Tacos are the best thing to serve off a grill. Everything cooks fast, everyone builds their own, and cleanup is a cutting board and a stack of tortillas.
The five best grilling proteins
- Carne asada: skirt steak with lime, garlic, orange juice, and cumin. Two to three minutes a side over direct heat.
- Pollo asado: boneless thighs in achiote and citrus. Skin-side down first, eight minutes total.
- Shrimp: skewered, chile-rubbed, two minutes a side. The fastest thing on the grill.
- Al pastor: marinated pork slices grilled flat, then chopped. Grill pineapple alongside.
- Portobello and trumpet mushrooms: brushed with adobo, four minutes a side, genuinely excellent.
Grill the sides too
Whole green onions, halved limes, poblanos, tomatillos, and corn all belong on the grate. Charred tomatillos and jalapenos blended with garlic make a salsa in five minutes with no extra pan.
Heat management
Build a two-zone fire: hot coals on one side, empty space on the other. Sear over the hot zone, move to the cool zone if anything flares or needs to finish. Tortillas get warmed on the cool zone at the very end.
Timing the meal
- Marinate meats the night before.
- Char vegetables for salsa first, while the fire is settling.
- Grill chicken, then pork, then steak, then shrimp.
- Rest the steak while you warm tortillas.
- Slice everything against the grain and put it out at once.
The one thing people forget
Rest and slice properly. Grilled steak cut with the grain is chewy no matter how well you cooked it.
Our carne asada, pollo asado, and grilled fish taco recipes are all built for live fire.
