Grilled chipotle steak tacos feature juicy grilled steak with a punch of smoky heat and piled high with a flavorful charred sweet corn salsa!
Just a humble little taco filled with the summer GOODS! Hard not to love these steak tacos, guys.
It’s just one of those good, messy summer staples you’ll want to eat outside next to the pool with a cold one nearby. A little spicy, a little sweet, and a MASSIVE amount of flavor piled into one little taco.
We just highly recommend hiring these steak tacos for summer 2021 grill duty – you won’t regret it.
What you will regret though is not filling your plate full enough with these tacos. I’m strictly in the 3-4 tacos serving size gang and proud of it.
And really, it’s impossible to resist doing so. These tacos are so loaded with good ‘ol summer bounty and will literally up your cookout game about 10 notches.
These Chipotle Steak Tacos feature…
- Incredibly juicy, tender steak marinated in a smoky chipotle marinade
- Charred sweet corn salsa with plenty of summer tomatoes, cilantro, and lime juice
- Salty cotija cheese + extra cilantro for topping
- Warm, soft corn tortillas for holding everything together
Making the Chipotle Steak Tacos
(scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe!)
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chipotle (look for canned chipotle in adobo sauce in the Mexican aisle of your grocery store)
- Onion
- Garlic
- Cilantro
- Spices
- Vegetable oil
- Beef
- Sweet corn
- Tomato
- Jalapeno
- Lime juice
- Cotija cheese (optional, but we love the rich saltiness from cotija cheese on tacos!)
- Corn tortillas
Choosing Your Beef
We recommend a flank steak for this recipe, but sirloin or skirt steak also work very well!
You will need about 2 lbs beef and make sure you trim off any extra fat on the outside.
How Long Should Beef Marinate?
In order to get a juicy steak, we recommend letting the beef marinate in the chipotle marinade at least 1 hour or up to 8.
The longer the beef marinates, the more tender it will be when you grill it!
Tips for Perfect Tacos
- Grill steak over high temp – you want your grill very hot when you go to grill the steak to get a nice crust on the outside. Make sure your grill has been preheating for at least 20 minutes beforehand.
- Allow steak to rest – once the steak as reached your desired temp, do not immediately slice it. Place steak on a cutting board, lightly cover with tin foil, and allow to rest 10 minutes before slicing into thin strips.
- Char the sweet corn – charring the sweet corn on the grill for several minutes really brings out a ton of amazing corn flavor! Turn corn occasionally until it’s lightly charred, then once cooled, remove kernels from cobs.
- Warm the tortillas – you can warm the tortillas in a cast iron pan on the stove, or throw them on a piece of tin foil on the grill. Let the tortillas cook 2-3 minutes per side over medium-high heat until lightly charred and puffy.
- Serve tacos with extra toppings – we recommend garnishing tacos with cotija cheese, extra cilantro, and squeezing a bit of lime juice over top.
Stovetop Instructions
If you don’t have access to a grill, you can still make these tacos on the stovetop instead.
- Rather than grilling meat, heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear steak on both sides, turning once until steak reaches your desired doneness. Let rest as recipe directs.
- Pan sear corn in a large skillet over medium-high heat, turning occasionally until corn is lightly charred. Alternatively, you can also boil the corn to cook it.
Make Ahead Instructions
- Make marinade and allow steak to marinade 1-8 hours in refrigerator.
- Prepare corn salsa and store in refrigerator up to 2 days.
- When ready to serve, proceed with grilling steak and assemble tacos as recipe directs.
What to Serve with Tacos
These tacos are pretty much a full meal all by themselves, but we love tortilla chips with homemade guacamole or salsa as an easy side dish!
As far as drinks go, we recommend either a classic margarita on the rocks or a Corona with lime alongside these tacos.
The amount of flavor we’re able to pile into these little firecrackers of a taco is slightly insane. The meat is juicy and smoky from the chipotle, the corn salsa is sweet and zippy…it’s just the dream summer taco, y’all.
Plus they are SO much easier than they look! You can plan most of the components ahead of time and relax once dinnertime rolls around.
Say hello to your new favorite taco this summer! You’re going to love these.
Watch these tacos made step-by-step on Google Web Stories!
More incredible tacos you migh want to try next!
- Chipotle Pulled Beef Tacos
- Sheet Pan Chile Chicken Sweet Peppers Tacos
- Jerk Sweet Potato Steak Tacos
Grilled Chipotle Steak Tacos with Charred Corn Salsa
This recipe may included paid links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
Grilled Chipotle Steak Tacos
- 3 tablespoons minced chipotle in adobo sauce (plus 2 tablespoons sauce)
- 1/2 cup diced sweet onion
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup water
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 lbs flank steak (sirloin or skirt steak also work well!)
Charred Corn Salsa
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 4 medium ears sweet corn, husk and silk removed
- 2 medium roma tomatoes, cored and diced into 1/4-in cubes
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
- 1 small jalapeno (or habanero or serrano if you want more heat!)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Warmed corn or flour tortillas, cotija cheese, cilantro, and lime wedges for serving
Instructions
Grilled Chipotle Steak
- In a food processor or blender, combine chipotle, adobo sauce, onion, garlic, cilantro, chili powder, cumin, oil, water, salt, and pepper to taste. Pulse or blend several times, scraping down sides as necessary, until sauce is smooth. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste if needed.
- Place steak in a large bowl or ziplock bag. Pour chipotle sauce over top and evenly coat steak in marinade. Allow to sit at room temperature 1 hour. (you may also refrigerate steak in marinade up to 8 hours or overnight)
- When ready to cook, remove steak from marinade and grill over medium-high heat (you can also pan-sear steak in a cast iron pan on the stove in 1-2 tablespoons olive oil) turning once until steak reaches your desired doneness (130F-135F for medium rare, 140F-145F for medium, 155F-160F for well-done)
- Transfer steak to a cutting board and lightly cover with foil. Allow to rest 10 minutes.
Charred Corn Salsa
- Meanwhile, rub corn lightly all over with oil. Grill over medium-high heat (or pan sear in cast iron pan) turning occasionally until corn is lightly charred all over. Transfer corn to a cutting board and when cool enough to handle, cut kernels off of cobs.
- In a large bowl, combine charred corn, tomato, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Store salsa in refrigerator until ready to serve.
- Assemble the tacos: thinly slice rested steak against the grain and serve in warmed tortillas with corn salsa on top. Garnish tacos with cotija cheese, additional cilantro, and serve with lime wedges. Enjoy!
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