Grilled Honey Chili Flap Steak

Flap meat, also called 'ranchera' or 'carne asada' meat, is a cheap and flavorful cut that is a staple in Mexican cooking. If you can't find flap meat then you can substitute a pounded-out flank steak.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 30 mins
• Calories: 738 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup honey
• ¼ cup fresh lime juice
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• ½ red onion
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 2 pounds flap steak, trimmed of fat
• 4 flour tortillas
• 2 limes, halved
• ¼ cup crumbled queso fresco cheese, or to taste
• 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
• 2 chipotle peppers, diced
• 2 tablespoons chipotle mustard

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.

Step 2

Stir garlic powder, chili powder, Mexican oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper together in a bowl. Sprinkle garlic powder mixture over both sides of flap steak, pat rub into meat, wrap steak in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Step 3

Whisk honey, lime juice, cilantro, chipotle peppers, garlic, vegetable oil, apple cider vinegar, chipotle mustard, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper together in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours. Separate mixture equally into two bowls; one for basting and one for serving.

Step 4

Cook steak on the preheated grill until smoke rises from the spice rub. Turn the meat and squeeze the juice from 2 lime halves over the steak. When the spice rub begins to smoke, turn the meat again. Brush the refrigerated honey-lime basting sauce onto both sides of the steak and cook steak to your desired degree of doneness, 8 to 10 minutes per side for medium. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 140 degrees F (60 degrees C). Let meat rest for 5 minutes and chop against the grain into bite-size pieces.

Step 5

Spoon grilled meat into tortillas. Top with onion, lime juice, reserved honey-lime serving sauce, and queso fresco cheese.