Carne Asada, or "roast meat" is a Mexican dish that's commonly associated with barbecues. The spices used vary by region, but carne asada is almost always made with thin, cheap cuts of beef such as skirt steak or hanger steak. They may not be the most tender cuts, but boy howdy! they sure pack a wallop of flavor.
Not only does this Carne Asada do a good job balancing the salt and spices with the fresh tang of limes and cilantro, it's cheap, and easy to make. The marinade helps tenderize the meat, and if you're rushing off to a mid summer barbecue, you can always add a bit of kiwi to recruit the services of its enzymes. These microscopic thugs will gleefully beat the crap out of any uncooperative strands of protein in the meat.
While you could just grill this up and eat it like a steak, I like chopping up the Carne Asada and stuffing it into fresh homemade tortillas to make tacos. It's also great in a torta with some avocado and cilantro.
My original Carne Asada post from over two years ago was the second post on this blog. It was back before I had the patience to photograph my food, and long before I started to measure and document the ingredients and steps. I debated whether to post about it again, but Carne Asada is one of my favourite preparations for beef, so I figured I should do it justice with an updated post.
📖 Recipe
Units
Ingredients
- 1 skirt steak (or 2 hanger steaks)
marinade
- 1 limes (juiced)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup cilantro (minced)
- 1 Serrano chilli minced (to taste)
- 1 tablespoons garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoons ground coriander
- ½ teaspoons Mexican oregano
- ¼ teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt (less if using table salt)
- ground black pepper (to taste)
- 1 tablespoons kiwi pureed
garnish
- ¼ cup sweet onions (minced)
- ¼ cup cilantro (minced)
- 1 batch corn tortillas
Instructions
- Combine all the marinade ingredients in a large Ziploc bag. Kiwi has a powerful enzyme called actinidin that breaks down protein, making it a great addition to the marinade if you don't plan on letting the meat marinate overnight. Taste it and add more salt or sugar if needed. It should be relatively salty, but not so salty that it burns your tongue. The sugar is a personal preference thing. If you like it sweeter, add more sugar. Add the meat to the bag, squeeze out as much air as you can and seal the bag. Let this marinate for at least 1 hour, or preferably overnight in the refrigerator.
- When you're ready to grill the meat, remove it from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature. This helps ensure the Carne Asada will cook evenly. If you're using a broiler, move the rack to the top position and turn the broiler on high, with a grilling rack on top of a baking sheet. Scrape any excess marinade off the meat and place the meat on the grill. Cook until nicely browned on one side, flip and brown the other side. Skirt steak will cook much faster than hanger steak, so be careful not to overcook it.
- Transfer the Carne Asada to a cutting board and let it rest for at least 5 minutes. Use a sharp knife to roughly chop up the meat then add it to a bowl with the sweet onions, cilantro, and any juices that accumulated on the baking sheet or cutting board.
- Serve the Carne Asade with fresh tortillas and Pico De Gallo.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Eric, this looks like another victim of a platform migration I did last year (it used to say 1-2), thanks for letting me know, it's fixed now.
Eric Randal Young says
12 Serrano chillies, minced (to taste) sounds like a lot of chili heat is the 12 correct or or was it supose to be 1-2 chili peppers
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Thomasina, it depends on how much jalapeño you add. If you leave it out, it's not spicy at all, if you add a lot it can be very spicy.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Haven, since Carne Asada just means "grilled meat" it's preparation varies a lot by region. My guess is they're probably used to having less lime in the marinade as lime is usually a condiment that's squeezed on top. They're also probably used to the meat being more tough because both lime juice and kiwi tenderize meat.
Haven says
All MY friends and family who have not tried Carne Asada loved LOVED this recipe. I even had a family friend who doesn't eat meat loving it!
Haven says
I tried this recipe and my hIpband and all his friends are from Sqn Luis Potosi, Mexico and he has been missing his childhood favorites! I looked up different recipes n fr. The pic's this was by far the closest thing to his mother's. But him and his friends Liked it A LOT but said the taste was different. They buy it fr. The Mexican stores in the area as well. Any suggestions on what could be the difference? ? They like there food HOT oh so I did add a little extra Serrano pepper.
Dan says
I marinate all my Elk and Antelope steaks with this recipe, all my guests say it is the most tender and tasty meat they have had.
Marc Matsumoto says
Try the kiwi, it tenderizes the meat enough that with the grain is fine.
Guest says
Looks like a great recipe, and I'll need to try the kiwi. I have heard papaya used for the same reason. One tip though, in the photo the skirt or flank is cut along the grain. These types of cuts in particular should be cut against the grain.
gojiberry says
Thank you endlessly for the tip about kiwi puree!
My beloved is from the heart of Mexico's ranch lands, and trying to mimic that incredible texture in your average cut of mass produced skirt steak is almost impossible...until now! 🙂
gojiberry says
Thank you endlessly for the tip about kiwi puree!
My beloved is from the heart of Mexico's ranch lands, and trying to mimic that incredible texture in your average cut of mass produced skirt steak is almost impossible...until now! 🙂
Lauren says
This is my go to Carne Asada recipe, love the garlic flavor that comes through every time I make it. I always "taste test" it when I'm chopping it up. Such a wonderful and easy meal
Marc Matsumoto says
As long as you're not using fillet, you should be able to soak the meat for quite some time before it turns mushy. With Hanger steak I usually let it marinate for a day.
Ann says
I love your blog Marc. If I were to use kiwi puree, how long can I "safely" marinade the meat without it going mushy on me? Thanks Marc.
Marc Matsumoto says
Wow you have a lucky 2 year old! That looks like quite a spread:-)
Marilia says
LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe. This is now our go to flank steak recipe. We have probably made it 6 times since I found it 4 months ago. We made it for my daughter's 2nd b-day. There were NO left overs!!! And we ended up sharing this recipe with several of the party goers.
Everything we made for the party (including a link back here) is at: https://notyournormalsteam.wordpress.com/2012/08/20/duck-a-palooza-part-2-food/
johnny b says
I am so hungry to try this recipe for carne asada i can hardly wait thanks
Monica says
I don't know if you've ever had "typical Carne Asada that you find on the street in Tijuana" but it blows "high-end serious Mexican" cooking in the US out of the water! My family is from Mexico and when we go eat tacos on the street in Tijuana, it is some of THE most fabulous tasting meat I have ever had in my life. And you're right, there are many variations of how they marinade their meat. However, with a good cut of beef that's freshly slaughtered and has been grain fed, (which is typical in Mexico unlike US mass-food production) all you need is some salt and pepper and the quality of the meat will speak for itself.
Monica says
When I make carne asada, I squeeze in some green lemons, oranges, slice some jalapenos, onions and bell peppers, add in a dark beer like modelo negro or XX, a pinch of cumin, salt and freshly ground pepper. Let sit for a couple of hours and we're in business.
AZ Sky says
Thanks to watching Chopped in Phoenix, AZ tonight, I discovered your blog. I agree Carne Asada is an easy dish to make with many possible variations. Thanks for yours!
RehabNurse says
It is wild to see you on "CHOPPED" & look up your web page. Your recipes read as great dishes, especially the Carne Asada! Your pictures are wonderful.
The Chic Boutique says
I love Carne Asada! I used to have this all the time on real thin sliced steaks and it is awesome. I was so happy to find the recipe so that I can have this in Ohio now!!!! THANKS SO MUCH!!!!
Nya hus says
It was such a great inspiration for me and i would like to share this beautiful
Golddyjh9 says
i have a sony a330. those pictures are really nice. and i need some new lenses. also, i made the carne asada and so far its turning out great!
Marc Matsumoto says
The bottom 2 shots were taken with a Sony a100 and the top one was taken with a Sony a550. I think I used a Carl Zeiss 24-70mm f2.8 lens for all of them.
Golddyjh9 says
What kind of camera did u use?
Volleyballgranny says
Thanks for reposting--with the measurements and pictures! Cutting against the grain IS the way to go--the meat just melts apart. Thanks, again!
Drillinagain says
Your recipe sounds great. I have one tip. Noticed in the pic you were carving with the grain which seems from the cut to be the way to go. Try dividing the slab then cutting against the grain..i know i know..sounds silly but it truly makes a HUGE difference.
maria says
I made this for Super Bowl Weekend, the whoooole family loved it! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Pandorazbox says
I made this today, and it was amazing!!! Thank you so much for the recipe, it tasted exactly like my favorite restaurant.
Marilia says
Mexican food by far it my favorite! If I had to choose one kind of food to eat for the rest of my life I would without a doubt choose Mexican. I have tried a few recipes for carne asada but I like trying new ones because you never know what you might get. Mexican Recipes are great because there are many different variations on how to prepare meals and even the smallest differences can greatly impact the taste. I work with Better Recipes so I am always reviewing recipes and I cannot wait to try this one later this week.
Bob says
Pardon me, but I don't think Marc ever stated this was a traditional recipe. Doesn't need to be traditional to be delicious. Additionally, you may be confusing typical Carne Asada that you find on the street in Tijuana with high-end serious Mexican cooking that you may find in a top notch restaurant. Places like that DO marinate their carne with various spices as Marc suggests.
Bob says
Pardon me, but I don't think Marc ever stated this was a traditional recipe. Doesn't need to be traditional to be delicious. Additionally, you may be confusing typical Carne Asada that you find on the street in Tijuana with high-end serious Mexican cooking that you may find in a top notch restaurant. Places like that DO marinate their carne with various spices as Marc suggests.
Marilia says
You are making my mouth water... Going to try this tonight. 🙂
Tyneherrera says
That would just be bland tasting meat on the grill!
bigchile says
im mexican and i never heard of this marinade but im gunna try it, new mexican flavor nothing wrong with trying new things
Adrianna from A Cozy Kitchen says
I've been "stumbling" a.k.a. procrastinating for the past hour, and this post of yours has inspired me to go get Mexican today for lunch. Unfortunately the only place around here isn't going to have these tacos!
Adrianna from A Cozy Kitchen says
I've been "stumbling" a.k.a. procrastinating for the past hour, and this post of yours has inspired me to go get Mexican today for lunch. Unfortunately the only place around here isn't going to have these tacos!
-D- says
Nice, I started adding kiwi to recipes like this myself after coming up short on tomatillos one time, they fit into salsa verde and guacamole quite nicely.
Ann of Pressure Cooker Reviews says
Thanks for the recipe. I will definitely try this one...I am fond of mexican foods.
Meseidy says
Drooooool.....Mmmmm, my favorite. The add of the kiwi is most "intellesting".
Meseidy says
Drooooool.....Mmmmm, my favorite. The add of the kiwi is most "intellesting".
Brooke says
Mexico is a big place... perhaps in another region or state they do it that way.
Angie says
THIS IS NOT HOW YOU MAKE A TRADITIONAL MEXICAN CARNE ASADA!
U DO NOT MARINATE THE MEAT WITH ALL THAT CRAP LISTED ABOVE, U JUST USE SALT AND PEPPER AND LET THE MEAT STAND BY IT SELF
Angie says
THIS IS NOT HOW YOU MAKE A TRADITIONAL MEXICAN CARNE ASADA!
U DO NOT MARINATE THE MEAT WITH ALL THAT CRAP LISTED ABOVE, U JUST USE SALT AND PEPPER AND LET THE MEAT STAND BY IT SELF
Sammy Shine says
Are you married? 😉
Good stuff!
Sammy Shine says
Are you married? 😉
Good stuff!