What Meat Do You Use for Beef Carne Asada

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Ever wonder why your skirt steak isn't as tender as the one from your favorite Tex-Mex restaurant? Find out why and get the recipe for the best carne asada, perfect for fajitas, tacos, burritos, nachos and more.

Photo by Johnny Miller, Clarkson Potter 2021)

The carne asada, or Mexican-style grilled steak, at most Tex-Mex restaurants is made with skirt steak, but when I make carne asada at home, I prefer to use flat iron steak. It's an affordable, widely available cut that's almost as tender as filet mignon, and it's ideal for high-heat, quick-cooking methods like grilling. The main ingredient in my marinade is soy sauce, which may seem unusual, but it enhances the umami (meaty/savory) flavor of the meat. Additionally, the sugar in the marinade encourages caramelization on the grill, which amps up the flavor even more. You'll likely need to buy two flat iron steaks, but even if you're able to find a large one, it's best to cut it in half; the steaks will cook faster and you'll have more surface area to char on the grill. My family fights over the charred end pieces! Allow at least 4 hours to marinate the steaks.

What You'll Need to Make Carne Asada

The reason I prefer to use flat iron steak over traditional skirt steak for carne asada is that, when grilled at home, skirt steak is never as tender as is in restaurants. Restaurants buy skirt steaks pre-marinated and tenderized using a special process from commercial meat processors. According to BBQ expert Robb Walsh, these processors marinate tough skirt steak with enzymes that tenderize the meat – and they do their marinating in a commercial vacuum tumbler, which breaks up and stretches out the protein fibers. Furthermore, salt and phosphate are added to increase moisture retention, making the meat juicier. This process is impossible to replicate at home, so tender flat iron steak is a much better option.

Although I don't have them pictured above, feel free to include corn or flour tortillas as part of your meal. After you've sliced the carne asada, you can tuck it into a tortilla with extras of your choosing (think guacamole, sour cream, salsa, shredded cheese, etc.). You could even toss your tortillas onto the grill and heat them for about 45 seconds on each side to warm and brown them a bit.

Step-by-Step Instructions

To begin, using a fork, poke holes about an inch apart all over the steak (one side only). This not only breaks up the fibers of the steak, it also helps the steak soak up the flavor of the umami-packed marinade.

In a dish large enough to hold the steak, combine the soy sauce, lime juice, vegetable oil, sugar, cumin, chili powder, and garlic. Whisk to combine.

Place the steak in the marinade and turn to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 8 hours, turning the steak at least once.

Lightly oil the grill grates and preheat the grill to high. Make sure to wait until the grill is fully preheated, as the high heat what will give you a beautifully charred, smoky-flavored exterior. Grill the steak, covered, for 5 to 6 minutes per side for medium-rare.

Let the meat rest on a cutting board, tented with aluminum foil, for about 5 minutes, and then slice thinly against the grain. If you're not sure where the grain is, just look closely at the meat; you'll see lines running in one direction across it. Those are muscle fibers. Cut perpendicular to the lines to break up the muscle fibers and make the much more tender.

What To Serve With Carne Asada

• Cilantro-Lime Sweet Corn
• Restaurant-Style Salsa
• Guacamole
• Black Bean & Corn Salad
• Tres Leches Cake with Dulce de Leche Glaze

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Carne Asada

Ever wonder why your skirt steak isn't as tender as the one from your favorite Tex-Mex restaurant? Find out why and get the recipe for the best carne asada, perfect for fajitas, tacos, burritos, nachos and more.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons lime juice, from 2 limes
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1½ teaspoons ancho chili powder
• 3 large cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 pounds flat iron steak (see note)

Instructions

1. In a dish large enough to hold the steak, whisk together the soy sauce, lime juice, vegetable oil, sugar, cumin, chili powder, and garlic.
2. Using a fork, poke holes about an inch apart all over the steak on one side only. Place the steak in the marinade and turn to coat evenly (it doesn't matter which side is up). Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 8 hours, turning the steak at least once.
3. Lightly oil the grill grates and preheat the grill to high. Grill the steak, covered, for 5 to 6 minutes per side for medium-rare. Let the meat rest on a cutting board, tented with aluminum foil, for about 5 minutes. Slice thinly against the grain and serve.
4. Note: You may need to buy 2 separate flat iron steaks to get 2 pounds. Even if you're able to find one large steak, it's best to cut it in half into two smaller steaks -- they will cook faster and you'll have more surface area to char on the grill (we fight over the charred end pieces!).

Nutrition Information

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• Per serving (Nutritional data assumes only 1/3 of marinade is absorbed by steak -- 4 servings)
• Calories: 387
• Fat: 22 g
• Saturated fat: 8 g
• Carbohydrates: 1 g
• Sugar: 1 g
• Fiber: 0 g
• Protein: 46 g
• Sodium: 524 mg
• Cholesterol: 154 mg

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

Gluten-Free Adaptable Note

To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.

See more recipes:

• Beef, Lamb, Veal & Pork
• Dairy-Free
• Dinner
• Gluten-Free Adaptable
• Quick & Easy
• Mexican
• Tex-Mex
• Bbq
• Cinco de Mayo
• Flat Iron Steak
• Grill
• Labor Day
• Limes
• Memorial Day
• Spring
• Summer

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