Authentic Carne asada tacos, or Mexican street tacos, are easy to make and start with a nice cut of flap steak. Flap steak, widely used in Spanish cultures for carne asada, is a boneless, coarse grained, well-marbled cut of beef also referred to as a bavette.
by Guest Blogger @WyldGourmet
Carne asada actually means “grilled beef.” It is a cultural dish that is grilled and sliced, usually after a marinade and some seasoning, and grilled over a fire for a charred flavor. In the north of Mexico when someone invites you to a “carne asada” it’s a social gathering.
Three things that will make carne asada great:
- The right meat. You need a meat that is sliced thinly (this is why the flap steak is so awesome, it is already done right for this.) It needs to be cut thin because it is only cooked briefly so the edges will char and the rest will cook through quickly.
- Flavor. You can kill two birds with one stone by infusing some great flavor and simultaneously softening the texture of the meat with a great marinade.
- Heat. The flap steak has to be cooked on High heat.
Choose a beautiful piece of flap steak, marinate it with some deliciously infused flavors (marinade recipe below) and head out to a hot grill. NOTE: If you do not have a grill you can always broil the flap steak on high heat in the oven or cook it on the stove top in a large, heavy skillet – preferably cast iron – on high heat.
Carne asada is great with a good homemade pico de gallo which means “beak of the rooster.” It’s believed to be called that because it was originally eaten by being pinched between the thumb and forefinger; or, because the serrano pepper resembles the shape of the roosters beak.
Carne Asada Marinade
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- Juice of one whole lime
- 1 cup orange juice
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp pepper
- 3 Tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
Directions:
Mix all the ingredients in a large Ziploc bag or a glass bowl. Place the flap steak into the mixture and coat well. Leave in the marinade over night turning the steak from time to time to insure full infused flavor.
Carne Asada Taco
Remove the flap steak from the marinade and scrape off the chunks of cilantro and garlic. Heat the grill, broiler or cast iron skillet to a high heat and cook both sides of the steak for 6-8 minutes. Use an internal thermometer and remove the steak from the heat when it is 5 degrees from the desired doneness. The edges should get a bit charred.
Doneness:
- Rare 125F
- Medium 135F
- Well 145F and above
After cooking, allow the meat to rest for 5 minutes and slice against the grain into ½ inch thick slices. Serve on a fried corn tortilla, or a flour tortilla, with pico de gallo, guacamole or any other favorite taco ingredients.
Carne asada pairs well with many different drinks. If cocktails are your thing, then a delicious mango margarita would be great for this dish. Sangria, a nice Malbec or beer are also great.
DOWNLOAD CARNE ASADA TACOS RECIPE
