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Home » Recipes » Main Dish

Last Updated: Jan 19, 2024 by Angela Latimer · Leave a Comment

Arrachera (Mexican Steak for Tacos)

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Pin image with text of Arrachera steak tacos.

Arrachera (Mexican steak for tacos) is marinated with lime juice and sazon seasoning for the most tender and flavorful Mexican steak tacos! Perfect for Cinco de Mayo or your weekly Taco Tuesdays, this mouthwatering grilled skirt steak can feed a crowd. Just pair it with tortillas and your favorite taco toppings!

It's a great Mexican recipe for Cinco de Mayo parties and a favorite for year-round taco recipes!

Square image of sliced Arrachera steak on a cutting board.
My grilled arrachera (a marinated skirt steak) makes for some of the best steak tacos ever!
Jump to:
  • 🥘 Ingredients
  • 🔪 How To Make Arrachera
  • 💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
  • 🥡 Storing & Reheating
  • 📖 Recipe Card
  • 💬 Comments & Reviews

I love ground beef tacos as much as the next person, but if it came down to ground beef or steak, I'd pick steak tacos every time! Especially when it's this tender, perfectly charred Mexican marinated skirt steak hot off the grill!

Marinated in lime juice and my homemade sazon seasoning, then grilled quickly over high heat, the beef is full of South-of-the-border flavor and has a savory, charred crust with a tender, juicy inside.

🥘 Ingredients

Tall image of ingredients needed for Mexican aracherra steak.
  • Skirt Steak - 2 pounds of skirt steak (cut in half as needed to fit your grill).
  • Lime Juice - 2 tablespoons of lime juice adds flavor and helps to tenderize the steak.
  • Olive Oil - 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) or your preferred cooking oil with a high smoke point.
  • Sazon Seasoning - 3 tablespoons of sazon seasoning (see recipe or notes, or use your preferred brand).
  • Fresh Cilantro (optional) - ½  cup of fresh chopped cilantro (to taste).
  • Adobo Sauce (optional) - ½ tablespoon of adobo sauce for a little heat.
  • Onion (optional) - 1 diced or chopped small white onion (omit onion powder in sazon seasoning if adding, or use yellow onion).

*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*

🔪 How To Make Arrachera

Because the skirt steak is pounded thin, it cooks quickly once it hits the grill! You'll need a knife and cutting board, a meat tenderizer or mallet, measuring utensils, your grill, and grilling utensils.

Two pounds of grilled skirt steak makes about 8 servings. Slice it thinly and serve it with corn or flour tortillas and plenty of taco toppings, and it will go even further!

Process image 1 showing tenderizing the skirt steak.
Process image 2 showing the the skirt steak place in zip lock bag with marinade ingredients.
Process image 3 showing the zip lock bag with marinade and steak.
Process image 4 showing the marinated steak out ready to grill.
Process image 5 showing grilling the first side.
Process image 6 showing grilling the second side.

Tenderize The Meat

Step 1: Cover with cling film. Place 2 pounds of skirt steak on a cutting board or solid surface and cover it with plastic cling film.

Step 2: Tenderize. Tenderize and flatten the meat with a meat mallet, working from the center toward the edges until the beef is even in thickness.

Marinate

Step 3: Make the marinade. Transfer the steak to a large zip-top storage bag or shallow dish with 2 tablespoons of lime juice, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 3 tablespoons of sazon seasoning, and the optional ½ cup of fresh cilantro, ½ tablespoon of adobo sauce, and 1 small white onion if using.

Step 4: Marinate. Squeeze the air out, seal the bag, and then massage seasoning into the meat. Let marinate for at least 10 minutes, preferably 30 minutes (up to 8 hours).

Grill

Step 5: Preheat. Clean and preheat your grill to high heat.

Step 6: Pat dry. Remove the steak from the marinade and discard the excess. Use paper towels to pat any excess moisture off seasoned beef.

Step 7: Grill the first side. Add the seasoned steaks to the grill and grill at high heat for 5-6 minutes or until nicely charred.

Step 8: Flip. Flip and grill the opposite side for 5-6 minutes.

Rest and Serve

Step 9: Rest. Transfer the grilled skirt steaks to a cutting board and loosely tent foil over the top. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing against the grain to serve.

Wide image of sliced Arrachera steak on a cutting board.

💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes

  • I recommend leaving the steak in the marinade for 8 hours or overnight for the most flavor. Any longer, the texture of the meat may start to become mushy.
  • It's essential to slice the meat against the grain. Find the lines of muscle fibers running along the meat and cut across them at a 90-degree angle.
  • Taco seasoning can also be used, but I think this easy sazon seasoning blends beautifully with the flame-kissed flavor from the grill!
  • To make the sazon seasoning batch for this recipe, combine ½ tablespoon of ground coriander, ground cumin, ground annatto seeds (or turmeric, or a turmeric/paprika combo), and garlic powder with 1 teaspoon of dried oregano and ½ teaspoon each onion powder, salt, and ground black pepper.
  • To pan-sear the steak, cook over high heat for 2-3 minutes per side, working in batches if necessary. I suggest a cast-iron skillet or grill pan for pan searing.

>>>>See all of my recipes here<<<<

🥡 Storing & Reheating

Once cooled, put the leftovers in a zip-top plastic storage bag or airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Slice leftover skirt steak and transfer it to a heavy-duty Ziploc freezer bag. Squeeze out the air and seal it firmly, then freeze for up to 3 months.

Reheating

Let frozen steak thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat in the oven at 250°F (120°C/ Gas Mark ½) for 20-30 minutes or until heated.

Tall image of Arrachera steak tacos.

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📖 Recipe Card

Wide image of sliced Arrachera steak on a cutting board.
Print Recipe Leave A Comment
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5 from 3 reviews

Arrachera (Mexican Steak for Tacos)

Arrachera (Mexican steak for tacos) is marinated with lime juice and zesty sazon seasoning for the most tender and flavorful Mexican steak tacos! Perfect for Cinco de Mayo or your weekly Taco Tuesdays, this mouthwatering grilled skirt steak can feed a crowd. Just pair it with tortillas and your favorite taco toppings!
Author | Angela Latimer
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 212kcal
Prep 5 minutes minutes
Cooking 10 minutes minutes
Marinate 10 minutes minutes
Total Time 15 minutes minutes
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Ingredients
 

  • 2 lbs skirt steak (cut in half as needed to fit your grill)
  • 2 tablespoon lime juice
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil (extra virgin)
  • 3 tablespoon sazon seasoning (see recipe or notes, or use your preferred brand)
  • ½ cup fresh cilantro (optional, to taste)
  • ½ tablespoon adobo sauce (optional)
  • 1 small white onion (optional, omit onion powder in sazon seasoning, or use yellow onion)

(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)

Help Us Out!If you love a recipe, be sure to come back and share your ratings. This helps future users, and allows me to continue sharing free recipes! Angela

Instructions
 

Tenderize The Meat

  • Place 2 lbs skirt steak on a cutting board or solid surface and cover it with plastic cling film.
  • Tenderize and flatten the meat with a meat mallet, working from the center toward the edges until the beef is even in thickness.

Marinate

  • Transfer the steak to a large zip-top storage bag or shallow dish with 2 tablespoon lime juice, 2 tablespoon olive oil, 3 tablespoon sazon seasoning, and the optional ½ cup fresh cilantro, ½ tablespoon adobo sauce, and 1 small white onion if using.
  • Squeeze the air out and seal the bag, then massage seasoning into the meat. Let marinate for at least 10 minutes, but preferably 30 minutes (up to 8 hours).

Grill

  • Clean and preheat your grill to high heat.
  • Remove the steak from the marinade and discard the excess. Use paper towels to pat any excess moisture off seasoned beef.
  • Add the seasoned steaks to the grill and grill at high heat for 5-6 minutes or until nicely charred.
  • Flip and grill the opposite side for 5-6 minutes.

Rest and Serve

  • Transfer the grilled skirt steaks to a cutting board and loosely tent foil over the top. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing against the grain to serve.

Notes

1Tips:
  • I recommend leaving the steak in the marinade for 8 hours or overnight for the most flavor. Any longer, the texture of the meat may start to become mushy.
  • It's essential to slice the meat against the grain. Find the lines of muscle fibers running along the meat and cut across them at a 90-degree angle.
  • Taco seasoning can also be used, but I think this easy sazon seasoning blends beautifully with the flame-kissed flavor from the grill!
  • To make the sazon seasoning batch for this recipe, combine ½ tablespoon of ground coriander, ground cumin, ground annatto seeds (or turmeric, or a turmeric/paprika combo), and garlic powder with 1 teaspoon of dried oregano and ½ teaspoon each onion powder, salt, and ground black pepper.
  • To pan-sear the steak, cook over high heat for 2-3 minutes per side, working in batches if necessary. I suggest a cast-iron skillet or grill pan for pan searing.
Storing:
  • Once cooled, put the leftovers in a zip-top plastic storage bag or airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
  • Slice leftover skirt steak and transfer it to a heavy-duty Ziploc freezer bag. Squeeze out the air and seal it firmly, then freeze for up to 3 months.
  • Let frozen steak thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat in the oven at 250°F (120°C/ Gas Mark ½) for 20-30 minutes or until heated through.

Nutrition

Calories: 212kcal (11%) | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 25g (50%) | Fat: 12g (18%) | Saturated Fat: 4g (25%) | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 71mg (24%) | Sodium: 538mg (23%) | Potassium: 350mg (10%) | Fiber: 0.2g (1%) | Sugar: 0.5g (1%) | Vitamin A: 14IU | Vitamin C: 2mg (2%) | Calcium: 11mg (1%) | Iron: 2mg (11%)
Did you try this recipe? Rate it below!I can’t wait to see your results! Mention @bake_it_with_love or tag #bake_it_with_love!
Course Beef Dishes, Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
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Hi there, I'm Angela

I am an avid vintage cookbook collector, cook, baker, and total foodie. I love sharing new, fun, creative recipes and great classic recipes, just like my Grandma used to make! Every recipe on BIWL is tested to ensure that cooks of any experience level can succeed.

Welcome to Bake It With Love. Enjoy!

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