Skirt Steak Tacos
Skirt Steak Tacos are the BEST dinner to make! Made with marinated skirt steak for tacos and served with your favorite taco toppings, these Skirt Steak Tacos are great for a weeknight meal or feeding a crowd.
Love easy dinner recipes? You’ve got to try Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice and Cajun Chicken Alfredo.
We’re raising tiny Texans in our house, and it shows in their taste for food.
Tacos are a thing we all love here, with other traditional TexMex dishes and Mexican food, too.
We make a lot of tacos for dinner because everyone can get behind a taco in this house. Also, Taco Tuesday is a thing we all adore.
And these Skirt Steak Tacos have been a family favorite in recent months, ever since I started perfecting my skirt steak marinade recipe.
Why I love this recipe:
These Skirt Steak Tacos make a wonderful meal for any occasion.
We’ve served them to friends for a casual gathering at our home. We’ve also served them as an easy dinner for our family.
While this isn’t something you can throw together 30 minutes before serving it, let me assure you that it’s easy. It’s also hands-off once you get the skirt steak in the marinade.
It features my Grilled Skirt Steak recipe. (You could also grill another steak and follow the guide I wrote in this How to Grill Steak tutorial.)
The meat, which marinates before you cook it on a sizzling hot grill, is juicy and flavorful. This citrusy marinade works magic, giving the steak flavor while also tenderizing the thin, tough cut of meat.
It’s a win-win situation.
While I can’t tell you these tacos are authentic, nor are they technically “street tacos”, I can say that they make a delicious meal for anyone who eats them.
Who doesn’t love a taco, right?
Other steak dinner recipes to try: How to Broil Steak | French Onion Steak Pasta | Baked Steak | Easy Steak Salad with Orange Vinaigrette | Grilled Steak Flatbread Pizza Recipe
Need dinner ideas? Check out my Dinner Recipe Index for inspiration.
What you need to make this recipe:
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- 9”x13” baking dish or a gallon-sized plastic bag
- Plastic wrap
- Liquid measuring cup
- Citrus juicer or reamer
- Tongs
- Grill or a grill pan
- Instant read meat thermometer
- Cutting board and sharp knife
Let’s talk ingredients!
In addition to the tools above, you’re going to need some ingredients to make this recipe, too! Chances are, you might already have some of them in your fridge or pantry. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full measurements and instructions.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Skirt steak — while you could technically use this recipe for another type of steak, we’re using skirt steak and this post is written specifically about skirt steak. There will be differences in the cook time and methods listed here if you use a different type of steak.
- Skirt steak marinade ingredients — to make the marinade for this meat, you’ll need a combination of extra virgin olive oil, soy sauce (or tamari, if you’re gluten free), lime juice, hot sauce, brown sugar and garlic.
- Tortillas — use your favorite tortillas! My family prefers a flour tortilla from the tortelleria in our local grocery store, but you could easily use corn tortillas if you prefer those.
Toppings for skirt steak tacos:
The world is your oyster when it comes to adding toppings to these tacos. It truly just depends on what you like to pair with them!
- Charred Corn Salsa
- Avocado Cream Sauce
- Tomato Salsa
- Homemade Catalina Dressing
- Cotija cheese
- Avocado slices
- Tomatoes
- Cilantro
- Lime wedges
How to make Skirt Steak Tacos
You’re going to use my Grilled Skirt Steak recipe as the base for these tacos, as well as the skirt steak marinade. If you haven’t yet, pop over to that post to learn how to marinate skirt steak and how to grill skirt steak.
Once the steak is cooked, let it rest on a plate covered with foil. It needs to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
After the steak has rested to allow the juices to redistribute, place it on a cutting board and slice thin against the grain.
Pro tip!
Look for the striations in the meat. That’s the fiber of the muscle. You want to cut perpendicular to it (which is called “on the grain”) in thin slices to prevent the meat from being chewy or hard to eat.
Warm the tortillas. One of my favorite things to make store-bought tortillas feel homemade is to warm them over an open flame. (Alternately, you can do this in a skillet if you have an electric stovetop.)
Put together the tacos. Our family loves to layer corn salsa, radishes, cotija cheese, sliced tomatoes, regular salsa and more onto these tacos.
Serve on warmed tortillas with your favorite toppings!
Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips
Tacos are great for easy entertaining because they are simple to put together from the standpoint of a host, as well as a guest.
One of the beautiful things about entertaining with grilled steak is that you can make several at the same time without needing to do a ton more work.
Here’s what you can do to use this Grilled Skirt Steak Taco recipe for hosting:
- Marinate the steaks when you’ve got the time. The beauty in the marinade is that the steak can soak for 2 hours or go as long as 12 hours.
- Double or triple the recipe. If you’re feeding guests, you’ll probably need more steak. Double or triple the marinade recipe to add more steak to the grill. You can do them all in one large zip-top bag together.
- Put together your toppings in advance. Choose something that you can make early or that is hands-off.
- Make it into a taco bar! Once the meat has been cooked and sliced, place it on a plate and surround that plate with all the taco toppings your guests might want. Wrap the tortillas in a kitchen towel to keep ‘em warm. Let guests make their tacos to their liking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cut against the grain whenever slicing skirt steak, and also, slice it thin. If you cut with the grain, it will result in a chewy, tough-to-eat piece of meat.
We love skirt steak and flank steak for tacos because they cook up quickly and are totally delicious in a marinade like this one.
The marinade helps tenderize the meat, as well as give it flavor.
Yes. Traditionally, skirt steak is used in fajitas. Though I would not call these tacos fajitas.
Skirt steak is best done at medium rare (135°F) or medium (145°F), in my opinion, because it becomes tough.
Remember that the steak will reach this temperature while resting, so remove it from the grill 5-10°F before the desired temperature.
Quick Tips and Tricks for the best Skirt Steak Tacos
- Double or triple the recipe for a party or a backyard barbecue! Throw all the steaks together in the skirt steak marinade. Cook them at the same time, too, if your grill is large enough—or do them in batches. Just be sure to take each steak’s temperature before removing. Also be sure to have enough toppings for guests!
- Have fun with the toppings! We love adding whatever we’ve got in our fridge to these tacos. Past additions have included avocado slices, fresh tomatoes, sour cream, store-bought refried beans or charro beans and more.
- Use a meat thermometer. That way, your skirt steak will be perfect every time!
- How to store leftover steak: Store leftover steak in a food-safe container in the refrigerator.
More taco recipes:
- Ground Beef Tacos
- Tilapia Fish Tacos
- Blackened Shrimp Tacos with Crunchy Slaw
- Tacos al Pastor
- Carne Asada Tacos
- Soy Seared Cod Tacos with Spicy Slaw
Skirt Steak Tacos
Ingredients
Skirt Steak + Marinade
- 1 ½ lbs. skirt steak
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice freshly squeezed
- 1 ½ teaspoons hot sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- Kosher salt and black pepper
Taco Toppings
- Charred Corn Salsa
- Avocado Cream Sauce
- Cotija cheese
- Avocado slices or guacamole
- Sliced tomatoes or pico de gallo
- Lime wedge
- Salsa
- Cilantro
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Instructions
Marinate the skirt steak
- In a medium bowl, combine the olive oil, soy sauce, lime juice, hot sauce, brown sugar and minced garlic. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir until combined.
- Place the skirt steak in a gallon-sized zip-top bag. Pour the marinade on top of the steak.
- Seal the bag, and use your hands to massage the marinade into the steak.
- Refrigerate for 2-12 hours to marinate. (The longer the steak marinates, the stronger you will taste the marinade in the meat. However, the marinade should not overtake the meaty, beefy flavor of the steak.)
Grill the steak
- Remove the steak from the fridge 30-45 minutes before you grill it. Remove it from the marinade and pat it try with a paper towel. Place on a plate. We do this because a cold steak will not cook as evenly, and a wet steak will not get a good sear on it.
- Fire up the grill. Do this 30-45 minutes before you cook. The grill needs to be screaming hot for the steak. If you have not, clean the grates with a grill brush.
- When the grill has been consistently running between 500-525°F, place the steak on the grill. Close the lid.
- Cook for 4 minutes, then open the lid and flip the steak. It should have good grill marks on the bottom side.
- Grill for another 2-3 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the steak reaches 130°F, which will rise to medium rare doneness after the steak rests. (Skirt steak will become tougher if it is cooked much past medium. Please keep an eye on it since it cooks quickly.)
- When the steak is done, remove from the grill. Place on a plate and cover with foil. Let the steak rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
- After the steak has rested to allow the juices to redistribute, place it on a cutting board and slice against the grain in thin slices.
Make the Tacos
- Warm tortillas over an open flame on a gas range or heat them in a skillet until puffed up and slightly charred around the edges.
- Place your toppings in bowls.
- Make individual tacos with your favorite toppings, and enjoy!
Notes
How to store leftover steak: Store leftover steak in a food-safe container in the refrigerator. How to serve leftover steak: Let leftover sliced steak come to room temperature before eating it. Heating it in the microwave will make it tough. Have a leftover (whole) steak? Store it whole, and sear it in a skillet the next day with a little butter or oil.
Nutrition
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
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