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This Grilled Carne Asada is one of my favorite Mexican dishes! I love it in burritos, tacos, breakfast burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, and simply over our Mexican Rice. The possibilities are endless!
Carne Asada is so versatile! You can’t go wrong with the right recipe. A special thanks to my friend Karla for giving me the idea for this recipe. You are amazing!
There is a little taco truck close to where we live that has THE BEST carne asada burritos. The taco truck serves shredded cabbage instead of shredded lettuce on their Carne Asada burritos. It makes all the difference. I had to add cabbage to this recipe! Yum!
Carne Asada Marinade
One of the secrets to this delicious recipe is the marinade. Made with fresh citrus, jalapeños, garlic, cilantro, soy sauce, vinegar, and more, there is so much flavor in this marinade! The process of soaking meat enhances the flavor of the meat. Generally marinades use an acid — like vinegar or citrus juice — to change the surface texture. You can marinade all kinds of meats, but in the case of this Mexican dish, having the marinade on beef turns it from a regular meat into an over-the-top flavorful meal.
Frequently Asked Questions
At least an hour, but 6-8 hours to overnight is best. Because the marinade is highly acidic, you don’t want to marinade longer than 12 hours because the acids in the marinade will start to break down the muscle fibers in the meat and your carne asada will become mushy.
Carne asada meat is just thinly sliced steak, most commonly skirt steak. The skirt steak comes from below the rib. Skirt steak is known to be very flavorful, although not highly tender.
Cooking carne asada to medium-rare means leaving a little pink in the center, and this is fine. This can make for a meat that is a little more tender. If you want to be sure that you have cooked your grilled meat through properly while leaving a little pink in the center, insert a meat thermometer. It should read 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Enjoy!
Read More: 75+ Best Mexican Recipes
Something on the Side
We’ve got things started for you with this delicious meat. But if you want to turn this meat into a meal with any of the following side dishes.
- Sweet Corn Cakes (Tamalitos) are a sweet, yet savory side to any Mexican feast. Bursting with flavor and creamy, plus they’re so easy to make!
- Cheater Restaurant Style Refried Beans are amazing served with any Mexican dish. Creamy consistency and delicious flavor.
- Mexican Rice rivals anything you can get in a restaurant. It has the perfect consistency and just the right amount of seasoning.
- Easy Chicken Flautas are a great dinner if you don’t have a lot of time, but still want a family-pleasing meal.
How To Make Grilled Carne Asada
Grilled Carne Asada
Ingredients
- 2 pounds carne asada or skirt steak sliced very thin
Marinade
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup beef broth
- juice of ½ orange
- juice of 1 lime
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 4 ounces diced chilis
- 2 tablespoons diced jalapeno
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 bunch bunch cilantro stemmed and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1 teaspoon green Tabasco sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon ground Mexican oregano
Instructions
- Combine marinade ingredients and place in a Ziplock bag.
- Add the beef to the bag, separating slices of beef so they get evenly covered. Squeeze out all the air from the bag and seal tightly.
- Allow to marinate at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours.
- Heat grill to medium high and place meat on grill for about 1-2 minutes on each side. The beef is thin and will cook quickly.
Looks so delicious!! I’m looking forward for Cooking that dish. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Growing up, my mom made a lot of Mexican food, but she never mastered carne asada. Your recipe makes delicious carne asada & it isn’t hard at all!
Yum, yum!! I love when I find a good carne asada recipe. This recipe is delicious! The meat is tender & flavorful. We use it in so many things!
Thanks a lot for sharing this carne asada burritos recipe! It’s really easy to make and amazingly flavorful! Will surely make this again and I really highly recommend this recipe!
This is a family favorite! So tender and juicy. I love making a salad or burrito with the carne asada!
This is my new favorite recipe for carne asada! So yummy!
The family loved this carne asada. This was my first time ever making the dish so I was thrilled.
I don’t see the recipe for the carne asada. Anyway you can email it to me. I would love to surprise my daughter with this meal. THANKS
Hi Stacie, I’ve just updated the recipe to include the recipe for the carne asada. You can see it here:
/carne-asada-and-carne-asada-burritos/
Hey! I don’t see the recipe for the marinade? I’ve made it before and loved it. Did you take it off the site?
Not intentionally! I will try to find out where it went. Thanks for letting me know!
Is chipotle peppers with adobo sauce the right kind? Do they make peppers in adobo that aren’t chipotle?
Well, I have something to look forward to next summer already then!
No 🙁 Last week was the last week until next Spring
Sounds yummy! Is the farmers market still open this summer?
@Amy– It's at the Liberty Lake farmer's market. It's called Jalapeno Jeaven. I CRAVE his burritos!
Jesse always orders this at Mexican Restaurants. I'm so glad you posted this one! I've never tried to make it at home. Where is this "local" truck that sells the burritos? I'd love to take Jesse and get one sometime.