Quick & Easy Steak Taco Recipe

Get ready for some amazing steak tacos with this recipe... it's got just the right amount of kick and sweetness in the incredible marinade. Taco night just got an upgrade! Plus, I'm showing you how to grill them, pan fry them, AND broil them.

Why You Should Make this Recipe

There are three things that make a great taco: marinating the meat overnight, cooking down the marinade to use it as a sauce, and heating up the tortillas. This recipe does all three.

By combining citrus juice with oil, garlic, oregano, and chili powder, it infuses the steak with a rich flavor ready to grill and slice for the perfect juicy steak slices. Then, the rich steak is balanced by a light, fresh pico de gallo and a squeeze of sharp lime.

The base ingredients for the taco filling can be paired with whatever kind of tortilla you like, or even with a lettuce wrap. My choice is a white corn tortilla heated up over direct flame.

Ingredients & Substitutions

skirt steak - I use skirt steak in this recipe because it is thin, which means it has more surface area to absorb all the marinade. It also cooks quickly. You can substitute with other cuts of meat, but either pound it with a tenderizer or slice it long and thin to replicate skirt steak.

orange & limes - I use fresh but you can use bottled, too. You will need approximately ½ cup of orange juice and ¼ cup of lime juice.

chili powder - if you are looking for more of a kick, cayenne pepper tastes great in this recipe.

agave - you can substitute with honey or brown sugar.

How To Make The Best Steak Tacos

Before you even get to the tacos, take some time to prepare the delicious Pico de Gallo salsa! Mix the salsa ingredients in a bowl, and set aside. This can be made a day in advance.

You will need these ingredients for the steak part of your steak tacos:

The key step to great tasting steak taco is the marinade. Marinate your skirt steak in the refrigerator overnight in the mixture of orange juice, lime juice, olive oil, agave, minced garlic, oregano, chili powder, and salt (photo 1). Mix up the ingredients with a whisk (or your hand, see photo 2) and then add the steak (photo 3).

NOTE: Try to take the steak out twenty to thirty minutes before you intend to cook it. This gets the steak to room temperature so it can cook more evenly.

There are a few different methods you can use: grilling, broiling, or stovetop cooking in a pan.

• BROIL: Turn your broiler on high. Let it heat for one minute after the flame comes on. Next, put your skirt steak in the oven and cook it for five minutes. Then, remove steak from the oven. Leave the oven on, and the oven door open. Flip the steak over. Put back into the oven. Cook the steak until the internal temperature reads ~135 for medium-rare. This should take another four or five minutes.
• GRILL: Grill for 3-5 minutes per side. Cook the steak until the internal temperature reads ~135 for medium-rare. This should take another four or five minutes.
• PAN: Cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes per side. Cook the steak until the internal temperature reads ~135 for medium-rare. This should take another four or five minutes. (See photo 1 below.) I use a cast-iron pan.

Whichever cooking method you choose, set the steak aside and let it rest for five to ten minutes.

In the meantime, pour the juices from the marinade into a saucepan. Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower to a simmer. This process will reduce the amount of marinade by half. It should take ten to fifteen minutes. See photo 2 below.

Once the sauce is ready, slice the steak into even pieces, slicing against the grain (the long muscle fibers in the meat). See photo 3 above.

Assemble your tacos for serving with the cabbage on the bottom, then the steak, then top with the salsa. You can also add avocado, cilantro, cheese, and whatever topics you like.

For the final touch, add a squeeze of lime and drizzle the reduced sauce on top.

Tips, Tricks, & FAQs

For maximum flavor, marinate your meat overnight if you can, If not, try to marinate for at least 2 hours minimum. When you remove the steak from the marinade to cook it, reserve the leftover marinade. It makes a delicious sauce to drizzle over your finished tacos!

My favorite ways to cook the steak are under the broiler and on the grill because you get slightly charred edges that taste incredible with the marinade. However, all 3 ways of cooking that I have described below taste delicious (grill, broil, pan).

Whichever way you choose to cook the steak, use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. Cook until the thermometer reads 135F in the thickest part of the meat for medium-rare.

More Tacos!

If you love this recipe, check out these other kosher meat-eater recipes here or try some of these favorite tacos:

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This post was originally published in July of 2018, but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions, tips, and multiple cooking methods in November 2020. It was republished again in April 2021 to include a video.