Carne asada
After many disappointing attempts to make carne asada using marinade recipes I found on the web, I decided to go back to basics. In this recipe, I'm going with a fairly simple rub of salt and the basic Mexican spices, with just a light drizzling of lime. The final destination of my current batch of carne asada is tacos over the coming week, but nibbling on the pieces as I was slicing the steaks confirmed that it would be delicious as a steak dinner, served with rice and beans, or used in burritos or fajitas.- A good hot grill or a large cast iron skillet.
Ingredients
- 1 flank steak (2-3 pounds)
- Juice from 1-2 limes
Rub
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- Drizzle some lime juice on both sides of the steak. Mix all rub ingredients together, and massage into both sides of steak. Let steak sit for at least 20 minutes.
- Start your grill, or put your skillet on the stove in plenty of time to get it nice and hot.
- Toss your meat on the hot metal of your choice. For medium-rare I figure on 4-5 minutes per side with my grill.
- Let rest at least 15 minutes before slicing. Cut across the grain so you have nice short muscle fibers.
For a carne asada dinner, that's all you need to do. Just serve it up with some Mexican rice, black beans, tomatillo salsa, leaf lettuce and tortillas, and you have a wonderful dinner. For fajitas or burritos I cut the strips into about 2-inch lengths so you don't pull everything apart with each bite.
For tacos or nachos I cut the strips into pieces about 1/4 inch long, and toss them into a hot skillet for a few minutes, till they are browned all the way around, and heated through. I drizzle some salsa juice onto the meat and let it caramelize for a little extra flavor. Just toss the meat onto some soft corn tortillas, lightly heated with a spritz of oil, and top with a little salsa, and you are in taco heaven.
You can freeze up strips of the cooked carne asada by laying them in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Once frozen, you can put them into a freezer bag and you can have taco fixins that should keep for a couple months.