preferably cast iron, over high heat. When the pan is hot, heat the tortillas — one or two at a time, as many as will fit in a single layer, for about 30 to 45 seconds per side, until brown spots appear. Remove the tortillas as they are cooked to a stack on the side.
- When the tortillas are cooked, return the pan to high heat. Remove the steak from the marinade and add the steak in a single layer into the pan. Use tongs or a spatula to turn the cubes of meat as they get color on the bottom; you are looking for light caramelization, so don’t keep moving the meat around too frequently, or it will cook but not sear. There will be some marinade released from the steak in the pan, which will evaporate as the meat cooks, allowing it to brown. Cook for a total of about 6 minutes, until the steak is nicely browned on at least a couple of sides of the pieces and the center of the cubes reaches 135-145 F. Remove the steak from the pan to a plate.
- Serve the meat with the cooked tortillas and the topping of your choice.
Notes
- There are actually soft tacos available in many supermarkets that are labeled “street taco tortillas”, which refer to their small size, the size of the tacos sold and eaten out of hand on the street in Mexico, and other places where tacos reign king as street food. You can use other 6-inch taco tortillas if you can find the very small street taco tortillas and just make slightly larger tacos.
- I used skirt steak in these tacos, which is one of my favorite cuts of steak to prepare and one of my guys’ favorite cuts to eat. You really could use any tender but firm cut of beef here; flank steak is another good and easy-to-find option.
- Obviously, tacos need to contain small pieces of meat, whether it’s ground meat, shredded meat, thinly sliced meat, or, as in this case, cubed meat. In this skirt steak tacos, the small pieces of diced meat absorb the marinade really well, so there is amazing flavor all throughout.
- Use tongs or a spatula to turn the cubes of meat as they get color on the bottom; you are looking for light caramelization, so don’t keep moving the meat around too frequently, or it will cook but not sear.
Made this recipe twice,the first time was only marinated for 1/2 hour. We liked it so well we made it at our vacation house including 8 grandchildren. It was a hit with everyone and went well with Mexican Street corn. Easy to make and liked by all.