Mar 2, 2007
Grilling Great Mexican Style Beef by tacosalad.com
You ever wonder what makes those fajitas so good or that carne asada one of the best plates of beef you ever had? Wouldn't it be great to prepare a tasty serving of grilled beef to rival that of Mexican chefs all over? Of course it would, but you have to know the secret. The secret is the marinade.
The marinade is the most important part of preparing your beef for a Mexican style grill. The marinade delivers flavor deep into you meat, giving each bite a uniquely Mexican taste with rich flavor. All marinades consist of the same two basic parts: The liquid and the flavor.
The liquid is responsible for soaking the meat and delivering the flavor deep into selected cut. The liquid used should have an acidic quality. Vinegar and citrus juices are common types of liquid mediums used in marinades. For our Mexican style grill we want to use a citrus juice such as lime or lemon juice. These liquids carry their unique flavor along with the flavor of the other ingredients deep into the meat and have an added bonus of being a tenderizer.
Once you've selected your liquid medium, it's time to select the flavoring ingredients. You want to choose items that have strong and unique flavor qualities such as onions, green or red peppers and garlic. The flavoring components are entirely up to you. All you do is chop them and place them into your liquid. Make sure to add some fresh chopped cilantro to give it that unique Mexican flare. With a little experimentation you can create a marinade that delivers a taste experience that is uniquely your own.
Now let's talk about heat. No, not the temperature which you will be cooking your meat at, but the HEAT. You can add heat to your dish by tossing some chopped chillis into the mix. For a medium heat you could use fresh Anaheim Chillis, but if you really want to spice up your dish you could use chopped Serrano Chillis or Habaneros. Prepare the chillis by removing the seeds and ribs. Finely chop them and add them to your marinade. You can increase the heat of your dish by tossing the seeds and ribs into the marinade as well. It is best to be conservative with the amount of chillis you use at first and work your way up to the desired heat in subsequent attempts.
Ok, so now you have the important part done. Let's get to the meat! Take a couple of pounds of flank steak and cover it with your marinade. You should let it marinate in the refrigerator for 2 - 3 hours before cooking. Once the steaks have marinated, fire up your grill and cook to your liking. For medium rare you could cook them for 12 - 15 minutes turning the meat one time during cooking. When the steaks are done, remove them from the grill and cut them into thin strips using a sharp knife to cut the meat across the grain. This exposes the grain of the meat making it even tenderer and releasing the soaked in flavors.
Mexican Food RecipesAt tacosalad.com, we enjoy Mexican Cooking as much as you do and strive to make this site a valuable resrouce for all Mexican Food lovers.
You ever wonder what makes those fajitas so good or that carne asada one of the best plates of beef you ever had? Wouldn't it be great to prepare a tasty serving of grilled beef to rival that of Mexican chefs all over? Of course it would, but you have to know the secret. The secret is the marinade.
The marinade is the most important part of preparing your beef for a Mexican style grill. The marinade delivers flavor deep into you meat, giving each bite a uniquely Mexican taste with rich flavor. All marinades consist of the same two basic parts: The liquid and the flavor.
The liquid is responsible for soaking the meat and delivering the flavor deep into selected cut. The liquid used should have an acidic quality. Vinegar and citrus juices are common types of liquid mediums used in marinades. For our Mexican style grill we want to use a citrus juice such as lime or lemon juice. These liquids carry their unique flavor along with the flavor of the other ingredients deep into the meat and have an added bonus of being a tenderizer.
Once you've selected your liquid medium, it's time to select the flavoring ingredients. You want to choose items that have strong and unique flavor qualities such as onions, green or red peppers and garlic. The flavoring components are entirely up to you. All you do is chop them and place them into your liquid. Make sure to add some fresh chopped cilantro to give it that unique Mexican flare. With a little experimentation you can create a marinade that delivers a taste experience that is uniquely your own.
Now let's talk about heat. No, not the temperature which you will be cooking your meat at, but the HEAT. You can add heat to your dish by tossing some chopped chillis into the mix. For a medium heat you could use fresh Anaheim Chillis, but if you really want to spice up your dish you could use chopped Serrano Chillis or Habaneros. Prepare the chillis by removing the seeds and ribs. Finely chop them and add them to your marinade. You can increase the heat of your dish by tossing the seeds and ribs into the marinade as well. It is best to be conservative with the amount of chillis you use at first and work your way up to the desired heat in subsequent attempts.
Ok, so now you have the important part done. Let's get to the meat! Take a couple of pounds of flank steak and cover it with your marinade. You should let it marinate in the refrigerator for 2 - 3 hours before cooking. Once the steaks have marinated, fire up your grill and cook to your liking. For medium rare you could cook them for 12 - 15 minutes turning the meat one time during cooking. When the steaks are done, remove them from the grill and cut them into thin strips using a sharp knife to cut the meat across the grain. This exposes the grain of the meat making it even tenderer and releasing the soaked in flavors.
Mexican Food RecipesAt tacosalad.com, we enjoy Mexican Cooking as much as you do and strive to make this site a valuable resrouce for all Mexican Food lovers.
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