Carne Asada
by Chungah
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Juicy, tender authentic carne asada! Made with the most flavorful easy marinade, marinating overnight. Cooks so fast on the grill or stovetop!
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Why you’ll love this carne asada recipe
- Easy, simple, flavorful marinade. A simple marinade of cilantro, olive oil, soy sauce, orange juice, lime juice, garlic, jalapeño, and cumin will tenderize the meat and lock in moisture, infusing it with so much bright citrus-y, zesty flavors to yield the juiciest, most tender flank steak.
- Make-ahead friendly. Marinate the steak ahead of time, preferably overnight, for the easiest, most effortless prep. It will come in so handy for quick weeknight meals or entertaining weekend company, ideal for all occasions.
- Quick-cooking. This recipe is perfect for a quick, fast sear on a hot grill or cast iron grill pan to get that favorited charred crust, cooking in just minutes!
- Versatile recipe. Carne asada has so many uses – as an entree with rice, salsa and guacamole or stuffing tacos, burritos, quesadillas, or even everyone’s favorite nachos.
What is carne asada?
Carne asada, translated to “grilled meat” in Spanish, is thinly sliced steak marinated in citrus juices and then grilled or seared for that smoky, charred flavor.
What cut of meat is used for carne asada?
Carne asada is typically made with flank steak, skirt steak, or flap steak, all absorbing marinades exceptionally well.
- Flap steak: a slightly thicker cut with loose, open-grained texture (less stringy), and has more marbling (fat) than skirt and flank steak
- Flank steak: wider and flatter cut of meat that is leaner than skirt steak, and much more accessible in grocery stores
- Skirt steak: has a higher fat content than flank steak, and crisps up incredibly well on a hot grill for those charred edges
key ingredients in carne asada
Carne asada gets its signature flavor from a bright acidic (citrus-heavy) marinade – this helps to tenderize the meat, gently breaking down the tough muscle fibers to yield juicy steak.
- Meat: flank, skirt or flap steak
- Citrus and acid: fresh orange and lime juice, and soy sauce (the secret ingredient for deep umami)
- Oil: olive oil (to coat the meat to prevent sticking and to encourage the perfect, smoky char)
- Aromatics: cilantro and garlic
- Spices: cumin, salt, and pepper
- Heat: jalapeño (optional)
How to make carne asada
- Prep the marinade. Combine the cilantro, olive oil, soy sauce, orange and lime juice, garlic, jalapeño, cumin, and pepper. Save 1/2 cup of the marinade in the fridge for later.
- Marinate. Marinate the steak for at least 4 hours to overnight, not exceeding 8 hours or the meat will turn mushy.
- Prep the grill. Preheat the grill to high heat (about 450°F) and scrape the grill grates clean to prevent sticking, and to guarantee those perfect sear marks on the steak.
- Prep the steak. Discard the marinade and pat the steak dry using paper towels – this is key for that crust!
- Cook the steak. Add the steak to a hot grill (or cast iron grill pan) and sear the meat quickly, reaching an internal temperature of 125-130°F for medium-rare.
- Let it rest. Let the steak rest for at least 5 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute.
- Slice. Thinly slice the steak against the grain, perpendicular to the direction of the muscle fibers to keep the meat tender.
- Serve. Serve warm with the saved marinade alongside rice, beans, corn salsa, guacamole and warmed tortillas.
MAKE-ahead, STORING AND FREEZING carne asada
Make-ahead
The marinade can be made 1 day in advance, or the steak can be marinated up to 8 hours.
Leftovers and reheating
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, reheating in the oven at 250°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through.
Freeze before cooking
Transfer the marinated meat to an airtight, resealable freezer bag. Label, date, and freeze up to 3 months. To cook, thaw overnight in the fridge and cook as directed, adding a few more minutes of cook time as needed.
Freeze after cooking
Let cool completely. Transfer the meat to an airtight, resealable freezer bag. Label, date, and freeze up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge, reheating in the oven at 250°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through.
what to serve with carne asada
Tools For This Recipe
Cast iron grill pan or large cast iron skillet
Carne Asada: Frequently Asked Questions
Flank steak, skirt steak, or flap steak are all solid options here.
Because this is a citrus-heavy marinade, marinate 4 to 8 hours, preferably 8 hours. Marinating longer than 8 hours will lead to mushy steak.
Patting the steak dry will allow for a better sear and crust. If there is too much moisture (marinade) left on the steak, the meat will steam instead.
Carne asada can be grilled over high heat or on the stovetop in a cast iron grill pan or a large cast iron skillet (especially during those winter months when it’s too cold to grill out).
The meat may not have been marinated long enough, it could have been overcooked (going past medium – an internal temperature over 140°F) or it was sliced incorrectly with the grain. Let the meat rest for at least 5 minutes, and always slice against the grain, perpendicular to the fibers.
Carne asada can be served as a platter with tortillas, rice, beans, and various toppings, or diced into bite-sized pieces for tacos, burritos, burrito bowls, salads, quesadillas, or nachos.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Carne Asada
Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 ½ pounds flank steak
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine cilantro, olive oil, soy sauce, orange juice, lime juice, garlic, jalapeno, cumin and 1 teaspoon pepper; set aside 1/2 cup of the mixture in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine steak and remaining cilantro mixture; marinate for at least 4 hours to overnight, turning the bag occasionally. Drain the steak from the marinade.
- Preheat grill to high heat. Using paper towels, pat both sides of the steak dry; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Add steak to grill, and cook, flipping once, until desired doneness, about 3-6 minutes per side, reaching an internal temperature of 125-130°F for medium-rare. Let rest 5 minutes.
- Thinly slice steak against the grain and serve with reserved 1/2 cup cilantro mixture.
Notes
- Use a hot cast iron grill pan. When opting to cook indoors, a heavy bottom pan, such as a cast iron grill pan or large cast iron skillet, retains heat much better than a nonstick skillet, allowing for even cooking, a better sear and smoky, caramelized flavors.
- Use reduced sodium soy sauce. Reduced sodium has less sodium and less salt without compromising flavor. The soy sauce will also add flavor, saltiness and umami to the marinade.
- Freshly squeezed orange and lime juice is best. While bottled orange and lime juice can work in a pinch, freshly squeezed is ideal here for its vibrant, stronger flavors.
- Avoid marinating for too long. The high acid content from the orange and lime juices can break down the muscle fibers if marinated for too long, making the meat mushy. Marinate the steak 4 hours to overnight, ideally overnight (about 8 hours).
- Scorching hot and fast is the way to go. Carne asada should cook hot and fast. Preheat the grill to high heat, about 450°F, searing 3-5 minutes until charred and crusted, reaching an internal temperature of 125-130°F for medium-rare. Anything past medium (140°F) will be dry.
- Let your meat rest. Let your meat rest for at least 5 minutes prior to serving, allowing the juices to redistribute – this will allow for maximum flavor and juiciness.
- Slice against the grain. Always slice perpendicular to the direction of the muscle fibers – this will shorten muscle fibers, leaving you with more tender (less chewy) pieces of meat.
- Dice for tacos. Once sliced against the grain, cut the steak crosswise into smaller cubes for tacos (or burritos!).
- Double the sauce. Need extra sauce for tacos or burrito bowls? The sauce portion can easily be doubled or tripled for those saucy folks!
Did you make this recipe?
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I made this with elk steaks- Marinated for 8 hours. It was so delicious! My husband said it was the best carne asada he’s ever had and my 7 year old loved it. Thank you for another great recipe!!
Excellent recipe! My husband isn’t a big fan of cilantro but he said he could eat this meat every day. I usually don’t have an orange lying around so I use 4TBSP canned pineapple juice. SO yummy! This meat is very versatile and can be served in tacos, salads, rice and so much more. My mouth is watering just thinking about it 🙂
I love this marinate! I used it last night on my flank steak! It turned out amazing, really flavorful! 🙂
I love this recipe so much! I’ve made it several times and there are never any leftovers. I highly recommend the overnight marinade for the fullest flavor and don’t forget to set aside some for serving! I made that mistake once.
Wow! This is a must try recipe. Thanks for sharing.
I used minced garlic from the jar I.l.o. and I threw in half the Rhine of each Orange and lime. Only marinated for about 5 or 6 hours. I don’t think that’s long enough. Overnight or at least all day maybe. Other than that I followed the recipe and ingredients. I liked it enough to share it with a coworker. And we are already making plans to make it again. For the meat, I used Aracherra that is thinly sliced. After cooking it I sliced into cube sizes for the tacos. We had pinto beans and cilantro lime rice to go with it and, of course, some fresh made tortillas. This recipe is tasty but not spicy. If you want the heat then you’ll have to adjust your peppers and seasonings.
I didn’t notice any garlic flavor and suggest using fresh garlic clove instead of the jar stuff. Or use more than called for if you favor garlic.
I like the recipe and the flavor and will make it again.
Thank you for this!!! I have made this recipe probably 6 times now, and it is INCREDIBLE. The best carne asada I’ve ever tasted. I think my husband falls a little more in love with me every time I make it. LOL
This was so good! Everyone in my family loved and said I need to make it again. Thank you for such a great recipe!
This is delicious! The only thing I did different, because I don’t currently have a grill, is I cooked this in my instant pot with 1 cup of beef broth for 12 minutes and a 10 minute natural pressure release time. Thank you for a great recipe! I will definitely be making this again and again 🙂
I should specify that I cut the meat into thin slices and marinated it overnight before cooking in the instant pot.
Delicious. Our Mexican meat market closed down due to the pandemic and our family panicked. They made the best Carne Asada marinade. I decided to try this recipe and found it to be pretty close. Love it on flank steak or also called skirt steak.
Delicious on chicken also. I always grill.
If I was making this to use in tacos for 150 people, what would you recommend for cooking? Should I grill it the day before and keep put it in a warmer tray the day of or would that over cook it?
This carne Asada recipe is nothing less than great! Both of my sons complemented how yummy the dish was and it was a such simple recipe to follow. Your recipes are so reliable with minimal failure rate. Thanks so much ChungAh,
I added about a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and juice of half a lemon. It was an amazing meal! Definitely making this again.
I made this. It was amazing. So delicious. My boys gobbled it. The rating that matters in my house – it is a “do again”.
Dang this is good. Made it as written.
I used skirt steak and a Weber charcoal grill. Made a hot fire and because the skirt steak is so thin, only grilled for about 3 mins a side – perfect.
Fwiw we wanted leftovers so we got two 1 lb steaks – the marinade amount worked fine for the added meat.
I substituted Adolfo’s meat tenderizer instead of salt, added parsley, and chopped sweet onion. If you want it spicy keep some of the jalapeño seeds.
This recipe is no joke. Absolutely freakin’ delicious. Only had time to marinate in the refrigerator for a couple of hours but it still turned out spectacular on the grill. Will definitely make this again soon.
Holy guacamole, these were DAMN Delicious. This marinade absolutely killed. Used it for the carne and the pollo, served with tortillas, black beans, orange cilantro slaw and all the fixings. Thanks for grilling advice. We regularly have 7 adults and plenty of guests. 6 lbs of meat and barely any leftovers. Can’t wait to make it again!
Orange cilantro slaw??? That sounds amazing! Do you have a recipe for that?
YES!!!
Please share!
How much orange juice do you need
Can I cook this steak in the Instant Pot ?.I don’t have a grill.Thanks.Vesna
Vesna. Carne can be grilled in the oven if you don’t have a grill. Broil like any other, but remember, flank steak and flap steak (which is what my Mexican market sells for Carne Asada. Just remember, any of the very lean meats, like flank steak, should be grilled or roasted much less than steaks with higher fat content. stop broiling sooner rather than later (if you have to, make one slice, if it is TOO rare, then try some more, but once you’ve over broiled…it get tough.
Flank steak if not over coooked is a wonderful steak. And so is carne asada. There’s some in my fridge right now. We grill enough for lunches the rest of the week. 45 seconds in the microwave gives enough heat to make it great again.
I did not have flank steak as labeled on the package bought from a rancher and it was flap steak which I think is kinda of the samething. I also rotated it every couple of minutes while on the same side. Then flipped after 6 minutes. Did the same on the other side. Best thing I have tried. This is a must recipe. Better than any skirt steak.
My two housemates are Central American. Carne is the equivalent of an American hambuger for hosting a get-together. What you want is a very lean beef that you season and quickly grill (or, if you have no other options, oven broil.). Too well done and it gets tough. But seasoning well, and marinating for a sufficient length of time are the keys. Flap steak is the typical meat–carne–sold for carne asada, but many US groceries, esp. other than in the SW or big cities, may not carry flap steak, hence flank steak. So flank steak is fine. So is flap steak. The key is not to over cook, which makes it tough. We have carne in the reefer right now. We do enough on the weekend for the whole week if we grill. I put a piece in the microwave for 45 seconds and it is warmed again and quite reasonable for a midweek lunch or supper. One of my favorite meats. [PS: Carne serves the same place as a hamburger does in the US for having friends over for grilling. Come on over, and I’ll put a piece of carne on the grill, “Carne con cerveza” beef and beer. Means carne asada and beer or other soft drinks