Seasoned Flank Steak Tacos

 

It is the middle of the week, it has been a hectic, stressful day, and your children or your spouse has invited someone over for dinner.  You are not prepared and need to do something fast!  This is Just the meal for you!  I fell in love with flank steak nearly a year ago when I found a recipe which served it over bread like a bruschetta.  I changed this one up, changing the spices from steak grilling spices to home-roasted taco spices, grilling the meat and slicing it small to fit into any sized or type of taco shell.  Ready?  This one will save your mid-week crunch and make Everyone happy!

Roasted Taco Seasonings

In a small pan, over medium heat, add:

2 tablespoons Chipotle or Chile Ancho powder

2 tablespoons Smoked Paprika

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon cumin powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder (or, three cloves fresh finely chopped garlic)

2 tablespoons onion powder

1 tablespoon salt and one tablespoon pepper

1 tablespoon (or more) of dried Oregano, crushed in your hands

Roast the spices over medium heat in the small pan until you smell the cumin and  Chili powder, not burned.  Your nose will tell you when it is ready.  Place the spices in a bowl to cool and add the zest and juice of one lemon or lime to the spices.   

Allow the steak to come to room temperature and remove the flank steak from its wrapper and dry it with a paper towel.  Add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (evoo) on both sides of the steak, and using your hands or a spoon, rub the spices onto both sides of the meat.  Let the steak sit another ten to thirty minutes, out of the refrigerator.  

Fire up your bbq grill or in-house grill plate over medium-high heat.  Be sure that you spray or rub the grill with non-stick oil.  I use an evoo spray on my grills.  Add the steak after several minutes and leave it on the grill until it releases by itself, about four or five minutes. Turn the steak for about the same amount of time. I do not see the need for the beautiful, fancy cross grill marks since the steak will be sliced up into small slices, anyway. Once done, about eight or nine minutes in all, remove the steak and allow it to rest another ten or so minutes, covered with foil.  It will continue to cook just a little more. 

*For incredible flavor, quarter an onion, yellow or white, drizzle the wedges with evoo, and also grill.  The combined flavor of the softened grilled onions and the flank steak are unbeatable!  You could also do this with red and green chiles!  (That will be next time and an addendum blog post!)

In the meantime, prepare your taco shells however you wish.  I chose to use small flour shells, unheated or fried.   

I sliced the flank steak against the grain, and it sliced effortlessly, like softened butter.  Between the steak and the slivered grilled onions I'd put on the grill, my tacos were the extreme in comfort food.  i realized that I had prepped and grilled in about thirty minutes, because i purchased the flank steak already thawed.  If yours is frozen, the time involved increases, but the prep and cook times for thawed meat are far less than thirty minutes. 

 Ready to slice for tacos?

 

 Time to Enjoy!

You could serve this with sliced radishes, lime wedges, finely chopped cabbage shreds and whatever cheese you have on hand or like. I went quite simplistic so as to enjoy the grilled flavors.  

Thank you for viewing!