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Tacos al Carbón Recipe

5 from 6 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Yield 4 –6 servings
Category Main Dish
Cuisine Mexican
Author Lauren Grant

Description

Juicy slices of grilled chipotle-lime steak get tucked into charred tortillas with a grilled jalapeno and scallion salsa and Mexican crema. The ideal summer grilling recipe in under an hour!

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
  • 1 ½ tablespoons minced canned chipotles in adobo sauce + 1 teaspoon adobo sauce
  • kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
  • 1 lime, zested and juiced + lime wedges for serving
  • 1 (1½–1¾-pound) flank steak
  • 20 scallions
  • 2 jalapeños
  • 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas or flour tortillas
  • Fresh cilantro
  • Mexican crema, full-fat Greek yogurt, sour cream or creme fraiche

Instructions

  • Combine 1 tablespoon oil, 1½ tablespoons minced chipotle, 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, 2 teaspoons cumin, 2 teaspoons minced garlic and 1 teaspoon lime zest in bowl.
  • Trim fat deposits on steak to ⅛-inch thickness. Cut steak lengthwise (with grain) into three 2–3-inch-wide strips. Rub chipotle mixture evenly over steak on all sides; transfer to a baking sheet or large plate.

Gas Grill

  • Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, 10–15 minutes. Turn off 1 burner (if your grill has more than 2 burners, turn off burner farthest from primary burner); leave other burner(s) on high.

Charcoal Grill

  • Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter mounded with charcoal briquettes (7 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
  • Brush grill grate clean, then brush grill grate with oil. Arrange 20 scallions on cooler side of grill with white ends towards hotter end of grill. Arrange 2 jalapeños on hot side of grill. Cook, covered, flipping scallions and rotating jalapeños every 2 minutes, until scallions are well-charred, 7–10 minutes, and jalapeños are blistered and charred in spots, 10–12 minutes.
  • Transfer scallions and jalapeños to a large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap; set aside. 
  • Arrange steak on hotter side of grill and cook, covered, flipping steak, every 3 minutes, until meat is well browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the centers registers about 135ºF (57ºC) for medium-rare, 7–10 minutes total. Transfer steak to clean cutting board; tent with foil.
  • Arrange 6 tortillas on hotter side of grill and cook until lightly charred, 45–60 seconds per side. Wrap warmed tortillas tightly in foil or a clean kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining 6 tortillas.
  • Without peeling, stem and seed jalapeños; reserve seeds. Finely chop jalapeños and transfer to bowl. Chop scallions and transfer to bowl with jalapeños. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon adobo sauce, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and 2 tablespoons lime juice. Season to taste with salt, extra lime juice, and reserved jalapeño seeds for spice.
  • Thinly slice steak across the grain; transfer to a serving platter. Serve steak in tortillas, with charred scallion salsa, lime wedges, cilantro, and crema separately.

Equipment

gas or charcoal grill

Notes

Since this recipe is quick-cooking, we recommend prepping all of the ingredients before you start grilling. This will ensure the process is seamless and stress-free.
When prepping the steak, it's imperative that you slice the entire flank steak lengthwise, with the grain, into three long strips. This will ensure you cut against the grain into shorter strips once cooked.
Whether you are using a gas grill or a charcoal grill, allow the grill to preheat over high for at least 5 minutes. Then set up a two-zone grill which means one side of the grill is hot while the other side is cool. To do this on a gas grill, turn off one burner. For a charcoal grill, pour the hot ashes over half of the grill.
Once the scallions and jalapeños have been charred, steamed and cooled, you'll need to mince them up for the salsa. Remove the stems, ribs and seeds of the jalaeños but reserve the ribs and seeds for seasoning the salsa to taste right before serving. The ribs and seeds are where the spice of the pepper reside.
The best steak is one cooked to your liking. Here are the internal temperatures to note for desired doneness:
  • Rare: 115–120ºF (46–49ºC)
  • Medium-rare: 120–125ºF (49–52ºC)
  • Medium: 130–135ºF (54–57ºC)
  • Medium-well: 140–145ºF (60–63ºC) (recommended USDA temperature)
  • Well-done: 150–155ºF (65–68ºC)
This recipe was adapted from one by America's Test Kitchen. 

Nutrition

Serving: 2tacosCalories: 402kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 35gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 868mgFiber: 4.5gSugar: 2g
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