Tacos are a perfect meal for adventurous eaters or when you need to feed a crowd. This Grilled Beef Arrachera Taco recipe is a tasty and simply dish to appease that craving!

So What Is Arrachera?

All over the world there are beef eaters however the description of the exact same cut or even the name for the same cut, can differ from one region to the next. For Latin communities grilled beef is called ‘carne asada’ while the specific cut to make many tacos is called arrachera or skirt steak in North America. The skirt steak is the diaphragm on a beef cutting chart and is very long in size – often up to 4 or 5 feet! However the muscle fibres are short… only 3-5 inches in length. If cooked and cut properly, this tough piece of meat can be exceptional for tacos.

What Makes Arrachera Beef Red in Colour?

There are a few key ingredients to making authentic arrachera marinade. The first is frequently beer. Of course a Mexican-style lager is perfect. From there the marinade is rather tart or acidic which comes from ‘sour’ oranges. Many Latino oranges are tart or sour and not sweet. So these would be used. In contrast for North American grocery stores, there isn’t sour oranges in the produce aisle. So, lime juice is used for this recipe.

So far we have beer and lime juice but what makes it red in colour? That is from achiote powder or paste which is ground annato seed. This brilliant red coloured paste is added to the marinade to add tartness and colour to the arrachera. It can be found in many grocery stores or Latino markets. Read the label carefully though and look for added salt or MSG. You may need to adjust your recipe ingredients if that is all you can find. In most instances achiote paste comes without salt.

What Peppers Should I Use?

There are many different types of fresh peppers available in Mexican grocery markets. Many of them can add fantastic flavour to your dish with characteristics of earthiness, fruitiness, leather or aromatic fragrance. For us and this dish, we really like poblanos and anaheim peppers. Both of these are mild in nature and once grilled their natural sweetness adds to the tacos.

We encourage you to try whichever pepper you like for your tacos. Use them fresh and raw or fresh and grilled. By simply grilling them, their character can change quite a bit from their raw state.

What House of Q Products Do I Use for Taco’s?

Although all of the House of Q BBQ sauces and spices have been created with the intention to win awards at BBQ pitmaster events, (which we have!) the flavours go far beyond competition, slow-smoke BBQ. For taco’s, particularly beef tacos, we really like using the Competition Beef Rub for the seasoning. From there, the Backyard Classic BBQ Sauce and the Rock’n Red 2.0 sauce can be the perfect final layer of flavour. The “2.0” can be the spicier topping while the mild Backyard Classic could be the right finish. From there though if you want to add a whole layer of complexity, the Sugar & Spice BBQ Sauce could be the perfect topping for your taco.

Grilled Arrachera Tacos with Peppers

Print Recipe

Course Main Course

Cuisine Grill

HoQ Product Competition Beef Rub

Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Servings 4

Author House of Q

Ingredients

• 2 lbs Skirt steak – trimmed, butterflied if needed
• 6 Limes – juiced
• 50 grams Achiote paste or powder available in many grocery stores or Latino markets
• 1 TB Mexican seasoning salt such as Goya with Cilantro
• 3 TB House of Q Competition Beef Rub
• 1 can Beer – Mexican style lager works great!
• 3-4 Poblano peppers
• 3-4 Anaheim peppers
• 1-2 Sweet onions – halved and peeled
• 2-3 TB Olive oil
• 1-2 TB Salt
• 8-12 Tortillas – warmed

Instructions

• In a blender juice the limes and add the achiote paste. Blend well until the paste is well mixed into the lime juice. Add the seasoning salt (Goya), the Competition Beef Rub, and can of beer. Pulse to mix.
• Place the skirt steak in a bag or a container to marinate the meat. Pour in some of the marinade then more meat ensuring all sides of the meat are coated with the red-coloured, tangy mixture. Seal the container and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
• Prepare your grill for direct grilling. In a bowl add the peppers and onions. Coat with oil and season well with salt. Sear the peppers over direct heat meanwhile set the onions just to the side. The onions will take longer to cook so your patience is key here. Once the peppers are seared and starting to soften, remove them from the heat and set aside. Continue cooking the onion until it is fairly soft and charred, remove it from the heat and place with the peppers.
• Slice the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Slice into bite-able pieces. Slice the same into same size pieces as the peppers. Mix all the vegetables together and keep warm.
• Return to the grill and remove the steak pieces from the marinade. Sear over high heat to char the surface of the meat. Turn over to sear the other side. If the meat is thin it might be hard to get a thermometer reading however if there are sections that you can get a reading, shoot for 140-145 F before removing from the grill. Once all the pieces are cooked, let them rest for 5-10 minutes.
• On a cutting board, slice the steaks into thin strips across the grain so the fibres are really short. The strips should be 1/4" or so for a good eating texture.
• To assemble the tacos, take a tortilla and place two or three beef strips on the tortilla then about the same amount of the warm vegetables. Serve with a drizzle of House of Q Rock'n Red 2.0, Backyard Classic or even Sugar & Spice BBQ Sauce.

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