If you’ve ever walked past a Mexican taco stand at night, you know the scent: a magnetic mix of sizzling beef, warm corn, and charred onions. Tacos de Bistec (literally “beef steak tacos”) are the quintessential street food of Mexico. Unlike their cousin carne asada, which is typically grilled over charcoal, bistec is traditionally seared on a flat-top griddle (plancha) or in a heavy skillet, making it the perfect authentic taco to master in your own kitchen.

What will you need?

• thinly sliced beef chuck
• salt
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• ancho chili powder
• smoked paprika
• beef tallow, or lard
• white onion
• corn tortillas
• salsa
• cilantro
• lime

How to make it

Add the garlic powder, onion powder, ancho chili powder, smoked paprika, and 1 teaspoon of the salt to a bowl and mix together. Season the chuck steaks with the spice mixture. Heat a large skillet over medium-high and add in 2 tbsp of beef tallow or lard. Once the oil starts to smoke, lay in the steak, and cook until beautifully browned. About 2-3 minutes per side. Remove it to a plate to rest for 10 minutes, then dice it up.

While the steak is resting, reduce the heat to medium in the same skillet you cooked the steak in, and add in 1 tbsp of lard. Once the lard is fully melted, add the onion. Season with the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and sauté until caramelized. About 10 minutes. Mix in the diced steak and taste to see if more salt is needed. Remove the steak and onions to a serving bowl.

To serve, dip your corn tortillas in the rendered fat from the skillet and start building your tacos. Load them with the steak and caramelized onions, and top with salsa, fresh onion and cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. cilantro.

Tacos De Bistec

4 from 25 votes

Recipe by Zachary Rodriguez Course: MainCuisine: MexicanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Calories

300

kcal

Ingredients

• 2 lbs thinly sliced beef chuck

• 2 tsp salt, divided

• 2 tsp garlic powder

• 2 tsp onion powder

• 2 tsp ancho chili powder

• 2 tsp smoked paprika

• 3 tbsp beef tallow or lard

• 1 white onion, diced

• 6-8 corn tortillas, warmed for serving

• Your favorite salsa

• White onion, diced for serving

• Fresh cilantro, chopped for serving

• Fresh lime, for serving

Directions

• Add the garlic powder, onion powder, ancho chili powder, smoked paprika, and 1 teaspoon of the salt to a bowl and mix together. Season the chuck steaks with the spice mixture. Heat a large skillet over medium-high and add in 2 tablespoons of the beef tallow or lard. Once the beef tallow starts to smoke, lay in the steak, and cook until beautifully browned. About 2-3 minutes per side. Remove it to a plate to rest for 10 minutes, then dice it up.
• While the steak is resting, reduce the heat to medium in the same skillet you cooked the steak in, and add in 1 tablespoon of beef tallow or lard. Once the lard is fully melted, add the onion. Season with the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and sauté until caramelized. About 10 minutes. Mix in the diced steak and taste to see if more salt is needed. Remove the steak and onions to a serving bowl.
• To serve, dip your corn tortillas in the rendered fat from the skillet and start building your tacos. Load them with the steak and caramelized onions, and top with salsa, fresh onion and cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. cilantro.