Large corn or flour tortillas
2 large red peppers
2 large green peppers
2 large mild red onion
Sour cream, salsa and sliced avocados
2 pounds skirt steak cut into a few large pieces

Marinade:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
4 green onions, coarsely chopped
3 large cloves garlic
1/4 cup lime juice (can substitute lemon)
1/2 teaspoon mild red pepper flakes (can substitute hot)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons turbinado sugar or honey

To make marinade, puree all ingredients but the meat in a blender. Marinate meat in a large, heavy-duty, zip top bag for at least an hour, or up to 3 hours. Burn wood or charcoal until gray ash appears. Remove steak from marinade, drain well and then pat dry with paper towels. Blow coals clean of ash. Lay steaks directly onto hot coals for 1 minute per side, turning with a tongs. When finished cooking, quickly place meat in double thickness of aluminum foil, wrap, and allow to sit for 15 minutes.

While the meat is resting, heat tortillas on the same coals, and grill red and green peppers and onion quarters on sticks. Remove meat from foil, reserving foil and juices. Slice thinly across the grain of the meat. Return to foil pouch and toss with juice. Wrap the meat and grilled veggies in a hot tortilla with a dollop of sour cream, salsa, and avocado slices.

Buy a thermometer. We get quick read digital thermometers for $10.00. One with all the bells and whistles might go $40.00. I’ve seen them as high as $120.00, but the fancy ones still don’t cook the steak for you. Thermometers eliminate all the subjective steak tests like feel. Ever seen the feel test that compares the pressure-respons of the chin to well-done steak, nose to medium and cheek to rare? It can work, but I know people with fat chins. And I’ve seen NY strips that are firm at rare. Subjective. Go with the technological absolute—digital thermometer.

Make sure the steaks are ready. That means thawed. Completely. Our beef is flash frozen and vacuum packed, so we just drop a steak in a bowl of tap water for about an hour to thaw it. You can also thaw it overnight in your refrigerator.

Get the grill hot. Use this time to clean it from last weeks salmon if you haven’t already (ever have a fishy ribeye? argh.) I use a brass brush and a spatula to scrape. There’s nothing like a good grill-on-high preheat to get rid of off flavor. If using a charcoal grill, I always use a volcano type coal igniter. Lighter fluid can really ruin the flavor of steaks and make them taste like a South Texas oil refinery. And don’t use those ‘match-light briquets’. They have tons of lighter fluid built right in. I like to sprinkle a little green apple wood or soaked mesquite on the coals or gas gill fire plate before I put that beef on.

Get that grill turned down to medium heat about 3 minutes before throwing the steaks on. With charcoal, you coals are white and hot—so raise your grate a little since you can’t turn them down. While waiting, get some water in that squirt bottle. I just use a plastic water bottle with a squirt lid on it. You’ll need this to quench any grill fires you may have.

What about seasoning? For a ribeye or NY strip, I don’t bother. These steaks should have enough flavor to go without. We use a little salt and pepper at the table finish, but nothing else.

Put those steaks on! I shape the steaks how I want them as I place them on the grill—you don’t want to stretch a cut out on the hot grill—it will stick fairly quickly and warp as it shrinks. I arrange them so all steaks are exposed to the same amount of heat, provided that they are the same thickness. If grilling different thicknesses, arrange them accordingly or put them on at different times.

The steaks should fairly sizzle when they hit the grate. If they don’t, your grill is too cold. If they hit the grate and cause a firestorm, maybe you have a little too much inferno on your hands. Shut the lid and start being patiently watchful. This is a good time to get that thermometer ready for a test probe and get that drink you may need to keep cool while grilling.

Flare ups can happen quickly, especially if you are grilling a well finished and marbled steak. Always be on the alert with your squirter. Just a quick shot at the base
is all it takes. Use care on charcoal-you don’t want to lose your coal bed with too much water.
Lets take a look. Insert probe into the middle of the side (not the top) of the thinnest steak—that is your canary in the coal mine. When it reads in the 80’s in the middle of the meat, it is time to turn. Use a tongs or a spatula—never a fork (don’t want to break that seary seal and drip precious juice). Flip quickly and decisively. My friend Greg always impresses me when he makes a steak or cup of coffee. He moves very quickly and decisively, never second guessing his movements. It all looks very impressive—like he might even know what he is doing. Your guests will be impressed as well, provided you don’t flip a steak right on to the lawn…or into Fido’s hopefully waiting (and equally impressed) mouth.

Maybe you are wondering what happens to that thermometer on the flip. We use a heat proof resident type with the cable. It can just live right there in the grill. The key is on the insert point. Insert from the side so you can flip.

OK, back to the grill. Shut that lid whenever you can to increase smoke (remember that apple/mesquite?) and reduce oxygen that can generate yellow fat fires. When your temp now reads 95 or so, turn again. I rotate the steaks 90 degrees as I flip so that my grill marks make an ‘X’. That way I know I did two turns.

Here is where I might digress a little about thin steaks (Anything under 1.25 inches is thin). These I turn once. First turn around 95 degrees. Second, off at 138. See the next paragraph for temps for different tastes.

Back to thick steaks. Do not forget to control fires (seems like guys are all about this as most of us wanted to be fireman when we grew up). Another turn and rotation at 105 degrees. The final at 136-138 degrees. That is medium rare. Figure 138-143 for medium, and 144+ for well. Be aware that if your steaks are lean, you probably do not want to go into medium territory. Without any fat, you are now making jerky if you go into medium. Moisture is a major part of the ‘mouthfeel’ (one of those intense culinary terms) in steak enjoyment.

Now, please pay attention to this deal about takeoff. I have a glass or ceramic plate waiting (not below room temp, but not heated) to receive the finished steaks and a stainless bowl to put over them. You want to hold heat for about 5 minutes to finish cooking the steak. If you cut into it right now, immediately off the grill, you will have a totally gut rare strip in the middle of the cut (although some of you I have met love that). But thermal inertia steps in now, and finishes the steak. Interior temp still rises even when off the grill, for the same reason that July and August days are the hottest, even though the longest day (and the most sun exposure) of the year, June 21 is long past.

So give it five minutes before cutting. This is the time to salt (we use sea salt—regular salt tastes bleachy) and pepper the cuts. Call the guests, pour that Cab, and enjoy.

And remember—like with everything, practice makes perfect!!