Carne Asada prepared with a deliciously easy and authentic marinade just in time for your Cinco De Mayo menu planning!
Juicy, tender grilled flank or skirt steak full of incredible Mexican flavours makes this homemade Carne Asada recipe better than any restaurant! Perfect for stuffing tacos, burritos, salads, nachos…or serve it with Avocado slices and the best Pico De Gallo!
Authentic Carne Asada Marinade
The most crucial thing about a good Carne Asada is the marinade. A really good marinade not only tenderises your meat but adds incredible flavour with every bite. Most carne asada marinades on the inter-webs call for so many ingredients, but we find a simple marinade yields the best result. You want the flavour of your beef to shine through, right? YES.
Our citrusy/garlicky marinade is so easy and full of ingredients you quite possibly already have in your kitchen. We marinate ours for a good 2-3 hours before cooking, but for the BEST and most flavourful result, marinate your steak overnight! You will go crazy for the melt-like-butter results.
- Lime juice — freshly squeezed, please!
- Garlic — minced or crushed.
- Ground cumin
- Dried oregano
That’s IT! Nothing complicated, and possibly the best combination to soak into your beef!
Best cut of beef for Carne Asada
In Central and South America, we call pretty much any barbecued or grilled meat asado (or carne asada). The BEST cuts for the Mexican version of the dish we all know and love are either skirt steak or flank steak. Personally, I prefer skirt steak (pictured). It’s more tender and flavourful than flank and can be cooked well done (for those who prefer well) without getting tough and chewy. Flank steak is a leaner cut and is better cooked rare — medium.
Barbecue, grill or skillet!
Yes, I said it! Although Asado is always barbecued in our part of the world, we also cheat sometimes and use grill pans or well-seasoned cast iron skillets over stove top! Make sure you heat your pan/skillet over high heat, get it smoking hot, then add your meat to sear first (you will need to turn the vent on to reduce the amount of smoke about to hit your kitchen)! Then, lower the heat to finish cooking.
As pictured above, the best direction to slice your steak is against the grain — meaning through the lines you see on top of the steak.
So tender and juicy! Serve with Pico De Gallo, Guacamole or avocado slices, or stuff into Tacos!
Looking for more Mexican recipes? Try these!
Shrimp & Mexican Corn Foil Packets (Elotes)
Carne Asada Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup lime juice fresh squeezed, about 3 limes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon cracked pepper
- 1 pound skirt or flank steak
Instructions
- Whisk all of the ingredients together in a large shallow bowl or plastic container. Add the meat, rotating to evenly coat, and cover with plastic wrap (or lid if using container).
- Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
- Heat barbecue (or grill) on high heat. Note that lean flank steak is best cooked rare, while skirt steak can be cooked well without losing moisture or flavor because it has more fat marbling.Remove the flank steak from the marinade, and discard excess marinade. Grill for 5-7 minutes per side, or until desired doneness is reached.
- Transfer to a plate and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes.
- To serve, slice against the grain into thin strips.
bb504 says
Made this for dinner last night, and it was delicious. I marinated overnight in a zip lock bag, then grilled 4 min each side. Turned out perfect.
Caroline verner says
Please send me the marinade recipe ?
Karina says
Hi! I’m so sorry about this. It seems to be a technical issue and we are working on it right now. Hopefully we will have all recipes up again soon! Thank you for your patience! Karina X
Diana says
Where is the receipe?
Karina says
Hi! I’m so sorry about this. It seems to be a technical issue on mobile only and we are working on it right now. The recipes are on desktop if you need them urgently! Hopefully we will have all recipes up again soon! Thank you for your patience! Karina X
Amy says
Excellent recipe, my family loved it! It was so easy too!
Karina says
That is great to hear! Thank you so much for sharing! I am so glad that everyone enjoyed it! XO
Casie Stockard says
I was wondering if this could be a freezer meal? Place steak and marinade in a freezer bag and thaw when ready to cook?
Karina says
Yes! That is a great idea! You are able to make so many fun recipes with this carne aside! Enjoy!
Kate says
Oh gosh, it looks delicious!! And I agree that your photos are great!
Karina says
AWE! Thank you so much! That is really nice of you! I am glad that you enjoyed it! Thank you for following along with me!
Jerardo Silva says
Do you have recipes for agua de peppino,agua de apio
Jojo says
It calls for fresh garlic and garlic powder? Can I just use the fresh garlic and leave the garlic powder out and if so, should I then increase the fresh garlic with an extra clove?
Karina says
Yes, that sounds like a great idea! Hope it works out just how you like it! Thanks so much for following along with me!
Amanda says
I am literally sitting here with my pen and paper trying to come up with a menu for Cinco de Mayo and this is *perfect*! We’re having friends over so I think I’ll do some black beans and rice on the side, maybe a salad, and definitely guac, salsa, and all the chips!
Thanks and have a great one!
P.S. I made your baked chicken with honey mustard sauce last night and just finished the leftovers for lunch. So good and so easy! 🙂
Jan says
This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it! Your pics are awesome! ??❤️