Vibes!
Start by finding the Nighthawks At The Diner on LP (or download) and a glass of your favorite beverage. A cooking partner is recommended, however there is something to be said about a night alone with Tom Waits and a bottle of wine. Relax and enjoy making this great recipe. Light a few candles. Create an artistic space within your kitchen. This is your canvas! Cooking should be fun and relaxing, so don’t think about when you will be finished or how long it will take, but more importantly, at the end of this beautiful experience will be an amazing surprise of flavor and authentic satisfaction.
Sundries:
3 Lbs. Good quality Flat Iron Steak
1 Large Sweet Onion
1 Bunch Fresh Cilantro
6 Limes
3 Large Ripe Avocados
White Corn Tortiillas
Butter
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Black Peppercorn Grinder
Red Wine
Taco Truck Salsa or sauce of your choice.
We begin!
Lightly tenderize the flat iron steak and marinate it in a mixture of no salt seasoning, freshly ground black pepper, sea salt and a red wine and olive oil mix. Preheat your grill to high temperature and get ready!
To the grill!
Prepare everything before you start. Turn the music up and turn the television off!!! Peel the onion, wash the cilantro, peel and core the avocados, etc. Bring the steak to the grill and lay it on the grates and shut the lid. Sear and turn the steak so the outside is crisp and the inside is still rare. Remove and put back into the marinate dish. Turn the grill off and set steak aside.
Back to the kitchen!
While the steak basks in it’s juices, chop the onion into roughly 3/8” size pieces. Chop the cilatro. I like to use the leaves and the smalls of the stems. Save the larger parts of the stems for soups and salads. Cut three limes into eight pieces each. Put your garnishes in separate bowls and set aside.
Meat!
Using a butcher block or a cutting board, chop the meat into small pieces. This process will make or break the tacos so follow this step accurately. One of the most common mistakes is that the meat is just cut up and fried. The pieces are too large and it becomes just mediocre and tasteless. Take the time and chop the meat into very small pieces about the size of the onions, putting the pieces back into the marinate dish. Heat up a frying pan on high. Put a ¼ stick of butter in the pan and add the steak and marinate into the pan. Add some sea salt and stir. Sear on high long enough to crisp the edges. It’s okay if a few pieces burn a bit (in fact I recommend it!), just don’t overcook the entire batch. Stir frequently and set aside in the pan or chaffing dish.
Avocado Mash!
Add the avocados to a small serving bowl. Add a small handful of the chopped onions, some chopped cilantro and squeeze a half of a lime into the bowl. Add a few pinches of sea salt and stir. Using a fork, mash and stir the ingredients into a chopped mixture of goodness. This is not guacamole so don’t treat it like guacamole.. Leave some chunks and don’t worry about it being pretty. That will happen later. Set aside.
Tortillas!
Heat a separate NONSTICK pan to Med/High. Heat 8 corn tortillas as follows; The authentic way to do this is without butter or oil. They will alter the taste of the meal. If you do not have a tortilla dish with a lid, you can go old school East LA style and use a bath towel which actually works great. Put the tortilla in the pan until it starts to change color just a bit. About 10 seconds or less depending on the heat of the stove. Then with your fingers, quickly squeeze the tortilla and flip it over for 5-10 seconds. With your fingers, quickly grab it out of the pan and put it into the tortilla container or between the towel and fold the towel over it. The tortilla should be soft and very flimsy.
Serve!
Start with 2 tortillas and add the meat, onions and garnishes to the taco. Dish the avocado mash onto the side of your plate and garnish with cilantro. Ladle on your favorite Taco Truck Sauce to the tacos. Squeeze a fresh lime wedge all over the entire plate and enjoy!
I recommend a good South American Malbec or a hand crafted beer from Short’s Brewing Company. My favorite is the Humalupalicious IPA. You can buy these items at Vine and Brew in Okemos when you are picking up your Taco Truck Salsa!
