Grilled Steak and Pineapple Tacos ~ Marinated flank steak, then grilled to a perfect medium-rare along with fresh pineapple and red bell peppers, diced together and added to a warmed corn tortilla.When I was a kid, a taco was a hard shell, the kind you’d find at your favorite border Mexican-ish fast food place, with meat, cheese shreds, and iceberg lettuce. Now I confess, I still run to the border for tacos. I love them, truly, and since now they come in one of my favorite chip flavors, I’m pretty much weak before them.
Authentic tacos, the kind with the simple ingredients of meat, cilantro, and onions in two small warm corn tortillas didn’t enter my life until I was in my late teens. The bite of the very first one I took, my life was transformed (this maybe the wine talking, but if you’ve had a true taco…). That’s when I realized hard shells were limiting and quite honest, fake. The soft but warm corn tortillas were the way to go.
What you can put in that soft, but warm corn tortilla is only limited by your imagination. You can rock it authentic with carne asada, or you can go fusion and add some Korean bbq beef and top it with kimchi. Really anything. So why not Grilled Steak and Pineapple Tacos?Pineapple has been my fruit of choice this summer and grilled pineapple is simply one of the best things on earth to eat. I had a fabulous hunk of flank steak in the freezer that had been screaming to be used. There truly is something sublime in the simplicity of ingredients. These tacos were amazing.
Flank steak is an amazing cut of meat. Very favorable, but tends to be a bit tougher than other cuts. Marinating the beef will make this tough cut tender and succulent. When cooking flank steak, there are two generally accepted methods: grilled or pan-seared hot and fast or braise it low and slow; then slice it against the grain.
Since it’s summer time, I opted for the grilled hot and fast method, plus I wanted grilled pineapple. Grilling the red peppers just seemed logical, both for color and flavor. The juicy pineapple plus the marinade on the beef, which not only made it tender but provided flavored ‘juice’, pulled all the simple ingredients together into one flavor-packed bite. Sadly due to the nature of my job, I don’t make my own recipes again after they are deemed worthy to publish. But this one, this one will be an exception. These Grilled Steak and Pineapple Tacos might be my new dish that launches my summer.
Grilled Steak and Pineapple Tacos
Ingredients
- 2 lbs flank steak; scored
Marinade
- 1/4 cup soy sauce/tamari
- 1 1/2 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tbsp pineapple juice
Tacos
- 3 red bell peppers; cut into large 'flat' pieces
- 1 pineapple; cut into 'steaks' or wedges
- Fresh corn tortillas
- 3 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
Instructions
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Lay the steak on a cutting board or other similar clean surface and score the meat.
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Mix all the marinade ingredients together.
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Brush the marinade on one side of the steak, and roll closed.
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Either place the steak in a zip seal bag or in a large container.
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Add the remaining marinade to the bag/container, taking care that both sides of the steak have equal marinade.
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Seal/Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes, up to 6 hours; the marinade can be strong, so overnight is not recommended.
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Flip the bag or shake the container every 15-30 mins (depending on how long it will marinate) to ensure the marinade continues to coat the entire steak; place in the refrigerator.
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Remove the steak at least 30 minutes before ready to grill, allowing it to come to room temperature.
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Heat the grill on high, once hot, reduce heat to medium-high, oil the grill grates to prevent sticking.
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Once the grill is ready, place the steak on and allow to cook for 6-8 minutes for medium rare, longer for medium doneness.
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Flip and cook for an additional 6 minutes, checking for doneness after about 4 minutes.
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The internal temperature should register 125 to 130°F for rare, 140°F for medium rare, and 150°F for medium doneness.
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When flipping the steak, add the pineapple and red peppers to the grill.
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Grill times will be determined by the thickness of the produce, but each side should cook for around 5 minutes. Check frequently after 3 minutes.
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Remove the meat and produce from the grill.
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Cover and allow the steak to rest for at least 10-15 minutes, allowing the juices to be reabsorbed into the meat.
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Cover and allow the pineapple to rest for 5 minutes.
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Reduce the flame to low; add the corn tortillas.
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Cook for just a minute or two on each side, or when you see brown spots/grill marks start to appear.
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Remove from the grill and wrap them tightly in a clean towel or tortilla warmer. Stack tightly, but layer a towel between every 4 or so tortillas to prevent them from going soggy from heat moisture.
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Dice the bell peppers.
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Dice the pineapple.
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Slice the meat against the grain, then if desired, dice those slices (they can be left in strips)
Assembly
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Using one or two tortillas, fill with steak, pineapple, red peppers, then sprinkle cilantro over it all.
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Serve and enjoy.
Recipe Notes
The inactive prep time is 30 minutes to 6 hours, depending on how long the steak marinates.
10 Comments
Kristen Chidsey
July 28, 2016 at 5:51 amMichelle, this is what my dinner dreams are made of–so tasty!!
Heather | All Roads Lead to the Kitchen
July 28, 2016 at 5:56 amMmmm…these look amazing. I love flank steak on the grill, and the pineapple salsa sounds like the perfect summer accompaniment!
Jessica @ Sprinkle Some Sugar
July 28, 2016 at 6:26 amThat flank steak is cooked to perfection! These are so fresh and perfect for summer. LOVE!
Amanda | The Chunky Chef
July 28, 2016 at 12:10 pmI’m a sucker for tacos of any kind… and these look absolutely incredible!!
Jessica | The Novice Chef
July 28, 2016 at 6:39 pmEvery day is a good day for tacos! YUM!
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet
July 28, 2016 at 10:17 pmThis looks like a perfect summer dinner! Loving the tropical salsa! 😀
Pineapple Upside Down Cake - The Complete Savorist
July 28, 2016 at 11:55 pm[…] pineapple, first was a tutorial on how to actually cut one. Once it was cut, I was going to make Grilled Steak and Pineapple Tacos, which I did. But three pineapples meant a lot of pineapple recipes. In the end, I have two main […]
Katerina @ Diethood
July 29, 2016 at 10:04 amWow! Now these are some tacos right here! LOVE the steak + pineapple combo!
Sharon @ What the Fork Food Blog
July 29, 2016 at 10:14 amWOW! I love this take on tacos! I love the sweet addition of fruit for sure! I would have never have thought to do this!
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