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Garlic Butter Honey BBQ Beef Tacos

Garlic butter honey BBQ beef tacos with caramelized, glossy beef and a sweet-savory glaze. Quick skillet cooking keeps the flank steak tender while the BBQ-honey sauce clings to every slice.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main
Cuisine: Mexican-Fusion
Calories: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Flank steak
  • 2 lb flank steak, sliced thin against the grain slice thin against the grain
Butter
  • 6 tbsp butter
Garlic
  • 8 cloves garlic, minced minced
BBQ glaze base
  • 0.5 cup BBQ sauce
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
Seasoning
  • 1 salt and pepper to taste
Tacos
  • 8 flour tortillas
Serving toppings
  • 1 fresh cilantro, diced diced
  • 1 diced onion
  • 1 lime wedges

Equipment

  • 1 large skillet

Method
 

Caramelize the beef
  1. Heat 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet over high heat. Season the beef slices with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
  2. Cook the beef in batches for 3-4 minutes until browned, then transfer to a plate. Keep the pan hot for quick browning and avoid steaming.
  3. Add the remaining butter and minced garlic to the skillet, then sauté for 1 minute until fragrant. Stir to prevent garlic from browning too fast.
  4. Return the beef to the skillet, then add BBQ sauce, honey, and lime juice. Toss to coat and cook for 3-4 minutes until caramelized.
Warm and assemble tacos
  1. Warm the flour tortillas in a dry skillet until pliable, or directly over a gas flame. Heat just until warm with light spots, not dry.
  2. Fill each tortilla with the garlic butter honey BBQ beef and top with fresh cilantro, diced onion, and a squeeze of lime juice. Serve immediately while the glaze is glossy.

Notes

To keep the beef tender, slice flank steak thin against the grain and cook it in batches so it browns instead of steams. Store cooked beef in the fridge up to 3 days; rewarm in a skillet to re-gloss the sauce. Freezing: yes, freeze the cooked beef (tortillas and toppings separately) up to 2 months. For a lighter option, use reduced-fat butter or swap honey for a honey-style syrup with similar sweetness.