Tacos de Carne Asada al Carbón
Chapter 3 — Tacos: The Assembly
Drop the meat onto white-hot hardwood coals for a heavy char, stepping back as the skirt steak hisses. To recreate leaning over a counter at one in the morning, assembly must be methodical. You build a massive spread. A cold or dry tortilla will crack and spill its contents, so unwrap the foil-wrapped tortillas and double-warm them with a little steam and a touch of hot lard on the comal for structure. Align the plastic squeeze bottles and molcajete-crushed salsa to match the place on Mission Street. Slice the meat against the grain, pile it up, and let them build their own.
Ingredients
- Carne Asada al Carbon2 lb
- corn tortillas24 small
- pork lard3 tbsp
- white onion1 large
- fresh cilantro1 bunch
- salsa verde1 cup
- limes4 med
Method
- 01
Set up your counter with the bowls of diced onion, chopped cilantro, lime wedges, and your molcajete of salsa before you touch the heat.
Once the tortillas hit the comal, the train moves fast, and you need your complete mise en place ready.
- 02
Heat a large comal or cast-iron griddle over medium-high heat and melt a dab of pork lard onto the surface.
Do not swap the lard for canola oil; manteca crisps the edges of the tortilla and imparts a subtle, savory richness that oil simply cannot replicate.
- 03
Lightly dip the edges of your corn tortillas into the reserved meat juices from your cutting board and lay them flat onto the hot lard.
Heat for about 30 to 45 seconds until they bubble and soften, then flip and heat for another 20 seconds until pliable but slightly toasted on the edges.
- 04
Transfer the tortillas to a warm plate and stack them in pairs.
Real taqueria meat is juicy and heavy, making the double-stacked tortilla mandatory to keep your food from disintegrating in your hands.
- 05
Use tongs to drop a generous scoop of the hot meat into the center of each double-stacked tortilla.
Use the carne asada recipe on p.X, making sure it is sliced thin across the grain and chopped finely into bite-sized pieces.
- 06
Top the meat with a heavy pinch of raw onion and cilantro, spoon over the salsa, and serve immediately.
Instruct your guests to squeeze a lime wedge over the meat just seconds before taking a bite to cut through the rich fat.
Notes
The meat is everything.
This assembly relies entirely on the Carne Asada al Carbón recipe from Chapter 2. Do not skip the overnight citrus marination, and make sure you char it hard in a carbon-steel skillet to get that true taqueria flavor before slicing.
Respect the molcajete.
Pressing the ingredients for your salsa through a molcajete extracts the essential oils and alters the texture in a way a blender's blade cannot. The difference matters.