Breakfast
Carne Asado Breakfast Tacos
Other Recipes from Planet Barbecue Episode 104: San Antonio Grill
The breakfast taco is a San Antonio institution. The tortilla is flour. The beans refried. But whether you fill it with smoky brisket or pork poached in lard depending on your background or neighborhood. Today, I’m going the steak and egg route–the steak being Tex Mex grilled skirt steak. Now that’s a breakfast that will keep you going all day.
Wake up and smell the coffee.
Serves 4
Carne Asado Breakfast Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 pound skirt steak, trimmed
- Coarse sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Onion powder
- Dried oregano
- Tajin (Mexican red pepper and lime seasoning)
- Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling and frying
For the fire-charred pico de gallo:
- 4 plum tomatoes
- 1 small sweet onion, quartered (skewer each quarter on a toothpick)
- 2 jalapeno peppers
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more cilantro for sprinkling
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
To finish the tacos:
- 4 8-inch flour tortillas
- 3 tablespoons melted butter, lard, or vegetable oil
- 1 cup refried beans
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup grated pepper Jack cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream
You’ll also need:
- toothpicks, a plancha or griddle
Recipe Steps
1: Arrange the steaks in a baking dish. Season on both sides with salt, pepper, onion powder, and Tajin. Drizzle with olive oil on both sides, patting the seasonings into the meat with the flat of a fork.
2: Set up your grill for direct grilling and heat to high. Brush and oil the grill grate.
3: Make the salsa: Char the tomatoes, onion, and jalapenos over a hot fire. Transfer to a cutting board to cool. Finely chop the tomatoes, onion, and jalapenos and transfer to a bowl. (Alternatively, coarsely chop the ingredients in a food processor.) Stir in the cilantro and lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Set the salsa aside.
4: Just before serving: Brush and oil the grill grate again.
5: Grill the steaks until sizzling, browned, and cooked to taste, 2 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to the cutting board and thinly slice across the grain. Keep the beef warm.
6: Brush the tortillas with melted butter on both sides and warm on the grill or the plancha. Warm the refried beans in a saucepan on the grill or plancha.
7: Oil the plancha or a cast iron skillet and heat well. Crack the eggs on the plancha and fry over easy. (I like the edges of the eggs crisp.)
8: Assemble the breakfast tortillas. Spread each tortilla with re-fried beans. Arrange the sliced beef on top. Sprinkle the cheese on top and top with a fried egg. (The hot egg and steak will melt the cheese.) Spoon salsa on top. Add a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle with cilantro. Serve open face, but have each eater roll up the tortilla to eat it.
Recipe Tips
Our thanks to the sponsors of Planet Barbecue Season 1:
Steven Raichlen’s Planet Barbecue is a production of Barbacoa, Inc., and Resolution Pictures. © 2023 Barbacoa, Inc. Photos by Chris Bierlein
