Carne Asada Street Tacos

These Carne Asada Street Tacos are loaded with flavorful grilled steak, pickled onions, cilantro, jalapeno rings, queso panela, and drizzled with a chipotle ranch.  The end result is truly a taco lovers delight with a unique combination of flavors that work in perfect harmony together.

My family loves it when I tell them this is on the menu for the week.  I like to serve them with Mexican Shrimp Cocktail and Corn Salad with Easy Lime Vinaigrette.

Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner, and what better way to celebrate than with some tasty street tacos?  With some advanced preparation, like making the pickled onions and marinating the steak, these are easily double for even a weeknight.  There are no special tricks or techniques here, so even the even the novice chef can make this recipe.

How to make Carne Asada Tacos

Make the pickled onions – simply heat to boiling a little cider vinegar, water, and sugar.  Then pour over some thinly sliced red onions in a bowl. Let cool, and then store in an airtight container in the fridge while you marinate the steak.

Marinate the skirt steak – combine the steak, lime juice, orange juice, garlic, cilantro, vegetable oil, jalapeno, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper in a ziploc bag.  Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours up to overnight.  Preheat the grill to 400 degrees.  Grill for about 7 minutes on each side.  Then loosely cover and let rest for about 10 minutes.

Prepare the chipotle ranch dressing – combine 1/2 cup of your favorite ranch dressing with 1 finely chopped smoked chipotle pepper and 1 tablespoon of the adobo sauce that they are packed in.

Assemble the tacos – thinly slice the steak against the grain.  Divide the steak evenly between the tortillas.  Then add the cilantro, jalapenos, and crumbled cheese, and drizzle with the chipotle ranch.  Serve with refried beans, Mexican rice, and fresh limes. 

Recipe notes and helpful tips

• The pickled onions can be made up to 3 days in advance. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• Flank steak can be substituted for skirt steak.  It is best to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours up to overnight.
• Thinly slice the steak against the grain using a sharp knife.
• Both skirt and flank steak are best cooked medium rare to medium.  If cooked much longer, they become tough and chewy.
• The chipotle ranch dressing can be mixed up to 2 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• Queso panela is a white smooth curd-style cheese made from cow’s milk.  Crumble or shred over the tacos.  Cotija cheese works as a good substitute.
• If your taste buds are sensitive to heat, then add half the amount of chipotle pepper and adobo sauce to the ranch.
• Other toppings choices for your tacos include salsa, guacamole, sour cream, tomatoes, avocado, and lettuce.

WHAT ARE CHIPOTLE PEPPERS

Chipotle peppers are jalapeno peppers that have been aged, dried, and smoked.  They are earthy, robust, and smokey, yet still incredibly spicy.  You can find them canned with adobo sauce in the Mexican food section of most local grocery stores. Adobo sauce is a slightly sweet, tangy, rich reddish brown sauce made with ground ancho and guajillo chiles.

The combination of the two is a taste sensation. One chopped chipotle pepper with a little bit of the adobo sauce can take your Mexican and southwestern recipes over the top. Store the remaining chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one month or freeze for up to 6 months.

More Tex Mex recipes you will love!

Carne Asada Street Taco Recipe

Taste tantalizing Carne Asada Street Tacos are loaded with marinated grilled skirt steak, pickled onions, jalapeno rings, crumbled queso panela, and a chipotle ranch drizzle.

5 from 21 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: dinner

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 tacos

Calories: 348kcal

Author: Beth Pierce

Ingredients

Pickled Red Onions

• 1/2 medium red onion thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Carne Asada 

• 1 1/2 -2 lbs skirt steak
• 1 lime juiced
• 1 orange juiced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• ½ cup chopped cilantro
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 jalapeno minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Chipotle Ranch

• 1/2 cup bottle ranch dressing
• 1/2 – 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce finely chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers

Tacos

• 8 6-inch corn tortillas or flour tortillas
• 1 jalapeno thinly sliced in rings
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup queso panela cheese crumbled or sub cotija cheese

Instructions

• Add sliced red onions to a bowl or mason jar. Bring apple cider vinegar, water, and sugar to a low boil stirring to dissolve the sugar.  Pour hot liquid over red onions.  Cool to room temperature.  Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
• Combine steak, lime juice, orange juice, garlic, cilantro, vegetable oil, jalapeno, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper in a ziploc bag.  Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours up to overnight.  Preheat the grill to 400 degrees.  Grill for 7-8 minutes per side.  Loosely cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes.
•  In a small bowl, mix ranch dressing, chipotle pepper, and adobo sauce.
• Warm tortillas in the microwave.  Thinly slice the steak against the grain.  Divide the steak evenly between the tortillas.  Add the jalapenos, cilantro, queso panela, and drizzle with the chipotle ranch.

Notes

• The pickled onions can be made up to 3 days in advance. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• Flank steak can be substituted for skirt steak.  It is best to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours up to overnight.
• Thinly slice the steak against the grain using a sharp knife.
• Both skirt and flank steak are best cooked medium rare to medium.  If cooked much longer, they become tough and chewy.
• The chipotle ranch dressing can be mixed up to 2 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• Queso panela is a white smooth curd-style cheese made from cow’s milk.  Crumble or shred over the tacos.  Cotija cheese works as a good substitute.
• If your taste buds are sensitive to heat, then add half the amount of chipotle pepper and adobo sauce to the ranch.
• Other toppings choices for your tacos include salsa, guacamole, sour cream, tomatoes, avocado, and lettuce.

Nutrition

Calories: 348kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 685mg | Potassium: 303mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 273IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 3mg

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