Grilled Steak and Onion Tacos

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This big flavored Grilled Steak and Onion Tacos recipe is the perfect blend of classic flavors of Texas fusing with traditional flavors of Mexico. In fact, I am surprised that the combination of Mexican spices and seasoning with grilled Steak and Onions isn’t one of the Tex-Mex staples up there with Nachos and Burritos! The flavor you can get out of this dish is huge and as with all things Tacos – the toppings can be totally customizable to your favorite flavor profiles

The key to the best Steak Tacos is a good, long marinade

Usually, we recommend a good 24 hour marinade for meats to absorb as much flavor as possible. For this recipe, however, we recommend doubling that. A whopping 2 day marinade will yield the best result! Specifically, this will achieve the most tender Steak, which is important when it comes to Tacos

When biting into a Taco, the last thing you want is for that Steak to resist. You want a super-tender piece of Steak that will easily break away with a bite, allowing for full enjoyment of the Tacos. NY Strip is a relatively tender meat, but it isn’t as tender as a braising Beef cut like Chuck or Short Ribs

Giving the Steak a 2 day marinade will allow the connective tissue in the Steak to break down, ensuring the most tender bite imaginable when eating the Grilled Steak and Onion Tacos. Furthermore, you’re allowing an extra day for the delicious marinade to soak into the Beef, resulting in even more flavor!

A simple yet classic marinade brings all the flavor to these Steak Tacos

The secret to the big flavors in this dish lies in the marinade. Perhaps one of our favorite ingredients in Mexican food are Chipotles in Adobo Sauce. This wonderful ingredient brings a spicy sweet flavor to any meal, and instantly transports you to Mexico

Along with a generous spoonful of Chipotle Sauce we also add Smoked Paprika, Cumin Powder, Onion Powder, Garlic, Powder, Salt, and the Juice from a few Limes. This flavor combination creates a truly authentic and brilliant flavor that just sings in the Steak

If you don’t have Limes you can replace them with Lemons. We’ve had to do that on a few occasions when Lime costs are astronomical. Lemons are a more than suitable replacement. You will also need to reserve some Lemon / Lime Juice to squeeze over the finished Taco right before serving

The pairing of Grilled Steak and Onions is a classic in western cuisine, so it makes sense to put it in a Taco!

Let’s face it, you can pretty much put any classic combination of food into a Taco and it’s going to taste good. We stumbled across this recipe during a typical weeknight meal. Steak and Onions is a staple in the household, but it can get a bit boring after a while

We had some leftover Tortillas from an earlier meal, so wanted to see how this classic western dish would work in a Taco. Well, turns out it was a revelation! The Steak is prepared in a relatively classic Mexican method, using very typical Mexican ingredients. However, instead of using Skirt or Flank Steak, this recipe uses NY Strip!

NY Strip is not typically considered a go-to for Mexican food, but it works out so well. The thicker cut NY Strip allows you to load so much Steak into the Taco, and the 2 day marinade ensures optimal tenderness!

For the Onions, well… who doesn’t like Caramelized Onions? When cooked over the stovetop with a little bit of Butter and Salt they turn silky-smooth and sweet. You could consider the sweetness of the Caramelized Onions an optimal replacement for Pineapple, or Mango, or any kind of sweet fruit you’d more typically associate with a Taco ingredient. The combination of flavors and texture of the Steak and Onions makes for a delicious bite of Taco goodness!

For the ultimate flavored Grilled Steak with Onion Tacos, keep the Fat on the Steak

NY Strip is an amazing cut of Beef. The meaty flavor of the Beef is one of the best tasting, yet it is still beautiful and tender. The best part, however, is that beautiful strip of Fat that runs down the strip of the Steak. This is absolutely loaded with flavor, and when properly cooked and rendered will add so much richness to the dish

You can trim any excess fat away from the Steak, but we highly recommend keeping a decent amount of that strip of Fat. When its time to cook, prop the steak up so that strip of fat is directly facing the pan for a few minutes. This will render the Fat into the pan, which has an added benefit of allowing you to infuse even more flavor into the Steak

Corn or Flour Tortillas and whatever toppings you like!

Tacos are so versatile that you can enjoy them with a wide variety of toppings. For our recipe we’re using a very classic combination of Pico de Gallo (a simple Salsa of Tomatoes, Onions, Lemon Juice, Salt, and Cilantro), and slices of Avocado. We also added a little bit of Sour Cream to the base of the Taco too. It doesn’t photo well, so it was added after the shots were taken!

But really, whatever toppings you want to add will work. You can double down on the sweetness by adding Mangoes or pieces of Pineapple. Or for some spice why not slice up some Jalapenos (be sure to add the seeds for even more heat!) Whatever you choose to add, it’ll taste great, guaranteed!

You can use Corn Tortillas or Flour Tortillas as well. For us it comes down to personal preference. We prefer the taste and consistency of Flour Tortillas, but Corn are more than welcome, and much more of a traditional Tortilla for Mexican Tacos

I like to give the Tortillas a quick scorch over the open flame on the stovetop before serving. This gives them a beautiful, charred color and flavor which tastes so good!

Grilled Steak and Onion Tacos Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 NY Strip Steaks (10 – 12 oz. each)
• 2 Yellow / Spanish Onions, peeled and sliced
• 1 tbsp. Unsalted Butter
• ½ tsp. Salt
• 1 tbsp. Vegetable Oil
  
  

Steak Marinade Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. Chipotle in Adobo Sauce
• ½ tsp. Cumin
• ½ tsp. Smoked Paprika
• ½ tsp. Onion Powder
• ½ tsp. Garlic Powder
• Juice of 2 Limes
• 1 tsp. Salt
  
  

Taco Toppings

• 2 large Tomatoes, diced
• ½ Yellow / White Onion, finely diced
• ½ cup Cilantro, roughly chopped
• Juice of 1 Lemon or 2 Limes
• 1 Avocado, sliced
• 2 tbsp. Sour Cream (optional)
  
  

Instructions

1. Combine all the Marinade ingredients in a large bowl or Ziploc Bag. Add the Steak and massage the marinade into it. Seal the bag / cover the bowl and refrigerate for 2 days
2. When you are ready to cook remove the Steak from the bag and leave at room temperature for about 1 hour
3. During this time slice the Onions and place them into a saucepan with the Butter and 1 tsp. of Salt. Place over medium low heat and cook while stirring occasionally for 45 minutes – 1 hour until caramelized
4. Make the Pico de Gallo by simply mixing the diced Tomatoes, Onion, Cilantro, and Lime / Lemon Juice in a small bowl and set aside
5. Heat the Oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Once smoking hot, add the Steak and cook for 5 minutes. Using tongs, cook the fat side for 2 minutes facing the pan to render it. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the other side for 4 – 5 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 115F
6. Remove Steak from heat and set aside to rest for 10 minutes before slicing
7. Toast your Tortillas for about 20 seconds over the open flame using tongs to char, then serve alongside the remaining ingredients
   
   

Recipe Notes

• It’s best to serve Tacos as individual ingredients, allowing people to add their own toppings. We recommend serving alongside a variety of hot sauces
• For the best result, marinade the Steak for 2 days. However, you can still follow this recipe using a shorter marinade time. We recommend at least 2-hours marinating time to get some flavor into the Steak
  
  

That’s our delicious take on Tex-Mex Grilled Steak and Onions. We hope you enjoy this delicious Grilled Steak and Onion Tacos recipe and give it a try next Taco Tuesday!

We love Mexican food here at Dinnertime Somewhere. There are loads of amazing dishes to choose from! Here are a few of our favorites that we recommend you check out:

• Duck Tacos with Mango Salsa
• Texas Breakfast Tacos
• Shrimp Aguachile Recipe
• Mexican Fiesta Menu!
  
  

Happy Cooking!