Tacos de Carne Deshebrada
Taquería style shredded beef tacos on corn tortillas garnished with finely chopped onion, cilantro, lime juice, and salsa verde or your favorite homemade salsa.
How to Make
You will need 1 ¼lb of skirt steak, 1 large white onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, 12 sprigs cilantro, 12 to 16 small tortillas (taqueria size), and 2 cups of your favorite salsa. We love them with salsa verde.
Cooking the Beef
Place the beef, onion, and garlic in a pot. Cover with 1″ of water.
Bring the water to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for at least 1 hour. The meat is ready when you can pull the meat apart with your fingers. It may take more than 1 hour. Test the meat after 1 hour if it needs more time to cook for another 15 minutes and check again. Repeat if necessary.
Shredding the Meat
Cut the beef into 2″ to 3″ inch strips then use your fingers to tear the meat into thin strips. This is a bit tedious but worth the effort.
Seasoning the Taco Meat
Heat 2 tbsp. of cooking oil to medium-hot. Add the shredded meat to the hot oil. Stir and cook for 2 minutes until the meat is just starting to brown.
Add 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce that adds a touch of sweetness and enhances the beef flavor. Don’t add more. You can have too much of a good thing. Too much Worcestershire sauce overpowers the flavor of the meat.
Add 1 /4 cup of the beef cooking broth and ¼ tsp. salt. Stir. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the liquid has just evaporated. This makes tender nicely seasoned taco meat.
Garnish & Salsa
Remove the stems from the cilantro and discard. Very finely chop the cilantro. Very finely chop the remaining ½ white onion. Cut the limes into quarters.
Tacos are nothing without salsa. Everyone has their favorites. We recommend any of these: salsa verde, fresh tomatillo salsa verde, or the habanero salsa.
Serving
Heat the tortillas on a comma or griddle. Always serve your tacos with hot tortillas. Place 2 tbsp. shredded beef on each tortilla. Top with a sprinkle of chopped onion, cilantro, a squirt of lime and a spoonful of your favorite salsa.
Take care when you are plating the tacos. Presentation counts. There is an expression in Spanish, “de la vista nace el amor,” which means love starts at first sight. A beautiful taco is a tastier taco.
Are you hungry yet? Provecho!
Shredded Beef Tacos Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ lb. of skirt steak
- 1 large white onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 12 sprigs cilantro
- 12 to 16 small tortillas taqueria size
- 2 cups of your favorite salsa We like salsa verde
Instructions
Shredded Beef
- Place the beef, ½ onion, and garlic in a pot. Cover with 1" of water.
- Bring the water to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for at least 1 hour. The meat is ready when you can pull the meat apart with your fingers.
- Cut the meat into 2” to 3 “ strips. Then use your fingers to pull the meat apart into thin strips.
- Heat 2 tbsp. of cooking oil in a large frying pan then add the shredded beef to the hot oil. Stir the beef and fry for 2 minutes until the beef is just starting to brown.
- Add 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce and 1 /4 cup of the beef cooking broth and stir. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the liquid has just evaporated.
Garnish
- Remove the stem from the cilantro and discard. Very finely chop the cilantro.
- Very finely chop the remaining ½ white onion.
- Cut the limes into quarters.
Serving
- Heat the tortillas on a comal or griddle.
- Place 2 tbsp. shredded beef on each tortilla.
- Top with a sprinkle of chopped onion, cilantro, a squirt of lime and a spoonful of your favorite salsa.
Notes
- You can substitute Maggi sauce for the Worcestshiresauce sauce.
- You can use flour tortillas instead of corn.
- The meat will keep for 3 days in the refrigerator and 2 months in the freezer.
- If you make a double batch, you can freeze half for later use. The shredded beef freezes well.
Lisa Trevino says
Thank you for this recipe! Previously I have seen people simply quickly grilling skirt meat and it was always too tough for me. I will definitely be slow cooking mine first as you did so I can enjoy this wonderful cut in many dishes.
Commendatore says
Ehhh I would marinate the beef & grill it. Instead of boiling in plain water, that’ just … sad