Y’all know I love an interesting food experiment. So, these dirty steak tacos are right up my alley. I saw a viral video of a Los Angeles restaurant doing tacos with this method. I knew right then I had to try it out for Cinco de Mayo!
Basically, once you assemble the tacos, what you do is add the tacos back to the coals to get them nice and crispy. You can totally skip this step, but it’s a lot of fun and so freakin’ delicious. Definitely worth the hype!
Why You’ll Love Dirty Steak Tacos
Tender skirt steak, homemade guacamole, chipotle sauce, earthy corn tortillas and your favorite taco garnishes. Does it get any better than this? Well, yeah, kind of! Tossing these assembled tacos on the fire takes the crispiness of the corn tortilla to a whole other level. What seems like a simple recipe for your next taco night becomes something really complex and interesting. Overall, these dirty steak tacos are a super easy recipe when you’re craving carne asada, so you get a huge bang for your buck with this one.
Like I said, if you’re hesitant or in a rush you can skip the last step of adding it to the coals. But if you take the plunge, just be careful as the tortillas can burn fairly easily. You won’t regret giving it a shot though!
Looking for more skirt steak? Try my Stuffed Skirt Steak, Braided Skirt Steak, Skirt Steak Pizza Pinwheels and Chipotle Adobo Skirt Steak.
Dirty Steak Tacos Ingredients
- Steak: Grab a whole skirt steak and some of my Cowboy Butter Seasoning for your taco base.
- Guacamole: My go-to guacamole! I love this on these recipes too. You’ll need ripe avocados, diced red onions, chopped cilantro and lime juice .
- Chipotle Sauce: The smokiness from this chipotle crema sauce is so freakin’ delicious. We’ll use sour cream, mayonnaise, chipotle in adobo and more lime juice.
- Tacos: The final touch! Grab some corn tortillas and chopped cilantro and chopped red onion for garnish.
Corn or Flour Tortillas?
Basically, what you need to know is that corn tortillas are firmer and have an earthier flavor. Then, flour tortillas are softer and sweeter. I usually say it’s taster’s choice, but for this recipe, go with corn tortillas. They hold up much better in the optional step where you place the tortilla back on the coals, and the flames really pull out the earthy corn flavor.
To make sure your tortillas don’t burn on the coals, keep a close eye on them — 30 seconds goes fast over live fire! Have your tongs ready and take ‘em out the moment you see the edges start to char. A little char makes for a great tortilla, but the window between crispy and burnt is short.
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How to Make Dirty Steak Tacos
First, preheat your grill to a medium-high heat fire (about 350 degrees F). Slather your whole skirt steak in 1 tablespoon canola oil and 2 tablespoons Cowboy Butter Seasoning.
Then, place your steak on the grill to cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until the internal temperature reaches 120 degrees F internal medium rare.
Next, let’s make the guacamole. In a bowl, mix together 5-6 ripe avocados (removed from the shell of course), ½ cup diced red onions, ½ cup chopped cilantro, juice from 3-4 medium limes and kosher salt to taste. Set your guacamole to the side.
Now, time for the chipotle sauce! In a blender, blend ½ cup sour cream, ½ cup mayonnaise, 4 ounces chipotle chiles in adobo and 2 tablespoons lime juice until smooth.
Assemble your tacos with a corn tortilla (you’ll need about 10-12 total), a handful of steak, guacamole, chopped red onion and cilantro for garnish, and chipotle sauce.
Here’s the optional step, but I promise you’ll love it: add your tacos back to the coals laying flat to get the tortilla slightly crispy.
Pull off after 30 seconds and enjoy!
What to Serve with Dirty Steak Tacos
These would be so freakin’ delicious with your favorite Taco Tuesday sides. Mexican rice, Mexican corn, a lime and scallion slaw, rice and beans and grilled bell peppers and onions would round out this meal perfectly. Don’t forget the cold light beer! For other garnishes, some cotija cheese and a squeeze of lime juice would take this recipe over the top.
Leftovers and Reheating
If you have leftovers from your dirty steak tacos, store the skirt steak in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. To reheat, warm up small pieces of steak and tortillas in a hot skillet until heated through. The guacamole and chipotle sauce will keep in the fridge for a few days. Assemble your tacos with those and more of your favorite toppings.
More Steak Tacos
FAQs
Most of the heat in this dirty steak tacos recipe comes from the chipotle chiles in adobo, so use more or less of this ingredient depending on what you want. Chipotle seasoning also helped me make the best kebab here, so don’t be afraid to give it a shot!
Skirt steak is ideal, but flank steak also works great with steak tacos! If you can find flap steak, that would fit this recipe well too.
The chipotle sauce actually keeps really well, so you can make it a day or two ahead of time. The flavors even meld nicely overnight. Guacamole is best made fresh — think of those awesome Mexican restaurants that make it tableside! But if you need to prep before dirty steak taco night, take a piece of plastic wrap and press it directly onto the surface of your guac and add a little extra lime juice. That’ll slow the browning process.
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Dirty Skirt Steak Tacos
Ingredients
Steak:
- 1 Whole Skirt Steak
- 2 tbsp Cowboy Butter Rub
- 1 tbsp Canola Oil
Guacamole:
- 5-6 Ripe Avocados removed from shell
- ½ cup Red Onions finely diced
- ½ cup Chopped Cilantro
- 3-4 medium Limes juiced
- Kosher Salt to taste
Chipotle Sauce:
- ½ cup Sour Cream
- ½ cup Mayonnaise
- 4 oz Chipotle in Adobo
- 2 tbsp Lime Juice
Tacos:
- 10-12 Corn Tortillas
- Chopped Cilantro garnish
- Chopped Red Onion garnish
Instructions
- Preheat a medium high heat fire (about 350F).
- Slather your steak in oil and cowboy butter rub.
- Add your steak to the grill to cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until 120F internal for medium rare..
- In a bowl, mix together the guacamole and set to the side.
- In a blender, blend the chipotle sauce until smooth.
- Serve the taco with a tortilla, handful of steak, guacamole, red onion + cilantro, and chipotle sauce.
- (Optional): Add your tacos back to the coals laying flat to get the tortilla slightly crispy. Pull off after 30 seconds and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
