I always tell my friends that I’m unable to become fully vegan/vegetarian due to my love for carne asada tacos (and shabu shabu, Korean BBQ, etc…). It’s true; there’s something about a simple, marinated meat that I can’t ignore, and the craving hits at least once a week for me.
There’s a low-key dive bar by my house that serves up THE best carne asada, hands-down. Ryan and I went there on our first date, on a Taco Tuesday, despite the fact that I actually hate dive bars. Nonetheless, I agreed to go to try out these so-called “amazing” carne asada tacos. I was thinking to myself, “Really, a dive bar? There’s no way they have good tacos”, and arrived to our date with the bar set very low. To my surprise, the carne asada they cooked up was absolutely delicious – some of the best I’ve ever had, and I’ve had a LOT of carne asada. Since then, I’ve set out to create the best carne asada I can possibly make at home. While I don’t think I’ll ever find out the exact secrets of the dive bar chef’s carne asada, I will say that I think I’ve gotten pretty damn close.
“Carne asada is rooted in the centuries-old practice of raising herds of cattle in Sonora in Northern Mexico. The ranching tradition dates back to the 1500s when Spanish colonizers first arrived. Carne asada became a local fixture as the cow business boomed. By the 1950s, 85% of Sonora was used for cattle ranching.”
– mashed
Carne Asada Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 lb Flank Steak (or skirt steak)
- 6 cloves Garlic (chopped)
- 1 cup Fresh Cilantro (chopped)
- 1 cup Orange Juice (from 2 juiced oranges)
- 1.5 tsp Ground Chili Powder
- 1.5 tsp Ground Cumin
- 2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 tbsp Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
- 3 Limes (squeezed)
Instructions
- Chop garlic and cilantro and add into a bowl. If using fresh oranges, use a juicer to extract 1 cup of orange juice. Add to bowl with garlic and cilantro.
- Add chili powder, cumin, apple cider vinegar, and lime juice to the same bowl. Mix well to combine.
- Then, add flank steak into bowl and gently coat steak with marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 1 hour or up to 24 hours for best results.
- After steak has finished marinating, heat a skillet on high heat and cook until medium-medium rare, about five minutes. Alternatively, cook on an outdoor grill over mesquite charcoal for a smoky infusion; just be sure not to overcook. Remove from heat to let steak "rest" for 1-2 minutes.
- Chop into small pieces and serve in street-sized tortillas with desired toppings.
Watch my video on how to make this recipe by clicking here.
