Red meat isn’t always on my plate, but when it is, I want something packed with flavor. One of my favorite beef dishes is tried and true carne asada. While this can be used in tons of ways, I always find myself coming back to a nice toasted corn tortilla topped with chopped carne asada, onions, and cilantro with a squeeze of lime.
With Carne Asada, you can most likely get away with any cut of beef. I choose to go with skirt of flank steak as most of the places seem to use these cuts in my experience. Many would argue that this cut is not typically known to be that tender, but prepared correctly it is tender and juicy.
Preparation
Skirt and flank steak need to be prepared properly or you ends up tough and unpleasant. First, trim as much of the fat as you can. You are not going to get it all and that is okay. While there is some argument that leaving the fat will help it to render and provide a more tender bite, I have not noticed enough of a difference to choose to leave it on. After you have trimmed the steak you also need to tenderize it. I recommend using a tenderizing mallet and give the steak a once over. On the thinnest parts you can tenderize it less, but on the thicker parts tenderize it well to attempt to get the steak to be more uniform in thickness.
Once trimmed and tenderized, the next key is to use a marinade with enough acid to help with additional tenderization. In this recipe you will be getting your acid from the fresh lime juice and a little bit of white vinegar. I recommend spices below that I use for the flavor profile that I want, but you can exclude those you don’t want and add others as you see fit.
Place your steak in a high wall dish like a 9×13 baking pan. Pour the marinade over and move the steak around and flip it to coat evenly. Cover the steak and marinade with cling wrap and be sure to rest it directly against the steak, pressing it down to ensure maximum marinade coverage and limited air gaps. I would recommend leaving this to marinade for a minimum of 4 hours or up to 24 hours. The longer you let it rest the more flavor will get into the meat and in theory the more tender it will become.
After marinating is done, get your grill going at a high heat to promote fast charring and caramelization of the exterior of the steak without having to cook long as it is crucial to not overcook skirt or flank steak to help keep it from being tough. Once preheated, lay out your steaks and be prepared to turn it quickly.
Sear your steak for 3-5 minutes on each side. It should be just reaching medium rare at this point, remove it from the grill to rest for 10-15 minutes. This is especially true if you are going to be finishing the meat in another preparation for tacos, burritos, or nachos. With a thinner cut like this, you will not be grilling for long.
Once rested, slice the steak, with the grain, into thin slices if you intend to cut it up further. If you will be eating the carne asada in strips, cut against the grain to promote a better texture and to prevent it from being tough.
Now you can either continue on for additional prep steps and make tacos or you can eat it just like this with your favorite sides. I was craving tacos as I made this so let’s continue on into the preparation steps I recommend.
Preparing Carne Asada for Tacos
Take the strips you cut and further cut them down into small pieces. Get a small skillet very hot and throw enough pieces in for your desired number of tacos. You are going to sear them like this only briefly to develop a little more crust and to reheat. I typically sear for up to 30 seconds, but not much longer.
Lightly apply a little moisture to the outside of a corn tortilla and toast them in a skillet to prepare for assembly. I typically double up my taco shells to help hold the taco together as I eat.
Assembly
Fill your taco shells with this delicious steak and top it as you see fit. I am very traditional when it comes to Carne Asada tacos. Street tacos that I have had in Mexico when I was younger, and at all of my favorite local restaurants, typically just garnish with chopped onion, cilantro, a lime wedge, and MAYBE some cheese but you can really top them as you see fit.
There you have it, tender and flavorful steak tacos that you won’t regret taking the time for!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Skirt Steak or Flank Steak trimmed
- 1/3 cup Olive Oil extra virgin
- 6 tbsp Lime Juice 3 limes
- 1/3 cup Orange Juice 1 large orange
- 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
- 1/2 cup Fresh Cilantro chopped
- 4 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 tsp Cumin Powder
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Chili Powder (various types) optional
- Salt to taste
- Black Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Begin by trimming your Skirt Steak to remove as much extra fat you can from the outside. Tenderize your steak with a tenderizing mallet and aim for uniformity in thickness. Set aside.
- Mix together all listed ingredients (except for the steak) in a bowl for the marinade.
- Place the prepared steak in a deep pan and pour the marinade over top. Move the steak around to ensure the marinade gets in and under any folds. Let rest for 4-8 hours.
- Heat your grilled to medium high. Once pre-heated, place the steak on the grill and cook to desired doneness. I recommend aiming for medium rare which can be achieved in about 5 minutes per side.
- Remove the steak from the grill and let rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes.
- Cut the steak against the grain and at a bias into strips. From here you can either enjoy it as is or continue on and use it to fill tacos and more!
- Chop the strips of steak into small pieces and place in a pan heated on high on the stove. Sear for approximately 30 minutes stirring constantly.
- Pour the meat into your desired number of tacos and top as you please!
- Recommended Toppings:Chopped OnionCilantroQueso FrescoLime Wedge
