Carne Asada Tacos made with marinaded skirt steak, then grilled hot and fast and sliced thin for the ultimate Taco Night meal.
A friend of mine recently showed me a recipe for Carne Asada she made for her husband’s birthday dinner. She expressed her disappointment because of the recipe and wondered why. She followed it to a T.
I read through the recipe and could immediately tell why. It was seriously lacking in flavor portions. There were several great sounding ingredients, but in poor proportions to the amount of meat it was suggesting.
So then I gave her a hard time. “Why didn’t you just use one of our recipes, silly?”
Aaaand then she called me out. “Well, it’s because you don’t have a ‘Carne Asada recipe on your site!”
And she was right.
We didn’t have a specific “Carne Asada” recipe at the time, BUT we do have plenty of marinated steak recipes. And in reality that’s what Carne Asada is — marinated steak.
What is Carne Asada?
Carne Asada is marinated steak (most commonly Skirt or Flank Steak), grilled hot and fast so as to get a nice char, and sliced for tacos or burritos.
Growing up in a Mexican-American household we ate a lot of marinated steak at home and also at restaurants, but I never really associated the meal with any specific recipe. Just really good, full flavored, grilled meat, that tasted damn good in tacos.
Demystifying Carne Asada
So instead of complicating anything here, we just wanted to demystify the idea of carne asada. We feel as if there is this perception that it is a secret meat that is hard to attain or cook. The reality is, carne asada is simply translated as grilled meat. That is it. Meat….grilled.
What I’ve discovered, however, is that this Mexican food favorite has close ties to one’s memory. There’s a strong nostalgia involved for those who seek to make it on their own. Those who crave it are yearning for something they remember from a favorite Mexican food restaurant. For the author of this article it’s bringing the flavors he found from El Torito. For this recipe, she found her inspiration from her upbringing in Southern California, and created her recipe inspired by the one and only Rick Bayless (ps, I’ve tried this recipe and it’s pretty darn delicious).
For me, growing up in Phoenix, surrounded by amazing Mexican food (a-hem, hi mom!!), it’s just a memory of great meals with family.
Going back to the recipe my friend showed me. What this recipe was lacking was a proper ratio of seasoning and flavors to the amount of meat. Many recipes we see will marinate the meat, then transfer it directly to the grill. What can happen, with the lack of flavors, is that the grilled meat won’t soak up enough flavor and the results will be bland.
What we do to bump up the flavor of these Carne Asada Tacos is to
- a) marinate with a balance of umami, citrus, acid, oil, then …
- b) we season it AFTER it has marinated. That way the flavor gets locked in and you won’t lose it in the grilling process.
The Best Cut of Meat for Carne Asada
Traditionally for carne asada the cut is often flank steak, hanger steak, or skirt steak. All are great choices because they take marinade well, cook fast and still have great flavor. Technically, you aren’t constrained to just those cuts, you can use any.
We like those specifically for the ease, and in this case we are using Snake River Farms Skirt Steak. (Flat Iron, Hanger, and Flank work great too)
- Skirt Steak comes from the underside or underbelly of the cow just behind the brisket. You’ll hear this area as the plate. Marinating them will help reduce any toughness in the meat, which can come across as chewy. You can see from the picture they can come in one long piece. Feel free to cut it into 2-3 pieces to fit the size of your grill.
Best Marinade for Carne Asada
Our marinade for skirt steak will feature acid, which will assist in helping tenderize the meat. There are tenderizer shakes you can use too, but I find apple cider vinegar, wine, or Worcestershire all do the trick well. In addition, skirt doesn’t take long for taking on the flavor. You can marinade for an hour and get nice flavor added to the meat (but we like to aim for 2 hours for full flavor).
We then add some citrus (a combination of fresh orange and lime juice), and some garlic and onion for added flavor (and also additional acid). You can also add jalapeño to add some spice, but the heat can vary from jalapeño to jalapeño. So for consistency we use red pepper flakes to insure the amount of heat we want to present to our guests.
Dry Rub for Carne Asada Skirt Steak Tacos
This is where that added kick of flavor comes in. We like to add the dry rub after it’s been soaking in the marinade. Pull the meat from the marinade and pat dry, then season with a rub of your choice (we like a mix of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika for this).
How to Grill a Skirt Steak
We are going hot and fast on this one. After you’ve applied the dry rub on both sides, place over direct heat for a few minutes on either side.
If you buy an entire length of skirt, you’ll want to cut it up into manageable pieces for the grill.
- You can cook to 125 degrees Fahrenheit for a tender and rare cut of beef or 135 for medium.
Cook to whatever your desired temp. Be sure you have a great instant read thermometer like the Thermoworks MK4 Thermapen!
How to Serve Grilled Skirt Steak
Slice against the grain and then serve with your favorite taco or burrito. It is that easy and delicious.
So for your next taco Tuesday, grab your favorite cut of meat and get rolling on your restaurant worthy carne asada.
Carne Asada Steak Tacos Recipe
Carne Asada Steak Tacos
Ingredients
- 2 lbs skirt steak
For the Marinade
- 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1 orange, juiced (approx 1/2 cup)
- 1 lime, juiced (approx 1/4 cup)
- zest of 1 lime
- 1/4 cup onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
Dry Rub
- 3 tablespoons your favorite dry rub (we like a mix of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika)
Instructions
- Place all marinade ingredients in a large gallon sized bag. Mix together. Add the steak to the marinade. Mix again. Seal tight, and place in a large bowl and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours, we cap at 6 hours to maintain the beef flavor.
- Heat grill nice and hot, and prepare for direct cooking.
- Remove the steak from the bag and pat dry (don’t worry about removing pieces of the onion or garlic). Discard any extra marinade.
- Liberally season your steak on both sides with your dry rub.
- Place on grill for direct cooking. Grill approximately 3-4 minutes per side (this will depend on size of your steak). It’s always best to check your temperature with a digital thermometer. We like 125 for rare, and also 135 for medium rare. *see notes Remove from heat.
- Let rest for 5-10 minutes and then slice against the grain, and serve as a filling for tacos or burritos.
Video
Notes
How to make Carne Asada Skirt Steak Tacos — The Video
Other Great Marinades for Steak
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Dana Engelman says
Is it okay to leave this marinating overnight? Is there a maximum number of hours the meat can marinate?
Love this recipe!
Thanks
Sean Martin says
Dana, while you can definitely marinate the meat overnight, for skirt steak we recommend 4 hours just to balance still getting a beefy flavor. But if easier to go overnight that is fine, the marinade flavor will just carry through more in the beef itself.
JOSE RAFAEL HERNANDEZ says
This recipe is fantastic. The marinade gives a great citrusy punch, but the flavor of the meat is not disguised. A winner!
Sean Martin says
Thank you!!!
José says
This looks beautiful. Do you mind sharing the proportions for the pico de gallo? Thanks!
Sean Martin says
José we will work on getting more exact details, but our rough portions are 1/2 a red onion finely diced. 1 jalapeno with ribs and seeds removed, finely diced. Then two roma tomatoes, also finely diced. Hot house work too, but we like the dense tomatoes that won’t fall apart. Then we add a touch of salt and lime juice. Cilantro every now and then.
JOSE RAFAEL HERNANDEZ says
Thanks a lot. Made it today and it was awesome!
Sean Martin says
Yesss!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback!
Lauren says
Delicious and so easy! This was the perfect amount of spice for me and my husband. Will definitely make this again.
Cassie B says
Hello!
I don’t have Worcestershire sauce, anything else I could use???? Soy sauce maybe? Or if not, maybe do without?
Sean Martin says
Cassie absolutely you can substitute soy for the Worcestershire sauce. I would use about 2/3’rds the portions because soy is much saltier in flavor.
Tracy from PA says
I made this recipe for my husband and he loved it. He says “ it’s a keeper” hi praise from the hubby
Voula Stathopoulos says
So good! The hubby raved about it! And the kids gobbled it up too! Happy family over here!
DAVID DUNSING says
What a great website. My wife and I are foodies and love to cook. Grilling and smoking is my forte. Belong to the Weber Kettle Club forum and have mastered cooking on kettle grills. It goes to show you do not need expensive equipment to make tasty food. Love this recipe. Can’t wait to make it for the first Sunday of NFL football.
Sean Martin says
Thank you so much for the feedback!!!
Dinah says
Your recipe sounds delicious, Would it be too much to keep the meat marinated overnight for a gathering the next day? Or is 2 hours the max time to marinade the meat? Loving your site. Glad to have found you. Thank you in advance.
Sean Martin says
Dinah, we find that if you go overnight or more than six hours, the marinade will take over the flavor of the beef. So it’s really about what you prefer for flavor profile. Experiment and see if you like it, and if it seems too strong then you can cut it back, but that is why we keep it to two hours.
Phil says
planning on making this again for Cinco de Mayo…was going to use hanger steak is that ok? ok to use this marinade for chicken also (no dry rub for the chicken though, only using dry rub for steak)? trying to keep this easy — thoughts or suggestions?
Sean Martin says
Absolutely! Hanger will run a little thicker so you may want to watch that for direct/indirect cooking. But absolutely!!
Phil says
going to make this for Cinco de Mayo…am planning on using hanger steak – thoughts? and going to grill chicken also for chicken tacos, was going to use same marinade for the chicken (no dry rub for the chicken just marinade, dry rub for steak only)….any thoughts or suggestions? i’m trying to keep this easy, thank you.
pamela says
I would love to make this ahead of time for a dinner party, but if I cook and reheat it, will it still taste the same reheated? Does it freeze well?
Sean Martin says
Pamela, you can certainly make in advance, but it won’t have that same fresh taste. Another option, marinate in advance, and remove from marinade and then grill when you are ready. That way it’s one less step.
Angie says
I made this lastnight. It was delicious. Thank you.
Sean Martin says
Thank you so much for the feedback and for following along!!!
David says
Great recipe! What are the amounts or ratios for each spice for the dry rub?
Mary says
Great question, we make a big batch – equal parts of each. 1/2 cup kosher salt, 1/2 cup coarse ground pepper, 1/2 cup garlic powder, and 1/2 cup smoked paprika. Then we grab and use a few tablespoons at a time.
Erin @ Platings and Pairngs says
The marinade sounds SO yummy! I love the umami flavors going on and imagine these tacos are just amazing!
Natasha says
Oh my goodness, this recipe looks amazing! So trying this out. Thanks for sharing!
Marlynn | UrbanBlissLife says
These tacos look so delicious! That steak looks absolutely perfect, Mary. We often have Taco Tuesday dinners at our house with the kids. We don’t cook red meat often, but when we do, I like quality steak and this would be great to try!
Mary says
Our kids get so mad if we skip a Taco Tues! It’s a must in our household 😉
Katy M. says
Yum! I can’t wait to have Taco Night with our favorite ex-neighbors and devour this scrumptiousness! Thank you for the recipe, sweet friend!!
Mary says
Yeah! Can’t wait!! And anytime you give us inspiration for a recipe we’ll make it happen 🙂