Are you a fan of Mexican food? Although most of us would probably say yes to this, those who live in big cities know just how delicious Mexican food can be. As someone writing to you out of Los Angeles, street meat taco stands are the lifeblood of this city. Even if you don’t live in a city, though, you may want to step your taco game up a level or two by making a more authentic and delicious steak filling. If you’re one of these people, we have just the recipe for you.
One of the classic taco fillings is a juice and slightly crispy carne asada. To get a truly authentic flavor, you probably had to go to a taco stand or to a nice restaurant in the area. Fortunately, we have a perfect recipe for carne asada that you can make right at home. It’s incredibly easy to make and it has sweet, fruity flavor that perfectly balances off the meatiness. So what are we waiting for? Let’s get started.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 2 juiced limes
- 4 cloves of crushed garlic
- 1/2 cup of orange juice
- 1 cup of chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- 1 minced jalapeno
- 2 tablespoons of white vinegar
- 1 flank steak (two pounds)
Here’s what you do:
1. To begin, make sure you have a giant resealable freezer bag on hand and fill it with your lime juice, crushed garlic, orange juice, cilantro, salt, pepper, olive oil, minced jalapeno and vinegar. Let the air drain out of it before sealing it and squeezing or shaking the contents to combine everything.
2. Without any additional preparation, drop your whole flank steak into the bag and seal it up again, letting the air out. Once again, move the meat around in the bag so that it’s completely coated in the marinade, squeezing to get it in any hard-to-reach places. Throw the bag in the refrigerator for at least two hours, though you can also leave it overnight for even more flavor.
3. When you’re ready to cook, make sure you have an outdoor grill turned on high. Take the flank steak out of the marinade and get rid of the excess. Throw the steak on the grill and let it cook for about seven to 10 minutes on each side.
4. After your steak is done grilling, take it off the heat and let it sit for about 10 minutes. When you’re ready, get a sharp knife and slice your steak into thin slices against the grain of the meat. Have some hot tortillas and other toppings ready so that you can serve fresh tacos right away!
As you can see, the secret to a delicious carne asada is truly all in the marinade. Letting your meat soak up all that citrusy, garlicky flavor will ensure that you have truly delicious meat to fill your tacos with. Although the directions we’ve given should lead to meat that’s done about medium-well, you can adjust the time as you see fit to get the exact level of done-ness that you need. As always, give this recipe a try and tweak the marinade however you like to make the perfect taco meat. Let us know how it goes!
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