Chef Tom fires up the Napoleon Phantom 500 for a cheesy, creamy Carne Asada Taco Soup featuring charcoal grilled flank steak.
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Grilling the steak over charcoal, then splitting it two ways: Charring the flank steak whole first, then dicing half into the soup base and crisping the other half separately in a skillet, gives the dish two different steak textures instead of one uniform treatment.
- Charring the corn alongside the steak: Rotating the corn on the same fire the steak cooks on picks up smoky char flavor before the kernels are cut off and added to the soup base.
- Building the soup base in stages: Softening the onions and peppers in tallow first, then adding tomatoes, beans, and garlic just before the liquid, layers the vegetables' cook times so nothing turns mushy or undercooked in the same pot.
- Melting cubed American cheese directly into the simmering soup: Cubing the cheese instead of shredding it lets it melt down smoothly into the broth, building a creamy texture without needing a separate cheese sauce.
Category
Main Course
Cuisine
Mexican
Servings
8
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Calories
552
This delicious Carne Asada Taco Soup is made with cheesy and creamy goodness and charcoal-grilled flank steak for an extra special flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Creekstone Farms Natural Prime Flank Steak
-
Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust All Purpose Seasoning
- 1 ear (3/4 cup kernals) fresh corn on the cob
-
2 tbsp beef tallow
- 2 cups yellow onion
- 1 cup Hatch/Anaheim peppers
-
2 tbsp Cattleman’s Grill Mexicano Taco Seasoning
- 1 cup tomatoes, medium dice
- 3/4 cup (1/2 can) black beans, rinsed
- 2 tbsp garlic, minced
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 lb American cheese, cubed
-
Cattleman’s Grill 8 Second Ride Carne Asada Seasoning
- Cilantro, for garnish
- Queso fresco or Cotija, for garnish
-
Heat Maverick’s Anti Gravity Hot Sauce, optional
- Tortilla chips, for serving
Directions
- Install a Napoleon Grills Cast Iron Charcoal Tray in the Napoleon Phantom 500 gas grill. Fill with lump charcoal. Light the burners underneath the charcoal tray and set to high heat. Install the grill grates over the charcoal. Allow the charcoal about 5-10 minutes to ignite, then turn off the gas underneath.
- Season your flank steak with Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust All Purpose Seasoning.
- Grill the flank steak and corn on the cob over the charcoal. Rotate the corn to char on all sides, then remove from the grill. Cook the flank steak, flipping to lightly char the surface, until the internal temperature reaches 125ºF.
- Dice the steak into small pieces. Slice the corn kernels off of the cob.
- On the side burner, preheat a Finex 5 Quart Dutch Oven over medium heat. Add the beef tallow. When the tallow is melted, add onions and peppers and two tablespoons Cattleman’s Grill Mexicano Taco Seasoning. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent and peppers begin to soften. Add the tomatoes, beans and garlic. Cook 30-60 seconds. Add chicken stock and heavy cream. Bring to simmer. Add cheese and stir to melt. Add 1/2 the steak. Simmer to thicken.
- Crisp the other half of the steak in a skillet with beef tallow and Cattleman’s Grill 8 Second Ride Carne Asada Seasoning.
- Serve topped with crisped carne asada, fresh cilantro, diced onions, crumbled cheese and Heat Maverick’s Anti Gravity Hot Sauce.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why grill the flank steak whole first, then split it into two treatments?
Charring the whole steak over charcoal first builds a base layer of grilled flavor. Dicing half into the soup and crisping the other half separately in a skillet afterward gives the dish two distinct steak textures instead of one uniform treatment throughout.
Why char the corn on the same fire as the steak?
Rotating the corn alongside the steak picks up the same smoky char flavor before the kernels are cut off and added to the soup base, instead of using plain boiled or raw corn.
Why build the soup base in stages instead of adding everything to the pot at once?
Softening the onions and peppers in tallow first, then adding the tomatoes, beans, and garlic just before the liquid, means each ingredient gets the right amount of cook time — the onions and peppers need longer to soften, while the tomatoes and garlic only need a brief cook to avoid turning mushy or bitter.
Why cube the American cheese instead of shredding it?
Cubed cheese melts down smoothly and evenly into the simmering broth, building a creamy texture without needing to make a separate cheese sauce first.
What internal temperature should the flank steak actually reach?
This recipe pulls it at 125°F, a rare finish. As a whole-muscle cut of beef, this is safe and standard practice — there's no minimum cook temperature requirement the way there is for ground meat.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
3 out of 5 — the soup base comes together entirely on the stovetop; a hot cast iron skillet or broiler can sear the steak and char the corn in place of the charcoal setup, though you'll lose some smoky flavor.
Recipe Highlights
Dual-textured steak: Diced into the soup and crisped separately for two textures.
Charred corn: Picks up smoky flavor from the same fire as the steak.
Staged vegetable cooking: Times each ingredient's addition to avoid overcooking.
Cubed cheese melt: Builds creaminess without a separate cheese sauce.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 10.78 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 552
- Carbs
- 28 grams
- Protein
- 40 grams
- Fat
- 31 grams
- Sodium
- 1500 milligrams
