The Best Steak Tacos You'll Ever Make — cooking recipes, healthy foods

From my video, this step-by-step guide shows how to make taco-truck-style carne asada tacos that are tender, bright, and ridiculously satisfying. I walk through everything: the secret to melt-in-your-mouth skirt steak, an elevated pico de gallo trick, and how to make fresh, floppy flour tortillas—with methods that work for total beginners. If you like practical cooking tips and approachable cooking recipes, healthy foods, this is for you.

Step 1: Choose and prep the steak

Start with 2 lb (907 g) skirt steak. I prefer skirt because it’s naturally about an inch thick and cooks quickly to medium while you get a great char. If you can’t find skirt, flank is the second-best option.

• Jaccard the steak 10–12 times to break down muscle fibers and let the marinade penetrate. No jaccard? Use a sharp fork and poke 30–40 times.
• Cut each skirt steak into four pieces (about 6–8 oz each). Smaller pieces make even searing and easier handling on the grill.
• Generously season both sides with kosher salt and rest for 15 minutes (dry brine).

Step 2: Make the carne asada marinade

This marinade is a balanced punch of citrus, smoke, heat, and aromatics—blended into a paste so it clings to the meat instead of washing off.

• 75 g (1/3 cup) neutral oil
• 15 g (1 Tbsp) soy sauce
• 2 chipotle chiles in adobo (≈25 g)
• 25 g (4–5 cloves) garlic, minced
• 5 g dried oregano
• 5 g ground coriander
• 15 g smoked paprika
• 5 g ground cumin
• 6–7 g Mexican bouillon powder (or a spoonful Better Than Bouillon)
• 10 g ground black pepper
• 25 g chopped cilantro
• 60 g fresh lime juice (≈1.5–2 limes)
• 150 g fresh orange juice (≈2 oranges)

Blend on high 20–30 seconds until smooth. If you don’t have a blender, mince and grate the components finely and whisk together—the flavor will be the same even if the texture differs.

Step 3: Marinate

1. Place the salted steaks in a zip-top bag, pour the marinade in, and massage to coat thoroughly.
2. Chill overnight for best results—this makes the steak roughly 30% better in taste and texture—but if you’re short on time, 2 hours or same-day marinating still works.

Overnight marination lets citrus, smoke, and aromatics settle into the meat and helps the jaccarded holes soak deeper.

Step 4: Make elevated pico de gallo

Pico is more than diced tomato. Curate the tomato flesh, pull out excess liquid, and treat the mixture like a quick tomato-lime marinade.

• 300 g diced ripe tomato flesh (discard pith and jelly—use extra tomatoes if needed)
• 150 g white onion, small-diced and rinsed under cold water to remove bite
• 30 g finely diced jalapeño (or poblano for milder, serrano for hotter)
• 15 g finely chopped cilantro
• 30 g lime juice (≈1 lime)
• 8 g kosher salt

Scoop the tomatoes into a strainer to remove excess tomato water before combining. Mix everything and let sit 20 minutes—the salt draws juices that the veg will reabsorb, concentrating flavor instead of diluting it.

Step 5: Make super-floppy flour tortillas

These homemade flour tortillas are quick, soft, and floppy—made without special equipment if needed.

• 300 g (2 ½ cups) all-purpose flour
• 6 g (1 tsp) kosher salt
• 50 g (3.5 Tbsp) cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 170 g (¾ cup) cold water

Food processor method:

1. Pulse flour, salt, and butter until pea-sized flecks form.
2. With the processor running, stream in cold water until the dough forms a loose blob.
3. Turn out and knead 1–2 minutes until the dough can hold together when tugged.
4. Divide into 12 × 40 g balls, cover briefly (5 minutes), then roll to ~7" rounds.
5. Cook in a medium-heat nonstick pan: ~90 seconds first side until bubbles form, flip 30 seconds more. Keep warm in a tortilla warmer.

No food processor? Grate the cold butter into flour and mix by hand the same way; it works fine.

Step 6: Grill the carne asada

High heat is the game here. Oil your grates thoroughly—marinated meat loves to stick, so be generous with spray or oil.

1. Preheat grill to high. If using a small grill that struggles to get hot, be mindful but still aim for high heat.
2. Grill steaks 3–4 minutes per side until deeply charred and the marinade has turned into a lacquer on the surface.
3. Internal target: roughly 130–140°F (54–60°C) for skirt—this gives a juicy, meaty result. Rare skirt is often chewy; a bit more internal heat unlocks better flavor.
4. Rest steaks 5–10 minutes, then slice against the grain and dice into ½" cubes.

Step 7: Assemble and serve

1. Rewarm tortillas and spread a dollop of mashed avocado (seasoned with lime & salt) on each.
2. Top with 3–4 oz of diced steak.
3. Drain excess liquid from pico and spoon a generous dollop on top.
4. Fold and eat immediately—these are best hot and fresh.

One bite = fresh, clean flavors: citrus brightness from the orange and lime, a gentle heat from chipotles and jalapeño, smoky depth from paprika and grill char, and the creamy foil of avocado in a sweet, floppy tortilla.

Why this works

• Jaccarding physically breaks muscle fibers so the meat feels tender, and it lets the marinade reach deep into the steak.
• Blended marinade sticks to the steak and forms a lacquer as it grills—more flavor and less flare-ups than thin, watery marinades.
• Curated pico (discarding pith & jelly, draining tomato water) keeps the salsa bright and concentrated instead of soggy.
• Fresh tortillas change the taco game—soft, warm, and slightly sweet compared to store-bought.

These tacos are one of those simple cooking recipes, healthy foods combos that feel summery and enormous in flavor without being fussy. Try making them for a weekend cookout—the reward is immediate.

Final thoughts

If you follow these steps—jaccard, marinate overnight, curate your pico, and make fresh tortillas—you’ll end up with tacos that outshine most taco-truck attempts. I wouldn’t change a single thing about this method: the steak is tender, juicy, and perfectly seasoned; the pico is bright; and the tortillas are the finishing touch that brings it all together. Go fire up the grill and enjoy.