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I’ve been itching to get back to grilling all vacation long. With a week long feast of fish, my body was craving meat off the grill. What better way to start 2023 grilling than with some Marinated Steak Tacos! These little steak bites were marinated in a Mexican inspired sauce that added a great layer of flavor with each bite. Also made a homemade salsa which was out of this world and so easy to make.
Don’t forget to check out my Steak Tacos with Corn Salsa and Easy Steak Tacos with Avocado Chimi.
Table of Contents
Prepare the marinade.
First things first, you need to get the marinade ready so that the steak can absorb all those amazing flavors. The marinade is the secret to this recipe. The longer the steak can marinade the more flavorful it will get.
Key Marinade Ingredients:
- Apple Cider Vinegar: This will help tenderize the meat as well as add the much needed tanginess.
- Ancho Chili Powder: smokey, mild, a little sweet, this will add a depth of flavor to the marinade.
- Spices: We have cumin, smoked paprika, Mexican oregano, garlic powder, cayenne and more to add a ton of flavor to our meat.
In a mixing bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients and mix well. The marinade should pretty thick and dark in color.
For the steak, I went with skirt steak that was trimmed and tenderized. Since I had a long strip, I cut it into smaller 6 inch pieces.
Recipe Tip
- Select outside skirt steak over inside. It’s more tender with stronger beef flavors.
- Thin cut is perfect for marinades.
Place the steak in a zip lock bag or a bowl and pour in the marinade. Massage the marinade in the meat making sure it’s fully covered. Set aside for at least 1 hour allowing the marinade to penetrate the meat to absorb the spices. If you can, prep this the night before for maximum flavor.
Dad’s Seasonings
Must have grillin seasonings!
How to make homemade salsa.
Can’t have tacos without salsa. And yes, you can use any store bought salsa you like. But give my homemade salsa recipe a try and I promise you will never go back to store bought. I like to start on the salsa when i’m heating up my grill. To start off, char a tomatillo, roma tomatoes and jalapeno directly on the coals. You can also do these inside in a cast iron skillet. Make sure to turn the veggies around every minute for an even char throughout.
When the veggies a nicely charred up, remove them from the grill and place in a food processor or blender. Add some chicken bullion, freshly squeezed lime juice and a batch of cilantro. Blend it all together leaving a slightly chunky consistency for texture.
I told you this salsa recipe was easy!
Time to grill steak.
Our steak will cook very fast. Preheat the grill to at least 400 degrees and set for direct heat. Place the marinated skirt steak directly on the grill grates and grill 2 minutes per side or until the internal temp reaches 120-125 degrees. Be sure the steak has some char on the outside.
Remove them from the grill and let them rest for 10 minutes. This step is important! If you cut into the steak too early all the juices will drain out.
Assemble the marinated steak tacos.
It’s finally time to assemble your tacos. Once the grilled steak has rested, cut it up into 1 inch cubes. This will make it easier to eat vs. long thin strips.
Place a few corn tortillas on the grill to warm and soften them up. Dice up a white onion and cilantro for your topping.
Now we can assemble! Start withe the tortilla, add a big scoop of the steak, salsa, cilantro, onion and cotija cheese. Serve Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Absolutely! Skirt steak works great for tacos because it cooks super fast and absorbs marinades. You can use any other cut of beef instead. NY Strip, ribeye, flank. Anything will work.
Your sure can! Use a cast iron skillet and make the full recipe inside.
Similar Tasty Taco Ideas:
If you tried these Marinated Steak Tacos or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the📝 comments. I love hearing from you!
Marinated Steak Tacos
Ingredients
Steak Marinade Ingredients
- 2 lbs Skirt Steak
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 tbsp Apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp Water
- 2 tbsp Ancho chili pepper
- 2 tsp Cumin
- 2 tsp Smoked paprika
- 2 tsp Garlic powder
- 2 tsp Mexican oregano
- 2 tsp Cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp Salt
Homemade Salsa Ingredients
- 2 Roma tomatoes
- 2 Tomatillos
- 1/2 White onion
- 1 Jalapeno
- 4 Garlic cloves
- 1/2 Batch of cilantro
- 1 Freshly squeezed juice from lime
- 1 tbsp Chicken bullion
- 1 tbsp Salt
- Water
Optional Taco Toppings
- 1/2 White onion, diced
- 1/2 Bunch cilantor, diced
- 1 tbsp Cotija cheese
Instructions
Steak Marinade Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine all the steak marinade ingredients and mix well.
- Cut the skirt steak into smaller 6 inch pieces and place in the marinade.
- Massage the marinade into the meat, making sure it's fully covered. Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Homemade Salsa Instructions
- Start the grill and place the jalapeno, 1/2 white onion, tomatoes and tomatillos directly on the coals.
- Rotate them every minute until they charred up all on sides.
- Remove from the coals place the charred veggies in a blender or food processor. Add all the remaining salsa ingredients and blend until everything is well incorporated.
- If the salsa is too thick, add a few tbsp of water and mix again.
Steak Grill Instructions
- Preheat the grill to 400 degrees and set for direct heat.
- Place the marinated skirt steak directly on the grill grates and grill 2 minutes per side or until the internal temp reaches 130 degrees.
- Remove the steaks from the grill and let them rest for 10 minutes. Dice the steak into bite size pieces.
- Warm up the tortillas and assemble the tacos.
Notes
- The longer the steak sits in the marinade, the more flavorful it will be.
- If you can’t find skirt steak, flank steak works great as well.
Nutrition
Check out the Recipes Page for other tasty ideas!
I love steak tacos and this recipe is one of my favorites! I hope you like it as much as I do!
Awesome!!!! I will be using this recipe for all of my steak tacos
Delicious marinade. Great for making ahead, which means that cooking is a breeze.