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Tacos de arrachera

From WikiTacos, the taco encyclopedia · Taco type
Also known as: Arrachera, Skirt steak tacos, Fajita (Texas usage for the cut)

Tacos de arrachera are tacos of grilled or seared skirt steak, a flavorful abdominal cut of beef that is usually marinated, cooked fast over high heat and sliced across the grain. The cut, once treated as a cheap trimming, was popularized in Monterrey and northern Mexico and is now a staple of Mexican grills and taquerías.

Contents
  1. The cut
  2. History
  3. Preparation
  4. Recipe
  5. Where to try it
  6. Reviews
  7. See also
  8. References

The cut

Arrachera is beef from the diaphragm region of the abdomen, between the ribs and the flank. In English it corresponds to skirt steak; in Texas the same cut gave its name to fajitas, and in parts of South America it is called entraña. It has long, coarse fibers and a pronounced beefy flavor, which makes it chewy if overcooked but tender when cooked quickly and sliced thin against the grain. The cook-and-recipe site Paulina Cocina suggests the name derives from the Spanish verb arrancar, to tear out, a reference both to how the cut is pulled from the carcass and to its fibrous texture.

History

For a long time butchers regarded skirt steak as a low-value trimming. According to Paulina Cocina, the Monterrey businessman José Inés Cantú encountered the cut in Texas in the 1970s, imported it cheaply, served it at his restaurant in Monterrey and gave it the commercial name arrachera; other restaurants followed and the cut rose sharply in prestige. Monterrey and the state of Nuevo León, already known for grilled meats, became closely identified with it. This account of the name and its popularizer appears in popular sources and has not been confirmed by academic research.

Preparation

Arrachera is usually marinated for a few hours in a mixture that can include lime or orange juice, garlic, onion, cumin and chile, sometimes with beer or soy-based seasonings in commercial versions sold pre-marinated in Mexican supermarkets. It is then grilled over charcoal, cut into strips and served on corn or flour tortillas. Mexican Food Journal describes a simple home method in which the meat is cut into strips and seared in a heavy pan with only salt until its juices evaporate and it browns, served with charred spring onions, salsa verde and lime. Arrachera is also served as a plated steak, in arrachera encebollada with onions, and a la tampiqueña.

Recipe

Makes About 12 tacos · Time: 3 to 12 hours marinating; 15 minutes cooking

Ingredients

  • 900 g beef skirt steak
  • Juice of 2 limes and 1 orange
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 white onion, grated
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp chile powder or 1 minced jalapeño
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 8 spring onions
  • 12 corn or flour tortillas
  • Salsa verde, guacamole and limes

Steps

  1. Trim any tough membrane from the steak. Mix the citrus juices, garlic, onion, cumin, chile and oil and coat the meat. Refrigerate 3 to 12 hours.
  2. Heat a charcoal grill or heavy griddle until very hot.
  3. Remove the meat from the marinade, pat dry and season with salt.
  4. Grill the spring onions until charred and soft.
  5. Grill the steak 2 to 4 minutes per side for medium.
  6. Rest 5 minutes, then slice thinly across the grain and cut into bite-size pieces.
  7. Serve on warm tortillas with spring onions, salsa, guacamole and lime.

Where to try it

Reviews

Reviews and tips open at launch. Readers will be able to share where they found the best version of this and how they make it at home.

See also

References

  1. "Arrachera: What is it and why it is so popular in Mexico". Paulina Cocina. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  2. "Arrachera (Skirt Steak) Tacos". Mexican Food Journal. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
Categories: Beef tacos Grilled dishes Northern Mexican cuisine Nuevo León cuisine Taco types