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Tacos, a magical name for a symbolic dish of Mexican cuisine: soft tortillas are filled with meat or fish, tomato, onion, cheese, and various toppings, including jalapeños and chipotle sauce. There are infinite types, with variations that depend on the region in Mexico.
Mexican tacos or Tex Mex?
Often meat-filled tacos, especially in Tex Mex cuisine, are made (trivialized) with ground beef seasoned with cheese and spices. Still, the recipe for authentic Mexican tacos requires them to be stuffed with freshly grilled juicy strips of meat, the famous fajitas. The difference is enormous, and when you bite into these tacos, you will immediately feel the difference between any ground and a nice touch of meat.
Today we will prepare tacos with beef and pico de gallo sauce, one of the critical recipes of Mexican cuisine, which combines the freshness of raw vegetables (tomatoes and red onions) with the juiciness of grilled beef.
What meat is best for tacos?
As meat, we will use the short ribs, the Asado de Tira, cut lengthwise, perpendicular to the bone. To obtain elongated steaks, ask your trusted butcher, and you will see that you will love them. You can also use other cuts of meat, but choose a tender piece of meat marbled with fat, to marinate and grill to perfection.
Ingredients for beef tacos with pico de gallo sauce
- 600 grams or 3 pieces of short ribs (asado de tira)
- half a bottle of beer, such as Porter, Doppelbock, or Stout
- 30 grams of extra virgin olive oil
- 40 grams of chipotle sauce or puree
- 45 grams of fresh coriander leaves
- 245 grams of sour cream
- 1 tablespoon of chipotle puree
- 4 tortillas
- 80 grams of grated cheese such as Emmental or Gouda
- 3 limes
For making the pico de gallo
- 3 tomatoes cut and seeded
- 1 chopped red onion
- 15 grams of jalapeños
- 1 clove of garlic
- the juice of 2 limes
- 30 grams of fresh coriander
- 10 grams of salt and pepper
How to prepare beef tacos with pico de gallo
Many of you may be wondering what pico de gallo is. The answer is simple: it is a Mexican “sauce,” but by sauce, in Mexican, we mean a fresh salad of chopped and mixed vegetables. And in fact, the pico is the classic salad of tomatoes, onions, chilies, fresh coriander, lime, salt, and pepper, to which you can also add other various ingredients, but we need the base.
Well, wash and clean all the vegetables and chop them, chop them, season them and the pico de gallo is ready.
You can use both the barbecue and the electric grill for cooking the meat, but first, the meat must be marinated to become delicious, soft, and succulent.
Mix the beer, oil, chipotle puree, and coriander leaves in a small bowl. Immerse the meat, cover, and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. If you use food plastic bags, even better, but if you want an incredible result, you can use the vacuum packing machine, like the legendary FoodSaver, so that the marinade is in close contact and penetrates deeply into the meat.
Mix the sour cream and chipotle puree in another bowl, cover, and refrigerate.
Grilling short ribs for tacos
Remove the meat from the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature.
Turn on the barbecue and prepare for direct medium-high heat cooking.
Remove the meat from the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature.
Turn on the barbecue and prepare for direct medium-high heat cooking.
Drain the meat from the marinade. Any residual liquid would cause unpleasant flames.
Cook the meat for 2-3 minutes on each side.
For medium cooking, check with an instant thermometer. The meat must reach 57 degrees. The HENMI instant thermometer is an excellent investment if you don’t have it yet.
Remove the meat from the grill and let it rest for 3 minutes. I understand if you don’t want to go crazy with setting up the fire and cooking. You can also use a pan.
While the meat rests, heat the tortillas on aluminum foil for 15 seconds per side, and they are ready. Take the chipotle sour cream out of the refrigerator.
Slice the meat and start creating the taco layer by layer.
Personally, I love to put the meat on the bottom of the tortilla immediately, then the sour cream with chipotle, the pico de gallo, a sprinkling of coarsely grated cheese, and finally the lime juice. Enjoy your meal!
You can also present all the ingredients at the table for less formal occasions, and everyone can season and stuff their tacos as they see fit, even with pico de gallo.
Which wine goes well with beef tacos with pico de gallo?
Choose a warm, persuasive and spicy wine like the Lagrein from the Moser winery.
Let’s stay in Mexico with a good refreshing Margarita if you prefer a cocktail.
