Ingredients

2 chuck steaks cut closest to the prime rib, each 3/4 inch to 1 inch thick, or 2 rib steaks, 1 inch to 1 1/4 inches thick (each about 1 1/2 pounds)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
24 corn tortillas, preferably handmade (or the freshest machine-made you can find)
1 pound mild white cheese, such as queso asadero, California Monterey Jack, or Wisconsin Muenster, cut into strips, 1/4 inch by 1 inch by 3 or 4 inches
6 fire-roasted pasilla chiles or 10 Anaheim chiles (directions follow), sliced, or equivalent canned green chiles, sliced

Nogales Steak Marinade
6 garlic cloves, mashed with 1 teaspoon kosher salt in a mortar or on a cutting board
3/4 cup fresh sour orange juice (from Seville oranges) or 1/4 cup fresh orange juice plus 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons tequila (optional)
2 tablespoons ground chiles (ancho or New Mexico)
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil

Garnishes:
1 cup Lime-Pickled Red Onions (recipe follows)
Salsas of your choice, such as green chile salsa and salsa cruda

Flavor Step: To make marinade, combine garlic, juice, tequila, chiles, cilantro, oregano, salt, pepper and oil for marinade in a bowl and whisk together, or put the ingredients into a food processor and pulse briefly.
Lay 1 steak in a nonreactive dish. Puncture the meat all over on both sides with a fork or skewer. Pour over half the marinade. Put the other steak on top and repeat the process. Reverse the steaks to make sure that both are well covered with the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, turning the steaks occasionally to ensure full penetration of the marinade.
About an hour before grilling, remove the steaks from the refrigerator. Soak 6 mesquite wood chunks or 2 cups of mesquite, oak, or hickory chips in water. Fire up a covered charcoal grill with about 60 briquettes or the equivalent of mesquite charcoal. When the coals are completely covered in gray ash and you can hold your hand over them only for a count of two, scatter the mesquite chunks or chips over the coals.
Remove the steaks from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Put the steaks on the grill and cover the kettle immediately. Adjust the vents so that no flare-ups occur. Cook until steaks are done to your liking, 6 to 8 minutes per side for medium-rare to medium. Set the steaks aside on a platter and cover loosely with foil to keep warm while you prepare the tortilla-cheese setups.
Preheat the oven to 300 F. Briefly heat each tortilla over the direct heat of the grill to soften it (or heat each tortilla in a heavy skillet over high heat to soften). Heat the tortillas only enough to make them pliable, so they don't crack when folded over the cheese. Place 2 pieces of cheese on each tortilla and fold in half. Wrap 6 or so folded tortillas in foil, and keep warm in the oven. Repeat the process for all 24 tortillas. It takes about 10 minutes to heat the folded tortillas in the oven and barely melt the cheese — don't keep them in the oven too long or the cheese will ooze out. Pay attention to timing: if you put the tortilla packets in the oven when the steaks are done and let the steaks rest for 10 minutes, that should work out fine. You can leave the tortillas in their foil packets for serving or, if you'd like to be more authentic, wrap them in large cloth napkins or dish towels.
To serve, cut the steaks against the grain into strips 3 to 4 inches long and about 1/4 inch thick. Put the bones on a separate platter. Set out the fire-roasted chiles, pickled onions, tortilla-cheese setups, guacamole and salsas, and encourage your guests to go for it. Pass the steak bones for true carnivores to gnaw on. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

To fire-roast chiles or bell pepper:
Char or blister the peppers, turning occasionally, over an open flame or under a hot broiler. Put them in a plastic or paper bag for 10 to 15 minutes or so to sweat and loosen the skins. Scrape off the skins and remove the stems and seeds. You can wash the peeled pepper under cold running water if you want, but this can reduce the flavor slightly.
Be careful when handling hot chiles. Use rubber gloves or wash your hands thoroughly after touching them.

Lime-Pickled Red Onions

1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried

Directions

Mix all the ingredients together and let the onions marinate for at least 3 hours at room temperature. The onion mixture will keep for up to 4 days, covered, in the refrigerator. Try the onions with tacos, burritos and quesadillas. They're great on sandwiches, too, from roast beef to grilled cheddar cheese. You can also use them to liven up grilled fish or chicken breasts. Makes 1 cup. Recipes from "The Complete Meat Book — A Juicy and Authoritative Guide to Selecting, Seasoning, and Cooking Today's Beef, Pork, Lamb, and Veal" (Houghton Mifflin) by Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly.