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Carne Asada Tacos and Chipotle Guacamole

Ingredients

For the guacamole:

  • 1/2 medium (1/2 cup) red onion, finely chopped

  • 1 large clove garlic, grated or pasted

  • 1 large jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped

  • 1 1/2 large, ripe lemons

  • Salt

  • 2 ripe Hass avocados

  • 2-3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

  • 2 tablespoons pureed chipotle in adobo or 2 teaspoons chipotle Tabasco

For the carne asada tacos:

  • 2 pounds of flank, flatiron or skirt steak

  • Kosher salt and coarse black pepper

  • Juice and zest of 2 limes

  • 1/2 cup lager beer

  • 3 tablespoons canola oil or olive oil

  • 2 large cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin (1/2 palmful)

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander (1/2 palmful)

  • 1 tablespoon pureed chipotle in adobo or 1 teaspoon chipotle Tabasco sauce

  • 12-16 corn tortillas

For the fixings:

  • Lime, cut in small wedges

  • Shredded iceberg lettuce

  • Shaved radishes

  • Shaved red onion dressed with salt, pepper and lime

  • Pickled sliced jalapeños

Directions

For the guacamole, place the onion, garlic, jalapeño, juice of 1 lemon and salt in a bowl and let the salt bleed the juices from onions and chili pepper for 10 minutes. Add the avocados and cilantro and mash. Add more lemon juice, to taste. Mix in the chipotle puree or Tabasco and set aside. Season the meat with salt and pepper, and combine the marinade: lime juice and zest, beer, oil, garlic, cumin, coriander and pureed chipotle or Tabasco. Coat the beef in marinade and let stand for 1 hour or several hours, refrigerated. Pre-heat the grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Grill the flank steak for 12-15 minutes, turning once; flatiron steak 10-12 minutes, turning once; shirt steak pieces for 7-8 minutes, turning once. Rest the steak, then thinly slice against the grain. Char the tortillas on each side in a hot, dry skillet, over a flame or on a grill or griddle for about 30 seconds per side. Serve the tacos with guacamole and other fixings of choice.