Carne asada is absolutely mouth watering. Whip out the outdoor grill, flex your home cook muscle and throw a fiesta for the books.
You can now make your own Street Tacos with this recipe!
Carne asada is a great dish to make when you are hosting a large crowd. Grab as much flank steak as you need to feed your guests and marinate it overnight.
Carne asada might already be one of your favorite dishes to order from your local taqueria. From tacos to nachos to burritos to salads, this beef can be used in so many different ways.
What Exactly is Carne Asada?
Carne asada, or “grilled meat” in Spanish, is a Mexican BBQ dish of grilled and sliced beef. This dish is a real budget bite, as it calls for flank or skirt steak — two notoriously cheap cuts. Since you marinate these traditionally tough cuts overnight in herbs, citrus and soy sauce, they tenderize wonderfully. This results in a melt-in-your-mouth flavor experience!
Marinade for Carne Asada
When I say it’s all in the marinade, I mean it! Great carne asada starts with a super flavorful marinade. For this recipe, you will combine parsley, orange slices, lime juice, soy sauce and green onions.
How to Make Carne Asada
- Slice your orange into thin pieces, rind intact.
- Place flank steak with oranges, cilantro and green onions into a ziplock bag. Drizzle with soy sauce.
- Squeeze lime juice all over the top.
- Remove the steak from the marinade. Grill the beef on each side until golden brown and internal temperature reads 145 °F.
- Place the meat on a cutting board. Allow it to rest for at least 10 minutes of minutes before slicing it into strips. Serve right away!
Tips for Making Carne Asada
Over the years, I have learned all there is to know about making the perfect carne asada. Follow my tips below to prevent making any rookie mistakes:
- For perfect strips, cut your beef against the grain. Don’t know how to spot the grain? It’s easy — there are natural lines that run along a cut of beef. These lines are fibers. If you cut across them, your strips will come out more uniform and maintain a nice tender bite.
- Use a Ziploc bag for marinating the beef. You can also marinate the beef in a bowl, just make sure that it is completely covered and airtight.
- Crank your grill up to high-heat. Carne asada needs a perfect crust on the outside to be considered top-notch. Also, this is a thin cut of meat, so it will cook extremely fast!
- Hot tip: Don’t have a grill? Snag a grill pan and make carne asada right on your stove top. I mean — you shouldn’t have to miss out on the fun, right? About 5 to 7 minutes over medium-high heat should do the trick.
- If you don’t like second-guessing yourself, use a meat thermometer to check the doneness. A 145 °F internal temperature makes for a perfect medium-rare.
- Hot tip: Refrain from overcooking your carne asada. Anything past medium-rare will result in an unpleasantly tough bite.
What Should I Serve my Carne Asada with?
From healthy to more indulgent, carne asada pairs well with just about anything. I mean…I have been known to nibble on it straight off the grill, but if you have the self-control make it a well-rounded meal…
- If you are going the taco route, snag some corn tortillas, pico de gallo and avocado. I don’t have to tell you what to do from here…
- Whip up my Black Bean Corn Salad and use it as a side or a salsa.
- Trying to keep things keto or low-carb? Top a Tortilla Salad with carne asada.
Other Mexican Food to Try
Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 lb beef flank
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1 bn fresh cilantro
- 1 medium orange
- 2 small limes
- 4 green onions
Instructions
- Prepare ingredients for the carne asada.
- Chop cilantro, green onions and place them in a ziplock bag or in a dish. To the greens add soy sauce.
- Add beef and squeeze lime juice and orange juice to the mix. Dont get rid of the skins, add them to the marinade. Leave meat to marinade for at least 4 hours.
- Grill beef until it's golden brown on both sides and external temperature reads 145 °F.
- Serve beef right away. It is delicious when wrapped in tortillas with avocado, tomatoes, salsa or other veggies.
Okay to broil this in the oven if you don't want to fire up the grill?
Hi Lynn, I am sure that will work! I have not tried it myself, so I am interested in the result. Wishing you the best of luck. Enjoy!
I love Mexican BBQ’s so this recipe got me really excited! I prepared this at home for my family and it was so tasty and tender. It’s perfect for our taste!
Goodness! thank you, so happy to hear!
So stink'n good! The seasoning was perfection!
Hey Stephanie, thank you! I am so happy you enjoyed it.
This looks so good and so easy. My husband loves carne asada but I've never made it. For some reason, I thought it would be harder. I'm adding this to the menu next week.
Hey Krissy, perfect for Cinco de Mayo! 🙂 Enjoy.
what do you do with a lime in this recipe? do you slice it or use its juice?
You would add lime juice to the marinating meat. I will add a note to the recipe, great catch 😉
thanks; also change 1 bunch fresh presley to a parsley
is there a specific beef type that is best?
Flank would be a good cut because it's so tenter. But you can use any cut you choose.
Oh yum! Do you think cilantro would work in this recipe? I can allready imagine myself eating (I mean, scarfing) this down 😉
You can use cilantro or parsley, personally for me cilantro is way too overpowering. Digestive system could suffer from scarfing down lol 😉
This meat is delicious...Where my parents live in Washington, they buy the meat already prepared with the spices and oranges...its so delicious..
Yes, in WA we do have a lot of stores that sell it. I use to buy it for years but always wanted to try making my own. Now I am sticking to this recipe 😉
Where can I buy this meat already pre-seasoned? I'm sooo tempted to make this! Just waiting for my hubby to buy a new grill! The one from last year gave up on us 🙁 Also one question: what is the name of this beef if I decide to buy it plain not seasoned? Like what would the package say this meat is called? Thank you 😉
I would stop by at random Hispanic stores. Most of them sell it. The label said Carne Asada beef at Winco Foods.