Coming from south Texas and moving to the Deep South, I realized soon enough that I was so lucky to have authentic Mexican food growing up. My first experience in the south was going to college at Ole Miss. They had plenty of Mexican restaurants throughout the small town. Yet I soon discovered none of them even came close to being as good as the food I had back home. The tacos were average and the tortillas were embarrassing in Oxford Mississippi. Since I’m such a foodie, I decided to start researching Mexican food and specifically Tex-Mex/ Jalisco style Mexican food. It took years to evolve my Mexican recipes. After a long time I finally had it down to a science. Since I followed my husband back to Atlanta where he grew up, I realized the Mexican cuisine here is no better than In Oxford.
So to all of you living somewhere other than South Texas, please try out this recipe. Then you’ll understand what I mean when I say you can’t find this authentic south texas style Mexican food in the deep south.
These tortillas are beyond fluffy and the best blanket to your taco filling (linked below). The carne asada meat is juicy, flavorful and the perfect compliment to my cloud like tortillas. This is a very simple yet authentic taco. Although I think this taco is good with just white onion and cilantro, I sometimes make other toppings as well.
WHITE QUESO, AVOCADO PURÉE, + GUAJILLO CHILI HOT SAUCE
I call these tacos “street tacos” because it’s my play on an authentic Mexican style taco. A traditional street taco is typically a very simple taco on corn tortillas and a small amount of toppings (onion and cilantro) They typically are filled with some type of pan fried chicken, beef, or pork. Very simple yet great quality. I swapped out the corn tortilla for a homemade flour one. You can make your tortillas big or small, whatever you prefer. You can do either type of tortilla and this taco will still be great.
CARNE ASADA TACOS
Prep time: 40 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes
Makes: About 10 tacos
INGREDIENTS:
- 2.5 lbs Flank steak
- 2 tsp kosher salt, more or less to taste
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
For tortillas:
DIRECTIONS:
- Bring the flank steak out of the fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking. Begin by slicing the flank steak against the grain into long thin strips. Turn the strips to the side and then cut them into small 1/2 inch pieces.
- Heat a large 12 inch cast iron skillet to high heat. Add in the oil and let it heat up.
- Add in the meat and sear in the hot oil for a couple minutes while stirring occasionally. Add in all the spices and lime juice. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until meat is cooked through.
- Serve hot with extra lime wedges, onion and cilantro.
- (Note: make sure to cook the meat on high heat. This way the meat will stay tender and the edges will become slightly crisp.)