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You will see the word “arrachera” in the menu of any Mexican restaurant, usually in the tacos section. This dish is a classic and the pride of more than one generation.
So what is an arrachera? With what to serve such a product and what spices to choose for it? Let’s figure everything out!
What is arrachera?
Arrachera is a beef tenderloin marinated according to a special recipe. Traditional Mexican marinade makes such meat juicy and tender. The main arrachera feature is the choosing of the toughest meat.
All the necessary texture is given to the dish by long pickling. You can cook a traditional Mexican steak at home without much difficulty in just a couple of hours.
A harder task is to choose the right herbs and spices!
How to choose meat for arrachera?
The most important rule of cooking steaks is the right choice of meat. For arrachera, you should choose it considering the following points:
- Choose the meat of young bulls aged 1-2 years.
- Choose the hardest part for pickling and subsequent frying.
- Avoid choosing frozen meat. It is better to give preference to a chilled product.
- Choose medium-thick pieces of meat for uniform roasting and abundant juice release.
How to cut meat for arrachera correctly?
Another important thing to properly prepare a high-quality array is the cutting technology. Follow the advice from professional chefs:
- Cut off all the veins and excess fat in advance. Firstly, it will be easier to cut a piece into steaks. Secondly, then you will not need to cut the veins from each piece separately.
- Cut the meat evenly to maintain the same thickness.
- To prevent large steaks from bending, make small incisions 2-3 mm deep at the edges.
What is the best cooking method for skirt steak?
Skirt steak is another name for arrachera. Professional chefs use various recipes for preparing such a dish, but they agree that frying in a pan skillet and grilling are the best cooking technologies.
Thus, the meat comes into direct contact with dry heat and the internal juices have the ability to quickly seal.
You can also cook arrachera in a steamer – however, this way you will not get juicy meat of the desired roasting degree. Pay special attention to the oil – use an average amount.
Otherwise, your steak will be saturated with moisture and you will get boiled meat.
How do you tenderize skirt steak?
Skirt steak quite often turns out to be too tough. Isn’t that the main goal? Professional chefs advise choosing tough pieces of meat in order to marinate them thoroughly afterwards.
However, there are a few more secrets:
- Use a hammer to chop the steak and split the texture of the meat. The steps are simple: put a bunch of foil on the meat and beat for about 5-7 minutes on both sides.
- Use enzymes. Add lemon juice, kiwi or other citrus fruit to soften the meat fibers.
- Using heat. This method works well with thick and fatty steaks, and it also changes the texture perfectly. The purpose of softening by heat is to destroy collagen.
How do you keep skirt steak from being chewy?
Cooking a skirt steak is a complex process that requires certain knowledge. Sometimes, even after careful processing of meat, it remains stringy and hard to chew.
What should you do in this case?
- Remove excess moisture from the meat and wipe with paper towels.
- If you use frozen meat, first defrost it in the refrigerator. Don’t leave the product at room temperature.
- Before frying, grease the skirt steak on both sides with vegetable or olive oil. This will help seal the internal juices faster.
How to cook arrachera on the stove
Cook a high-quality skirt steak in a frying pan in just 20 minutes. For such a recipe, you will need the following set of ingredients:
- steak tenderloin
- salt and pepper
- herbs (optional)
- vegetable oil
- butter
Step-by-step technology of preparation:
- Wipe the steaks with a paper towel and beat them off with a hammer.
- Marinate the steak in advance to give it extra flavor and soften the texture. (Use about 1 cup of marinade for each kilo of meat)
- Sprinkle the meat on both sides with 1 tablespoon of coarse salt. The salt will release the natural taste of the meat, and the steak will fry evenly. In addition, salt contributes to the formation of an appetizing crust.
- Before frying the steak, wait until the meat warms up to room temperature.
- Put a little vegetable oil on the bottom of a cast-iron pan skillet and heat it for 1 minute.
- Fry the steak on one side for 3-6 minutes. The duration of cooking depends on the type of tenderloin. As a rule, it is enough to fry the meat for about 5 minutes on each side.
How to cook arrachera on the grill
The grill is another way to prepare an arrachera. So you will get delicious meat with the smell of coals and smoke. To do everything right, follow the step-by-step technology of preparation:
- Choose a suitable grill. For a hard steak, a charcoal grill is best suited.
- Cover the tenderloin and keep it at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before grilling.
- Gently rub the steak with salt and pepper. For extra flavor, you can add fresh or dried herbs.
- Preheat the grill over medium or high heat. If you use a charcoal or wood-fired grill, you need to light it about 30-40 minutes before the start of the meal.
- After the grill warms up, place the meat directly over the heat source.
- Fry the steak on each side for 3-7 minutes, depending on the desired degree of readiness and the tenderloin thickness.
Authentic arrachera recipe
Despite the various recipes for preparing arrachera, there is one traditional way of cooking. For it, you will need the following ingredients:
- machete steak — 2 pcs
- lime — 1 pc
- red onion — 1 pc
- butter — 30 g
- fresh chili pepper — 1 pc.
- fresh cilantro — a bunch
- soy sauce — 1 tablespoon
- olive oil — 1 tablespoon
- wine — 50 ml
- freshly ground black pepper — to taste
- ground coriander — a pinch
- of cane sugar — 1 tablespoon
- salt — to taste
Step-by-step technology of preparation:
- Mix olive oil, lime juice, and soy sauce. Add chopped fresh chili and coriander stalks, marinate steaks in this mixture.
- Cut the onion into feathers and fry in butter. Pour in the wine and let it evaporate, then add sugar and simmer for another 10-15 minutes.
- Fry the meat in a dry skillet for 3 minutes on each side. Transfer the steaks to a board or plate, cover with a sheet of foil and leave to “rest” for 10 minutes.
- Before serving, add salt to the arrachera and serve with caramelized onions and fresh cilantro.
Best marinades for arrachera
The marinade softens coarse meat fibers and also gives any steak an incredible taste and flavor.
These options are best suited for an arrachera:
- Orange marinade. For it, you will need freshly squeezed orange juice, garlic powder, red hot pepper, black pepper and sea salt.
- Arrachera marinade. An ideal option for skirt steak. All the marinade ingredients you will need are lime juice, red onion, fresh cilantro, Mexican oregano, and fresh cilantro.
- Ginger marinade. A “burning” version with bell pepper, ginger root, mint, soy sauce, and minced garlic.
- Wine marinade. This is a marinade for lovers of unusual flavor combinations and juicy meat. Just add a few tablespoons of red wine to the rosemary, sugar and mustard powder.
How to marinate arrachera with beer
Beer marinade is another option for preparing a soft and tender steak. Beer has a characteristic hop flavor, and its composition splits hard meat.
For 1 kg of beef, you will need Mexican beer (spicy), honey, mustard, olive oil, and black pepper. Such a screaming hot sauce will help to make the arrachera rich in taste and delicate in structure.
The technology of cooking marinade for beef skirt steak is simple: combine all the ingredients in a bowl and place the tough meat there for several hours.
Arrachera marinade soy sauce
Soy sauce has a composition that easily breaks down coarse meat fibers. It also gives the beef oriental notes and at the same time salts it.
You will need garlic, hot pepper, soy sauce (literally 250 ml), olive oil, and black pepper. Pass the garlic through the press, and finely chop the pepper. Combine all the ingredients and marinate the Mexican skirt steak for 4 hours.
Carne asada tacos recipe
“Carne Asada” is a sliced arrachera wrapped in flour tortillas or tacos. Just follow Tyler’s simple recipe:
- Put the meat in a large baking dish and pour moyo sauce over it.
- Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator for 8 hours.
- Preheat the grill and lubricate it with a small amount of oil.
- Remove the meat from the marinade and season with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Fry the steak on the grill for 7-10 minutes on each side, until it is slightly fried.
- Transfer the steak to a cutting board and leave for 5 minutes to redistribute the juices. Thinly slice the meat across the fibers diagonally.
- Heat the tortillas in a dry skillet for 30 seconds on each side.
- Wrap the filling in a warm tortilla. Try not to use a large amount, otherwise everything will fall apart.
- To serve grilled skirt steak tacos, add a spoonful of pico de gallo salsa to each portion.
What to serve with arrachera
Mexican servings are distinguished by their piquancy and unexpected combinations. You can serve both side dishes and sauces with the arrachera rub.
French fries, Mexican rice, pasta, as well as fresh vegetables: tomatoes, cucumbers, peas and corn are good options. Much depends on your taste preferences.
Some people prefer Mexican recipes – arrachera tacos (or tacos de arrachera in traditional cuisine), tortillas or stewed hot peppers. Also don’t forget about sauces – the lingonberry or ginger version is best suited.
How to season arrachera
When choosing any arrachera recipe, you should pay special attention to the choice of spices. Professional chefs suggest paying attention to the following options:
- Ground chili pepper. This spice gives the meat a deep and rich taste.
- Dried pink pepper. The taste of this pepper gives the dishes a delicate sharpness, a light floral aroma and an unusual fruity tartness. Use this seasoning on a ready-made, warm dish.
- Garlic powder. Garlic and beef are perfectly combined. Unlike many other seasonings, the component doesn’t “clog” the flavor of meat, but only enhances it.
Best herbs for arrachera
Arrachera Mexican steak is a dish whose taste you can improve with herbs. Among the suitable options, consider the following ones:
- The complex aroma of this dried herb will help to improve the taste of hard arrachera meat. Most often rosemary is added to the marinade. It is important that it retains its properties regardless of the duration of heat treatment.
- It helps to refresh the taste of meat, especially in the arracher rub recipe. Since this seasoning reveals its taste after a long heat treatment, add it at the beginning of cooking.
- Its smell is subtle and herbal. It fits perfectly into beef dishes, emphasizing, but not overshadowing the flavor of meat.
- Be careful with this dried herb, as it has a pronounced taste. Add basil in small quantities and after heat treatment of the steak.
Main mistakes in cooking a steak skirt
To cook the perfect steak balanced in nutrition calories and flavor range, you should avoid typical mistakes. Among them:
- Don’t slice the meat too thinly. This will reduce the prep time, but will not improve the quality of the future steak.
- Flank steak is not the best substitute for your arrachera. Even if you can’t find the right tough meat, don’t use a substitute flank steak. It is too soft and has a lot of veins.
- Don’t always use marinades. This is not really necessary in all cases. Sometimes you just need to beat the steak with a hammer and add the right spices.
DO and DON’T
DO grease the steaks with olive oil, salt and pepper before frying | DON’T buy meat for your future steak in the supermarket |
DO add spices and herbs directly when serving | DON’T leave the meat in the marinade for more than 8 hours |
DO serve the meat with sauces for brightness of taste | DON’T mix too many spices for the arrachera |
Closing
Arrachera is a unique Mexican steak made from the toughest meat. You can cook such a dish at home without much effort.
Just choose the right meat, spices and marinade to get a bright taste and delicate texture. Surprise your loved ones with a great steak for any occasion!