Grilled Skirt Steak Tacos With Roasted Poblano Rajas

Ingredients

• 2 medium white onions, sliced into
• 1/2-inch rounds (keep the rounds intact for easy grilling) (divided use)
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled, roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin, preferably freshly ground
• Salt
• 1 pound beef skirt steak, trimmed of surface fat and thin white membrane (silverskin)
• 3 medium (about 9 ounces total) fresh poblano chiles
• Vegetable or olive oil for brushing or spritzing the onions and meat
• A small bowl of lime wedges for serving
• 12 warm, fresh, corn tortillas

Directions

Marinating the meat: In a food processor or blender, combine one-quarter of the onions, the garlic, lime juice, cumin and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Process to a smooth puree. Place skirt steak in a nonaluminum baking dish. Using a spoon, smear the marinade over both sides of the skirt steak. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours.

Making the grilled chile-and-onion rajas: Turn on the oven to its lowest setting. Heat a gas grill to medium-high or light a charcoal fire and let it burn just until the coals are covered with gray ash and very hot. Either turn the burner(s) in the center of the grill to medium-low or bank the coals to the sides for indirect cooking. Set the cooking grate in place, cover the grill and let the grate heat up, 5 minutes or so.

Lay chiles on the hottest part of the grill, and cook, turning occasionally, until skin is blistered and uniformly blackened all over, about 5 minutes. Be careful not to char the flesh, only the skin. Remove the chiles from the grill and cover with a kitchen towel.

While the chiles are roasting, brush or spray the remaining onion slices with oil and lay the whole rounds of onions on the grill in a cooler spot than you chose for the chiles. When they're starting to soften and are browned on the first side, about 10 minutes, use a spatula to flip them and brown the other side. Transfer to an ovenproof serving dish and separate the rings.

Rub blackened skin off chiles, then pull out the stems and seed pods. Rinse briefly to remove any stray seeds and bits of skin. Slice into 1/4-inch strips and stir into the onions. Taste the mixture and season it with salt, about 1/4 teaspoon. Keep warn in the oven.

Grilling the meat: Remove steak from marinade and gently shake off excess. Oil steak well on both sides and lay it over the hottest part of grill. Grill, turning once, until richly browned and done to your liking, about 11/2 to 2 minutes per side for medium-rare.

Serving the tacos: Cut the long piece of skirt steak into 3-to 4-inch lengths, then cut each section across the grain (that is, in line with the full length of the steak) into thin strips. Mix with the chiles and onions, season with a little salt and set on the table along with the lime wedges and hot tortillas for your guests to make into soft tacos.

Submitted 6/13/05.
Source: From "Mexico One Plate at a Time" by Rick Bayless
Submitted By: Marlen
matchlessm@aol.com
Grilled Skirt Steak Tacos With Roasted Poblano Rajas