Fantastically Flavorful Homemade Carne Asada Recipe | Foodal (2024)

It’s time to fire up those grills, my friends.

As a Coloradan, I have to admit, I’ve been firing up my grill all year long. Even through the snowstorms outside, my grill has been humming along.

Now that the weather is getting warmer, it’s time for my grilling ritual to become a bit more enjoyable. Instead of running in and out of the house, trying not to freeze to death while I cook, I can now enjoy the weather and my patio.

After the insane weather here over the last couple of seasons, it’s a serious savior to my mood. There’s nothing like some fresh sunshine to lift your spirits after a hard day.

When you’re looking for the best carne asada recipe, once you’ve acquired a giant piece of skirt or flank steak, it’s all about the marinade.

If you really want to make the most flavorful carne asada, you need to be sure to let the steak soak up that marinade for as long as possible.

The marinade is crucial to this recipe because it tenderizes the meat while infusing it with intense flavor. And you really don’t need a lot of ingredients to make this mixture stand out.

This marinade is so quick and easy to make, with a bunch of bold flavors. There’s garlic, citrus, cilantro, and smoky ancho chili powder to pull it all together in a wave of deliciousness.

It’s the best way to really make that beef flavor shine, you know?

My most crucial recommendation here is to use the freshest ingredients. Make sure you are using freshly squeezed lime juice and that you are mincing up whole cloves of garlic. Use the best cilantro bunch you can find.

Why? For the best, boldest flavor, of course! Fresh ingredients are at their peak of flavor, and that’s when you want to grab them for this recipe, whether it’s from the farmers market, supermarket, or your backyard garden.

The other factor that is really important when you’re making carne asada at home is of course the cut of beef.

There are several cuts that work for carne asada, from sirloin to tenderloin, but the majority of recipes call for flank or skirt steak.

I’ve tried them both, and I like skirt steak the best. It’s really flavorful and if you are lucky (aka up early and in the door at your local butcher when it opens in the morning), you can get a giant, gorgeous slab of meat like the one you see here.

When you are going to slice your steak just before serving, be sure that you are slicing it against the grain. It’s pretty easy to figure out which direction this is in the flank and skirt steak cuts. The grain looks like lines, so you don’t want to cut parallel to those lines.

Instead, make sure you are cutting perpendicular to them. When you cut against the grain, you end up with the best slices with a nice texture that isn’t too chewy.

Sliced this way, the meat will be tender and tasty, with so many delicious flavors bursting from the dish. You won’t believe just how much difference that simple marinade will make.

Be sure to check out the concluding section of this article to explore all the different ways that you can serve up this tasty meat!

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Cooking By the Numbers…

Step 1 – Prep Produce and Measure Remaining Ingredients

Zest 1 lime. You should have about 2 teaspoons of lime zest total.

Juice 2 limes, including the one you just zested. You should have about 4 tablespoons of fresh lime juice in total.

Peel 2 cloves of garlic and mince finely.

Roughly chop enough white onion until you have 1/4 cup total. Save the rest for another use. And say goodbye to those onion-cutting tears with our suggestions!

Chop enough cilantro leaves until you have 1/4 cup total.

Measure out all remaining ingredients as listed in the ingredients list.

Step 2 – Make Marinade

Add the whole flank steak to a large resealable bag.

In a medium bowl, stir together all remaining ingredients. Pour over the steak in the bag.

Seal the bag and shake to evenly distribute the liquid and seasonings. Place in the refrigerator, with the flat side down.

Refrigerate 1-3 hours, turning once halfway through to redistribute the liquid.

Step 3 – Grill

Preheat your grill.

Once the grill is hot, remove the steak from marinade and place it on the grill. Grill until cooked to your desired doneness. This should take about 5 minutes per side for medium rare.

Measure the internal temperature with a thermometer before removing the meat from the grill. You are looking for 130-135˚F for medium rare, 135-145˚F for medium with an internal thermometer. Be sure not to cook past medium or the steak will become tough and dry.

Remove from the heat and let the meat rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.

And when you’re slicing, be sure to cut against the grain. If you need more tips, read about our favorite carving knives for home kitchens and find out how to choose the best wooden cutting board for your kitchen.