Fajitas & Tacos al Carbon
When a dish is “al carbon,” it means that it was grilled over charcoal, and generally, very delicious. The basic order of things is to marinate the meat, grill it, coarsely dice it, and then serve it with corn tortillas, salsa, and guacamole.
The cut of meat used for tacos al carbon is flank steak, the same as for fajitas. Our local meat market sells flank steak marinated in the markets own secret marinade. If you have a similar situation, you can save a step and go with that. However, I really recommend against commercially packaged “marinated for fajitas” beef products. I find that the final product tastes unnatural and tends to be mushy.
Because I normally serve fajitas one day and then use the leftovers for tacos al carbon, below I’m going to give instructions for the fajitas and then go on to the tacos.
Fajitas Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
- 2 Tablespoons canola oil
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 lbs flank steak, trimmed of fat
Fajitas Directions
Stir together the lime juice through ground pepper in a shallow, nonreactive dish. Add the flank steak and let it stand, covered, at room temperature for about 4 hours. Turn the flank steak two to three times during the four hours.
Preheat a gas grill to medium high, or create a charcoal fire and let it burn down to evenly white coals. You’ll want the rack about 6 inches above the heat/coals. Lay the flank steak out on the rack and grill, covered, approximately 6-7 minutes on each side for medium to medium-rare . . . or grill to your done-ness preference. Transfer the flank steak to a a cutting board and allow to rest for about ten minutes (tented). Slice the flank steak against the grain (repeat – AGAINST THE GRAIN) into strips for fajita tacos.
Serve with corn or flour tortillas warmed on the grill and your favorite condiments. This recipe will serve 4-6 people or 2 1/2 with leftovers for tacos al carbon.
Turning Fajitas into Tacos al Carbon
Tacos al carbon (or de bistec or de carne asada) are a favorite of mine when we visit my husband’s family in Mexico. There is a taco vendor, just down the street from his grandparents’ house, that sells the most incredible tacos dressed with grilled onions, crumbled fresh farmer’s cheese, and slices of avocado. When I was pregnant, I was able to convince the vendor to tell me his seasoning secret, and I was astounded at how simple it was — Worcestershire Sauce!
- leftover fajitas, diced coarsely – about 3 cups
- 1 Tablespoon oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 jalapenos, chopped (seed and devein to reduce heat)
- 3 Tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
Directions
Saute the onion and jalapenos in oil for a few minutes in a medium-large skillet, then add in the fajita meat and garlic. Cook until warm and the onions are beginning to soften considerably. Add the worcestershire sauce and cilantro. Simmer until the sauce is reduced, stirring often. You want the meat to be coated with the reduced sauce, but none in the bottom of the pan.
Serve with warm corn (or flour) tortillas and your choice of condiments.
