maple chipotle flank steak tacos

by Katie | Mar 28, 2014 | Main Course, maple | 23 comments

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You guys, you HAVE to try this recipe for maple chipotle flank steak tacos! Today a few friends and I are talking all about pure maple syrup recipe. Plus what actually happens inside the sugar maple trees to make the sap run.

I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but this spring is really starting to annoy me. And that’s putting it nicely. We normally would be waist deep in sap by this time in March. You can read about our backyard maple sugaring adventures here and what I like to cook for the friends who come to help here.

But instead we have had record breaking cold temps and our trees haven’t been able to do their thing here. (See more about how they do their thing in the blue box below.) There has been some sugaring here in Vermont, but we live in the foothills of the Green Mountains, at about 1,000 ft. altitude, so it is just cold enough here that we haven’t had a run yet.

Here’s what actually happens inside the sugar maple trees to make the sap run, and why the conditions have to be just so for a run to happen. It starts off when the temps start to dip down for the winter. That’s when the sugar maples flush the water content out of its tiny twigs and branches to protect them from freezing solid and therefore be at risk for damage in the bitter cold temps. The tree produces sucrose to replace it. The sucrose won’t freeze, so the maple tree is protected. Then in the spring when the days get up above freezing, but it is still cold at night, the ground starts to thaw and the tree will take up water from it’s roots again to flush out the sucrose. We tap into that flow and draw off the sucrose water. It’s really dilute compared to maple syrup. It actually takes about 50 gallons of sap to boil down to one gallon of syrup, depending on the sugar content of the sap itself. Read more about maple sugaring here and here.

The worst part is that, this year we upgraded our system, note I’m use the word “system” lightly, see above^^^, to double the number of taps and we even got a mini evaporator from Craigs List.

You can see the old set-up here. So my husband is all excited about the new rig and he hasn’t even gotten a chance to use it yet. He is beyond excited that it is supposed to be warm enough today for a run so he’s taking the afternoon off so he can get going! Fingers crossed that it will run.

And today just so happens to be the day my blogging friends and I are having a maple recipe link party!
Yankee Kitchen Ninja | Boozy Maple Bacon Jam

Spiced Blog | Maple Pecan Coconut Granola Bars

Cookin’ Canuck | Healthy No-Bake Maple Banana Cookies {Vegan}

Bakeaholic Mama | Maple Ice Cream Sandwiches made with Maple Custard and Maple Bacon Fat Cookies

Ari’s Menu | Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites

And below my taco recipe you’ll find even more recipes with pure maple syrup from all over the blogosphere. Bloggers, if you have a pure maple recipe you’d like to link in, the link-up is open until Sunday, March 30th at 4:00 PM EST. And tweet it out with the hashtag #maplelinkparty .

Now on to this recipe.

Just make the marinade, let the flank steak marinate overnight for best flavor. Then grill it, and serve it in tacos with this yummy zippy coleslaw and avocados. It is naturally gluten free and a smokey sweet and tangy mapley celebration in your mouth. What is your favorite maple recipe?