Aged beef tacos with tarragon salsa and garlic crumb
Take beef tacos to the next level with homemade tortillas, birria butter, a tarragon and jalapeño salsa and crunchy garlic crumb.
Ingredients
For the birria butter
For the tarragon salsa
- 25g/1oz parsley
- 25g/1oz tarragon
- 4 green jalapeños, de-seeded and chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 echalion shallot, peeled
- 1 tbsp capers
- 1 tbsp green peppercorns
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- ½ lemon, zest and juice
- 1 tsp salt
- 90ml/3fl oz vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp Tabasco
For the garlic crumb
For the tortillas
- 375g/13oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 tsp kosher or sea salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 80ml/2½fl oz extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing
- 240ml/8¼fl oz warm water
For the bavette
- 1kg/2lb 4oz bavette beef steak, sliced thinly against the grain into long strips
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 6 lime wedges, to serve
Method
To make the birria butter, add the butter, beef fat, onion and garlic to a saucepan over a medium heat. Cook gently for 10–15 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent, without colouring.
Add the chilli flakes, black pepper, oregano, cumin, bay leaves and cinnamon. Stir well and cook for 2–3 minutes until fragrant.
Blend using a stick blender until smooth.
Transfer to a clean container or jar and refrigerate overnight to infuse and set.
To make the tarragon salsa, add all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor.
Pulse briefly until combined into a pesto-like consistency, scraping down the sides as needed. Avoid over-blending to keep the salsa fresh and vibrant.
Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed, then refrigerate until ready to use.
To make the garlic crumb, pulse the garlic in a food processor until coarsely chopped.
Bring a small pan of salted water to the boil and add the garlic for 30–60 seconds. Drain well and spread onto kitchen paper to dry.
Transfer the garlic to a bowl and toss lightly with the cornflour. Shake off any excess.
Heat the oil to 140C and fry the garlic until lightly golden and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
Mix together the garlic powder, onion powder, chicken bouillon powder, citric acid, salt and Korean chilli flakes.
While the garlic is still warm, toss with the seasoning mixture until evenly coated. Leave to cool completely.
To make the tortillas, add all of the ingredients to a large bowl and mix until a dough forms.
Knead for 5 minutes until smooth. Cover and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
Divide the dough into 30g/1oz balls and place onto a tray. Lightly coat with oil, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Press each dough ball in a taco press with a light dusting of flour.
Cook in a hot dry frying pan for about 1 minute on each side until lightly coloured and cooked through.
Wrap the cooked tortillas in a clean kitchen towel to keep warm.
To make the bavette steak, thread the strips onto 6 large skewers, folding the meat onto itself to create thick, even skewers.
Season generously with salt and black pepper.
Heat a grill, barbecue or large frying pan until very hot.
Drizzle the steak with a little oil and cook for 2–3 minutes on one side until charred. Turn and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Brush generously with birria butter halfway through cooking.
Cook to your preferred doneness, brushing again with birria butter before resting for a couple of minutes.
To serve, warm the tortillas in a dry pan or directly over a flame until soft and lightly charred.
Remove the bavette from the skewers and place onto the warm tortillas. Spoon over a little more warm birria butter.
Top with the tarragon salsa and a sprinkle of garlic crumb.
Serve with the lime wedges on the side for squeezing over just before eating.
