Grilled Steak Street Tacos

These tasty Grilled Steak Street Tacos are perfect for Taco Tuesday, or any other night of the week. This easy recipe combines tender steak with simple ingredients and wraps them in corn or flour tortillas.

Steak Street Tacos are easy to make and fun to serve. Taco Tuesdays, game days, any day! The tender carne asada comes together with just a few ingredients, and you can add any toppings you like. Serve with chips and guacamole, queso fresco and some lime wedges for garnish. These small size tacos are always a crowd pleaser!

Ingredients in Street Tacos

• Meat: Typically, steak street tacos are made with flank steak or skirt steak. You can also use top sirloin. In addition to tender grilled steak, you could switch out the meat to just about anything! boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, pulled pork, leftover roast beef, tilapia, even ground beef!
  
• Cheese: In this street taco recipe we call for Cotija cheese, which is basically a Mexican Feta cheese. If you can’t find Cotija, you can use feta, shredded cheddar or whatever you have on hand.
  
• Toppings: The possibilities are endless when it comes to toppings. See the list below for a list of our favorites!
  
• Sauce: What I love most about street tacos is their simplicity. More often than not, they are made with only a few simple ingredients and maybe a simple sauce. Most of the street tacos don’t have a sauce or salsa on them. For this recipe, there is so much flavor, extra toppings or sauces just aren’t needed. Of course you can add them if you really want to (just please don’t put ketchup on them… talking to you, Dad).

Steps to Perfect Steak Street Tacos

1. Remove the steak from the fridge and bring to room temperature.
2. Stir together the salt and other seasonings in a bowl. Then, rub the steak on both sides with the spice mixture.
3. Grill over medium high heat on a grill pan, skillet or an outdoor grill, only flipping once. For steak cooked medium, cook until internal temperature reaches 155 degrees. Remove from the grill and let sit 5 minutes for internal temperature to reach 160 degrees.
4. Slice the steak into small bite sized pieces and place on tortilla shells. Top with desired toppings.
5. Enjoy your new favorite taco recipe!

Street Taco Toppings

There can be thousands of combinations of toppings for street tacos. Especially if you start getting into “fusion” tacos. Here are some toppings we recommend for more “traditional-style” tacos:

• shredded lettuce or cabbage
• fresh lime juice
• chopped onion
• shredded or crumbled cheese
• pico de gallo
• diced tomatoes
• fresh cilantro
• grilled corn or the corn from our Mexican “street corn” cups
• sautéed peppers
• sliced jalapeno pepper
• sour cream
• hot sauce
• diced avocados
• thinly sliced red onion
• guacamole
• lime juice

The Tortillas

The toughest thing to find at the store for street tacos is the tortillas. I have seen Mission brand street taco-size flour tortilla shells at my grocery store. They are so cute and tiny! If you aren’t able to find actual street-taco tortillas, that is totally okay. Just get the smallest tortilla shells you can find. If you are really wanting to get the SMALL size but can’t find them at your grocery store you can get large tortillas and cut them into smaller tortillas using a large cookie cutter.

Technically there is no actual size requirement when it comes to street tacos, you just have to be able to eat them easily with one hand. Now for the TYPE of tortillas…corn or flour? It’s up to you. Personally, I prefer corn tortillas to flour, but either kind works. Give these little guys a try. You will not be disappointed!

Make Your Own Flour Tortillas

Flour tortillas are the starting point of so many popular Mexican-inspired meals – enchiladas, burritos, tacos, quesadillas and more. Up your taco night game by swapping your regular store-bought flour tortillas for these delicious homemade ones. Sure it takes a little more time, but the resulting taste is well worth it!

When you’re making tortillas, remember to only make what you plan to use. This is not the kind of recipe that you can make it bulk and use for weeks. Most of the time, tortillas tend to get a little stale after a few days.

While the most authentic Mexican tortillas are often made with lard, this recipe uses shortening, which can sometimes be easier to find. However, if you are averse to the idea of using shortening or lard, you can swap butter for shortening in most recipes. One reader suggested trying coconut oil if you’re looking for a healthier alternative. If you try any of these substitutions, let us know in the comments how your tortillas turned out.

Make Your Own Taco Seasoning

We love to make our own taco seasoning. Not only is making your own mix less expensive than buying the pre-made mixes at the grocery store, it tastes better too. Plus, since you are the one making it, you know exactly what the ingredients are. Our recipe for homemade taco seasoning is super simple, and you probably already have most of the ingredients in your pantry already. You’ll need dried minced onion (or onion powder), salt, paprika, cumin, oregano, black pepper, and crushed red pepper (sometimes I throw in some garlic and cayenne pepper for a little more spice). Our recipe makes ½ cup of seasoning, and you only need 1-2 tablespoon per pound of meat. It will last up to a year on the shelf if stored in an airtight container.

How to Make Carne Asada Street Tacos

If you want to take this recipe up a notch, try using our Grilled Carne Asada for street tacos. One of the secrets to this delicious carne asada recipe, is the marinade. Made with jalapeños, garlic, cilantro, soy sauce, vinegar and more, there is so much flavor in this marinade! The process of soaking meat enhances the flavor of the meat. Generally marinades use an acid — like vinegar or citrus juice — to change the surface texture. You can marinade all kinds of meats, but in the case of this Mexican dish, having the marinade on beef turns it from a regular meat into a over-the-top flavorful meal. Letting the beef marinate means planning ahead a little for your meal, but I promise it is worth it!

Frequently Asked Questions about Steak Street Tacos

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