Texas Tailgater Tacos
February 4, 2011
On Sunday, February 6, 2011, Arlington, Texas will play host to the Big Game. Now I was born in Texas so I knew when I set out to create a tailgate dish for the game that I wanted it to truly reflect the region’s boldest flavors.
Texas is cattle country so the recipe had to center around beef, specifically the super flavorful cut known as skirt steak. Before hitting the fire, the steaks are kicked up with tequila and lime marinade. They are then grilled, sliced and served on corn tortillas along with grilled green onions and a guacamole-like South of the Border sauce. It doesn’t get any bolder than this!
Texas Tailgater Tacos
(serves six)
Marinade Ingredients
2 limes, juiced
½ cup olive oil
1 tsp red pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 cup tequila
Additional Ingredients
2 pounds skirt steak cut crosswise into two even sections
One bunch green onions
One tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
12 corn tortillas
2 tbsp olive oil
Grilled green onion (recipe below)
South of the Border sauce (recipe below)
¼ cup cilantro chopped for garnish
Combine marinade ingredients with skirt steak in a large freezer bag, seal and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight. Remove meat from marinade, pat dry, and salt and pepper generously on both sides.
Clean and oil grill grate (tip: dip a paper towel in vegetable or canola oil and use tongs to wipe the grates with the oiled towel). Heat grill to high (tip: To test temperatures without a thermometer, hold your hand over the grate and see how long you can keep it there before it gets too hot. 2-4 equals high, 6-8 seconds equals medium and any longer is low). Grill skirt steaks approximately 4 minutes per side for medium rare. Remove. Cover with foil and rest 10 minutes. Meanwhile, brush tortillas with olive oil and grill approximately 2 minutes per side until warmed and slightly charred. Slice skirt steak against the grain (tip: slicing fibrous cuts such as skirt steak against the grain creates smaller meat fibers thereby ensuring more tender strips of steak) and serve on tortillas along with South of the Border sauce, grilled green onion and cilantro.
Grilled Green Onions
One bunch green onions
One tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
Toss green onions in olive oil and grill over high heat for approximately 10 minutes turning often until softened and slightly charred. Add salt and pepper to taste.
South of the Border Sauce
Two halved avocado, pitted
Two limes, halved
One jalapeño, halved and seeded
One half small onion, peeled
1/4 cup Canola oil
1/4 cup chopped Cilantro
3 cloves garlic, smashed
Salt and pepper to taste
Grill avocados, limes, jalapeño and onion over high heat until slightly charred on all sides, approximately 10 minutes. Remove. Peel avocados and place in a blender or food processor along with juice of the two limes, jalapeño, onion, garlic, canola oil and cilantro. Blend until smooth and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Clint Cantwell, Guest Editor
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