Now just as much as I’m known for my cakes, I can get down on some steaks y’all. My carne asada is straight fire. I marinate that baby until it’s beyond juicy and filled with Mexican spiced flavor before I toss it on the grill. The flavors are bold, bright and perfectly seasoned. The reviews speak for themselves!
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How to Make Carne Asada
Step 1: Build that Marinade and Get the Steak Flavored Up
- Combine the olive oil, soy sauce, lime juice, cilantro, orange juice, vinegar, sugar, pepper, cumin, onion, garlic, and jalapeño pepper in a large zip-top bag. Use a whisk to mix them together.
- Add the skirt steak to the bag and marinate overnight or for at least 8 hours.
Step 2: Grill the Steak!
- Remove the steaks from the bag and discard the marinade. Sprinkle the steak with salt and pepper. Then grill the steak covered until it is golden brown, perfectly charred, and tender.
- Allow the steak to rest before slicing on a cutting board against the grain. Then serve it up with tortillas and lots of delish toppings!
PRO TIP: I recommend cooking the steak to at least medium rare or 140°F. The best way to check for doneness is by inserting an instant-read thermometer horizontally into the side of the steak. Just be careful not to touch any fat or the grill y’all.
Carne Asada Recipe
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Ingredients
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ⅓ cup fresh lime juice
- ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
- 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 3 tablespoons white vinegar
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ medium onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 jalapeño chile pepper seeded and minced
- 1 – 1 ½ pound skirt steak
- Salt and pepper to taste
- For serving: cilantro tortillas, limes, salsa verde, avocado, cotija, etc.
Instructions
- In a large ziploc bag, whisk together the olive oil, soy sauce, lime juice, cilantro, orange juice, vinegar, sugar, pepper, cumin, onion, garlic, and jalapeño pepper.
- Add the skirt steak to the bag and marinate overnight or for at least 8 hours.
- When ready to grill, liberally season the steak with salt and pepper.
- Grill the steak covered until it is golden brown, perfectly charred, and tender (cooked to medium rare, or 145°F).
- To check for doneness, insert an instant-read thermometer horizontally into the side of the steak, being careful not to touch bone, fat, or the grill.
- Allow the steak to rest before slicing on a cutting board against the grain.
- Serve with tortillas and garnishes of your choice and enjoy!
Notes
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- Fridge: You’ll want to wrap it up tight in some plastic wrap or aluminum foil and pop it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
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- Freezer: You can also freeze it for up to 3 months by wrapping it up super tight in plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
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- Reheating: Just make sure to thaw it in the fridge overnight if you froze it before reheating it. To reheat, you can either fire up a skillet or grill pan on the stovetop and cook it over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes on each side. You can also pop it in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10-15 minutes.
Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Patience on the Marinade: Marinate the carne asada beef for at least 8 hours, or preferably overnight. This time allows the flavors to fully penetrate and flavor up that meat boos.
- Pierce That Meat!: If you pierce the steak with a fork before you marinate, it’s gonna get that liquid to flavor the meet much deeper than it normally would.
- High Heat: Use a high-heat grill to cook the steak. This will create the perfect char on the outside of the steak while keeping the inside juicy and tender. And you wanna put that baby on direct heat too!
- Temperature: Cook the steak to medium-rare, or 145°F. Any more than that, the steak will be dry and tough. And nobody wants a dry steak!
- Let it Chill: Allow the steak to rest for a few minutes before slicing it. This will help to keep the juices inside the meat.
- Slice Against the Grain: Cut against the grain so you get the most tenderness y’all! That’s gonna give you the texture of the best carne asada.
Ingredient Notes
- Olive Oil: Avocado oil or a neutral oil like vegetable oil is fine to sub.
- Cilantro: If ya ain’t a fan, just replace with parsley.
- Steak: Flank steak is another option and looks similar to skirt steak but it is often less fatty and can be more expensive due to its popularity. Just fyi boos.
- Sugar: You can add brown sugar or even honey in place of the granulated.
- Lime Juice: Lemon juice is a great swap.
- Vinegar: Apple cider and red wine vinegar work great as replacements for white vinegar.
Serving Suggestions
- Carne Asada Tacos: The classic way to serve this up is by slicing super thin and adding to warm corn or flour tortillas with some salsa verde and guacamole.
- Burrito Rice Bowls: This is seriously so fantastic served over spiced up Mexican rice along with pinto beans or black beans, shredded cheese and avocado slices.
- Fun Mexican Fiesta Spread: Start off the meal with this bomb taco soup then serve up some chicken enchiladas, chicken fajitas, Mexican grilled corn on the cob, Mexican cornbread and guava empanadas.
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Recipe Help
The best meat to use for carne asada meat is skirt steak. It easily soaks up the marinade and cooks up with lots of flavor and juiciness y’all.
You probably overcooked boo. Or you may not have cut it the correct way. Make sure to let that steak rest up and then cut it across the grain so that it is perfectly tender boos.
You can easily make this by pan-searing in a cast iron skillet at a high temperature. Or you can broil in the oven for 4-6 minutes on each side.
More Amazing Steak Recipes
- Steak Au Poivre
- Peppercorn Filet Mignon
- Marinated Skirt Steak with Chimichurri
- London Broil
- How to Sear a Steak
*Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating and leave comments below!* Post a photo of how your version of the recipe came out on Instagram (using #grandbabycakes)!!
This post was originally published May 2018. It has been updated for new content and images.
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I don’t have a grill:(
How can I cook this on my stovetop?
Yes you can or in the oven.
This marinade sounds SO delicious, but I am not a fan of cilantro. Can I substitute it with another herb?
I am thinking about making this but just want to clarify: this recipe calls for skirt steak, but I make that all the time and can’t imagine 1 1/2lbs. being enough to feed 6 hungry adults. You didn’t mean flank steak? Also, skirt steak is so thin and cooks so quickly that an instant read thermometer would not only be unnecessary but rather difficult to insert. Thanks…it does sound delicious (and hope you don’t take offense at my question)!
Nope I didn’t but you can definitely use flank steak if you want. Totally up to you since the marinade is very adaptable.
Made this twice it two weeks. It’s that good!
I marinated my steak for 24 hours, and froze half of the meat for another time. I have to say that this is the best meat I have EVER tasted in my 68 years. I live in Texas so we have fajitas a lot, and after 30 years here I can still say this is the best fajita meat ever. Even the left overs tonight were so delicious. My next door neighbor (we live in townhouses) texted me last night and asked what we were grilling. I braced for a rebuke, but she said that their upstairs bedroom smelled delicious from our dinner. I told her what it was and she asked for the recipe.
Whatever you do, get some skirt steak and marinate away. Don’t change anything at all. Seriously so many say they do this and that, but I can tell you that Jocelyn cooks good food, and it does not need substitutions. I think I feel that way because we both learned to cook from our grandmothers in the Deep South, and there are no better cooks.
Wow thank you so so so much!!!! I love this recipe so much as well.
This is a delectable marinade..my family couldn’t get enough. In fact, next time I would add another steak, there’s plenty of marinade for 2.
A version of this has been on our family rotation for many years. I may have found the original recipe in the wonderful old Time-Life Food Around the World books. I like a thick sirloin if possible. The marinade may vary but cumin is essential. Always served at my house with flour tortillas, pico de gallo, guac, grilled peppers and onion, plus maybe other veg. It’s a true classic and summer should not be without it.
Can you use this recipe in crockpot?
I haven’t tried it in a crockpot unfortunately.
No! It must be charred to bring out the flavor and tenderness. You could try a hot cast iron pan, and that would be a close second to the grill.
I am absolute in LOVE with this!! cannot wait to get grilling
Hooray thanks so much doll!