The BEST Carne Asada
Grilled steak in an authentic, citrusy marinade with Mexican spices. Made with outside skirt steak, it is the BEST carne asada you will ever try!
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 2 lbs outside skirt steak or flap meat
Marinade
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1/4 onion sliced
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp Mexican oregano
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp white vinegar add 1 more tsp if you like it more tangy
- 1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 limes)
- 1/4 cup orange juice (about 1 small orange)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup light beer or ginger beer to make it halal
- 1-2 jalapeno cut in half lengthwise
- 1/4 bunch cilantro roughly chopped
Instructions
- Over medium low heat, roast the garlic cloves (with the skin on) in a pan and cover for 5 minutes or until the garlic is soft and browned on all sides.
- Peel the skin off and add the roasted garlic to a molcajete (mortar) with 1 tbsp of kosher salt. Grind to make a garlic salt paste.
- Add chopped onion and lightly press with the pestle to release some juices.
- Add the vinegar, lime juice, orange juice, olive oil, beer (or ginger beer to make it halal), and spices. Mix well by scraping the bottom of the molcajete to incorporate all of the garlic salt paste.
- Mix in the cilantro and jalapeno.
- Trim off the silver skin membrane and any excess hard pieces of fat, but not too much because fat = flavor. Skirt steak comes in a long strip with the grains running perpendicular to it's length, so I recommend cutting it into 6 inch pieces to fit on your grill and give you more control.
- Pour marinade over the skirt steak in a container and massage into the steak. Marinade in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours max. Take the marinated steak out of the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before you cook it.
- Shake off excess marinade and grill over SCORCHING high heat (at least 600 degrees F). The timing will depend on how thick your steak is and your desired doneness (see recipe notes for a timing guide below). I add the jalapeños to the grill and just use a skillet for the onions. You can also cook it on a cast iron skillet if you don't have a grill. Get it really hot and lightly oil it before searing the meat.
- Let the steak rest for 5 minutes on a cool surface before cutting into it! This is very important, do not skip the resting period.
- Cut the steak against the grain and enjoy :)
Notes
- Marinate max 4 hours; longer can make steak mushy.
- Best cuts: outside skirt steak, flap meat, or flank steak.
- Beer substitute: beef/chicken broth, or ginger beer (it's non-alcoholic)
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Cooking time guide (high heat, per side):
- Rare: 2–3 min
- Medium-rare: 3–4 min
- Medium: 4–5 min
- Medium-well: 5–6 min
- Well-done: 6–7 min
- Rest 5 min before slicing to retain juices.
- Slice against the grain for maximum tenderness.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 500kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 143mg | Sodium: 1914mg | Potassium: 797mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 434IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 5mg
