I’ve been making this type of sauce one way or another to go with our grilled dishes for years. Sometimes I put pineapple, other times, I use a different chili; I never had a “standard recipe”. But for the arrachera, I wanted to make a sauce that compliments the Mexican seasonings, while still staying true to the spirit of “fusion”. The sauce has heat, pungency, tartness and sweetness all balanced perfectly in a sauce that doesn’t make your taco soggy.
About the meat: my husband is the designated grill person at our house. The truth is, I have no confidence in handling the grill. When I started dreaming up this fusion dish in October, I was faced with a conundrum: learn how to use a grill. Oh and learn how to film while using the grill. Hmm… I’m barely getting my toes wet in this business and now I have to do all that in the rain (our backyard is completely exposed and useless in the winter).
So, I decided to let it stew in my planner until I realized my blog is starting to look like a baking blog. I started to look for another way I can cook arrachera in my kitchen. I perused the internet for indoor grills… and there’s a plethora out there: from Ninja’s to Hamilton’s and George Foreman’s… The thing is, I don’t really want to buy another piece of equipment that I’d have to find storage space for. It’s not economical nor is it practical. It turns out, as the internet puts it, all those pale in comparison to our good ol’ cast iron skillet. Fortunately, I already have one that was given to me by a friend. (Thanks, Joanie!)
Arrachera is an interesting dish that I’ve only ever heard from my husband about. When people think Mexican steak, they think Carne Asada. And with good reason. Carne Asada is delicious, plus you can get them at your local taqueria. Arrachera though, is a little harder to come by. The meat is cut from the plate, just under the ribs of a cow. The cut is especially thin, so you can tear it easily with your fingers. The marinade is a blend of citrus juices and Mexican beer with lots of aromatics and spices. The result: a melt- in- your- mouth, flavorful experience like no other that’s been enjoyed from my husband’s abuelo’s generation all the way to my daughter’s generation. And it shows. We didn’t have any leftovers for the next day.
… and now I’m off to learn how to clean my cast iron pan, because I sure am going to need it again soon.
Arrachera Tacos with Asian Salsa
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Other: 3 hours, or more for marinating
Ingredients:
Meat:
1.5 lbs Arrachera cut steaks (skirt steak)
1 bottle Mexican Beer
1 orange, juiced
2 limes, juiced
2 tbsp soy sauce
5 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped
¼ white onion, sliced thinly
1 orange, cross- section cut
Sazonar seasoning
Black pepper
Sauce:
1 ½ cups cilantro
8 green onions, whites only
1 jalapeno
1 lime, juiced
¼ cup rice vinegar
1 tbsp fish sauce
½ tsp sugar, to taste
Other:
Corn Tortillas, prepared
Daikon radish, chopped to serve*
White onion, chopped to serve
Limes, sliced to serve
Cilantro, chopped to serve
Instructions:
To prepare the marinade, combine beer, juiced orange, juiced lime, soy sauce and garlic in a bowl. Dip each piece of meat in the marinade and layer in an airtight container: meat, white onion, orange slices, sazonar, black pepper. Pour remaining liquid over the meat, seal and marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours.
To prepare the sauce, combine all ingredients in a blender. Set aside.
To cook the meat, place your cast iron skillet in a cold oven. Turn up the heat to 500 degrees F. Turn your stovetop heat to medium- high, remove (HOT!) skillet from the oven and pour oil to coat your pan. Sear meat for one minute* on each side without moving the meat after it’s been placed on the hot surface. Place meat on a plate (or chopping board) under a tent made with foil to rest for 5- 10 minutes.
Slice against the grain in chunks, and serve immediately with warmed tortillas, sides and sauce.
NOTES:
*I find Daikon Radish milder in comparison to the small, red round radishes. Feel free to swap them out to give it a holiday “red-and-green” feel!
*Searing for one minute gives you a melt-in- your mouth texture that is slightly pink on the inside.
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