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    Home » Main Dish » Carne Asada

    Carne Asada

    Published: January 23, 2023 · Jill Baird · 1 Comment

    grilled carne asada

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    mexican steak recipes
    carne asada marinade recipe
    quick carne asada marinade

    This easy and delicious Carne Asada Marinade Recipe has the perfect balance of sweet and spicy and makes the most tender carne asada. It is grilled to perfection and full of amazing Mexican flavors. 

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    This carne asada is an easy and versatile dinner recipe.  Wrap it in a warm tortilla to make it into carne asada tacos, make carne asada fries, or add a few of your favorite veggies on a bed of lettuce and you have a carne asada salad. This is the easiest flavorful marinade.

    The thing I love most about this carne asada recipe is the way the marinade tenderizes the beef and then when you grill it, you get that fire-grilled char on the outside. YUM! Add a little fresh Guacamole and you've got yourself a Mexican fiesta!

    Jump to:
    • What is Carne Asada?
    • Ingredients in Carne Adada
    • Easy And Authentic Carne Asada Recipe

    What is Carne Asada?

    The translation of carne asada literally means grilled meat. While that's a very simple translation. 

    Carne aside is a thinly sliced, grilled, or pan-seared beef served in tacos and burritos, and salads.  Almost any cut of beef can be thinly sliced into carne asada but it’s usually cut from the skirt steak or flank steak

    Carne asada means so much more than that to me and I'm sure, many of you.  When I'm wanting carne asada, I'm looking for tender strips of flavorful beef marinated in my favorite Mexican flavors, grilled to perfection, and served in a fresh taco shell with a burst of flavor in every bite.  What's your favorite way to eat carne asada?

    Where do I buy Carne Asada:

    You can find carne asada in most grocery stores in the spring, and summer months.  It's one of the most popular meats around Cinco de Mio. If your grocery store doesn't carry the pre-sliced carne asada, no worries, you can still make this recipe, just thinly slice flank steak or skirt steak at home, it works great too!

    grilling carne asada on the grill.
    What kind of meat is

    Carne Asada is usually cut from the skirt steak or flank steak but can be made from just about any kind of steak, just cut thinly and add to a marinade to ensure your carne asada is tender and juicy.

    Skirt Steak vs Flank Steak


    Skirt steak is a thin, long cut of beef from the diaphragm muscles of the cow. Skirt steak has an even more intense beefy flavor than flank steak. It does contain more tough muscles than flank steak, though, so should only be cooked to rare or medium-rare for the most tender texture.

    Flank steak comes from the flank of the steer below the loin and sirloin. It sits in the abdominal area of the animal near the bottom. It helps the cow to twist and walk, so the muscle works A LOT. It is tough, lean and has long thick muscle fibers.

    How to get carne asada tender?

    There are a few things that really make a difference if you want to make tender and juicy carne asada. Here's what you need to do…
    Use a marinade with lemon juice, lime juice or vinegar. The acidity helps break down the muscle fibers and will give you more tender meat.
    Don't forget to salt your meat. I like to add with when I place the meat on the grill. Season to taste.
    Let the meat come to room tempreture before you put it on the grill. Let your meat sit on the counter at room temp for about 20 minutes to take the chill off.
    If your meat is less than ¾" thick, don't close the lid when grilling. Cook on med/high heat to get those beautiful char grill marks.
    Hit the right internal temp. Use an instant read meat thermometer. Grill your carne asada to med, even med-well if desired. Just don't over-cook your meat.
    Let your meat rest after you cook it. After you have cooked your meat, cover lightly with aluminum foil and let it rest for 3-5 minutes to give the juices a chance to re-distribute.
    Slice the carne asada against the grain. This will make it easier to eat and in the end, will make your meat more tender.

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    Ingredients in Carne Adada

    • Avocado Oil- This will give your carne asada so much flavor, keep it tender, and help get those char lines when cooking
    • Garlic- adds so much flavor!
    • Orange Juice, Lemon Juice, Lime Juice- this trio of cirtrus will give your carne asada so much flavor and gives your marinade the acidity to help break down the fibers in the meat.
    • Cumin, Garlic Powder, Oregano- A blend of Mexcan Spices.
    • Salt-salt to taste when cooking. This will also help make your carne asade even more tender.
    • Jalapeno- optional-seeded and minced (because it's cooked, it adds just a little spice)
    • Cilantro-Optional, but t adds a lot of flavor but if you don't like cilanto, just omit
    how to cook carne asada  the best carne asada tacos in corn tortilla shell with avocado.

    What to serve with Carne Asada:

    You can serve carne asada with or in all kinds of dishes.  One of our favorite ways is to serve it with spanish rice, cilantro rice, roasted broccoli or this Cilantro Quinoa recipe. You can also sub it for the protein in this burrito.

    How to make Carne Asada Tacos

    Carne Asada Tacos start with perfectly grilled flank or skirt steak.  Once you have that covered, the options are endless.  We like to heat a little butter in a pan,  warm the corn or flour tortilla, sprinkle a little cheese on the pan, and crisp it up.  Do that to both sides of your tortilla and you've really leveled up your taco game.  Add some shredded cheese, sour cream, fresh salsa, and a sprig of cilantro and you've got yourself the best carne asada tacos in all the land!

    Here is another Super Sweet and Spicy Chipotle Carne Asada Recipe we love.  It's more spicy and sweet too. 

    grilled carne asada
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    Easy And Authentic Carne Asada Recipe

    This easy and delicious marinade recipe makes Authentic Carne Asada.  The carne asada is grilled to perfection and full of amazing Mexican flavors.  This is a quick and easy carne asada recipe!
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Mexican
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 20 minutes
    resting time 5 minutes
    Total Time 30 minutes
    Servings 6 people
    Calories 435kcal

    Ingredients

    • 2 lbs Flank Steak Skirt Steak, or pre-sliced Carne Asada (plan ⅓ lb of uncooked meat per person)

    Carne Asada Marinade

    • 2 Tablespoons Avocado Oil or any vegetable oil
    • 2 Tablespoons Garlic Minced
    • ¼ cup Orange Juice
    • 1 large Lemon Juice juiced
    • 1 large Lime Juice juiced
    • 2 teaspoon Cumin
    • 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
    • 1 teaspoon Oregano
    • 1 teaspoon Salt
    • ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
    • 1 large Jalapeno optional-seeded and minced (because it's cooked, it adds just a little spice)
    • ½ bunch Cilantro Leaves Chopped, Optional-It adds a lot of flavor but if you don't like cilanto, just omit

    Toppings for Carne Asada Tacos

    • 12 small Taco Shells Corn Tortilla or small, 6" flour tortillas work great.
    • ½ cup Shredded Cheese
    • ⅓ cup Sour Cream
    • ½ cup Fresh Salsa
    • 1 large Lime cut into small chunks to individually squeeze on the tacos

    Instructions

    How to Tenderize the Carne Asada

    •  It is important to tenderize the steak. Use a tenderizing mallet or the bottom of a pan. Briefly pound the steaks on one side, turn them over and pound again.  This, along with the marinade will help your carne asada be tender, juicy and full of flavor. 

    How to Make the Carne Asada Marinade

    • Wearing rubber gloves to protect your hands, wash and then slice the jalapeno in half.  Use a small spoon to scoop the seeds out. Discard the seeds.  Dice the jalapeno into small chunks.  
    • Wash the cilantro and use a knife to cut into small pieces. 
    • In a gallon sized Ziplock bag, add the Avocado Oil, Minced garlic, orange juice, lemon juice, lime juice, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt, pepper, minced jalapeno, and chopped cilantro leaves. 
    • Add the beef steak to the marinade. Let the meat marinade for 2-24 hours.  

    How to Grill Carne Asada

    • If you're using the thicker flank or skirt steak, grill the steak over a medium-high flame for 7 to 10 minutes until it reaches 130°F for medium-rare, 10 to 12 minutes until it reaches 140°F for medium. (The steak will continue to cook once you’ve removed it from the grill.) 
    • If you're using the pre-sliced carne asada, lay the carne asada on the grill and cook on med-high heat for 2-3 min or just until the meat is seared.  Use a meat thermometer to ensure you don't overcook the meat. 
    • Transfer steak to cutting board and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.
    • Find the grain of the meat.  (It will run one way.  You are going to want to cut against the grain.  If your grain runs lenght-wise of your meat, cut the meat width-wise)
    • Serve this delicious carne asada on a tortilla shell with your favorite taco toppings. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 435kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 104mg | Sodium: 597mg | Potassium: 657mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 240IU | Vitamin C: 15.6mg | Calcium: 134mg | Iron: 3.4mg

    Other Beef Recipes we love:

    • Easy Slow Cooker Roast Beef
    • Beef and Broccoli Teriyaki
    • Sweet and Spicy Carne Asada
    • Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos
    • Asian Beef Kabobs
    • Easy Chili Recipe--30 min
    • Chili Lime Steak Bites
    • Garlic Butter Steak Bites
    • More Beef Recipes

    If you’ve tried this recipe, please rate it and leave a comment on this post. I love hearing feedback from you helps me and other readers too! If you love Pinterest,  feel free to leave a comment and photo there too.  Also, if you like to share, use the hashtag #thecarefreekitchen on Instagram and tag me @thecarefreekitchen so I can find you and give your post some love. You can also find me on Facebook at The Carefree Kitchen. Thank you!!

    The best carne asada marinade recipe served with favorite taco toppings.

    This easy and delicious Carne Asada marinade recipe makes an Authentic Mexican Fiesta.  The grilled carne asada is perfection and full of amazing Mexican flavors.  This beef recipe is quick and easy. Carne Asada recipe all day every day, yo!

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