The wife and I are headed to Mexico this Wednesday, so I thought some tacos would be a good warm up for the trip. I have always loved the complex flavor of well executed Carne Asada Tacos when done correctly. However, I have always found the flavor tough to replicate at home. After a few experiments over the last year, I finally have a recipe that I am confident you will love. Marinate skirt steak overnight in this home brew and you will have awesome Carne Asada Tacos you will be proud to serve any taco lover. Here’s the run down….
Steak Choice
Preferably Skirt Steak, Flank Steak, or Flat Iron Steak (in that order). Skirt steak is nice and thin, making it a nice steak for tacos, easy to slice up. If I use flank steak or flat iron, I will pound it out to 1/2″ thick. I purchase about 1/2 lb per person. Marinate over night if possible, but it is also quite good with only a few hours.
Carne Asada Marinade
This marinade has some sweetness from brown sugar and oranges, acidity from limes and vinegar, and a tangy bite from onion, jalapeno, garlic, and cilantro. Mix up the marinade, then add the trimmed steaks. Then place it all in a Ziploc bag, working everything together. Throw it in the fridge overnight and rotate the bag once or twice if you remember during that time span.
Easy Salsa Verde
You can make the salsa verde the day before or the day of your grill out. It is a simple recipe that goes well with Carne Asada Tacos, Breakfast Tacos, or as a simple salsa with tortilla chips. Only three ingredients: tomatillos, onions, and jalapenos. Roast the Tomatillos, Onion, and Jalapenos over high heat on the grill or under the broiler at 500 F in the oven. You will want to keep an eye on the tomatillos as they can explode if you lose track of time. Rotate about every 5 minutes, but check more often at first. You want the tomatillos, jalapenos, and onions to have a light charring, turning brown at the edges. This should take about 20 minutes total. Then you just add a few table spoons of light olive oil to a food processor and blend the veggies with a pinch of pepper and salt. Blend until smooth. Tip: Do not add all of the tomatillos and jalepenos at once. Reserve them to adjust the flavor profile and “heat” level of the salsa.
Carne Asada Taco Fixin’s
Flour or Corn Tortillas, Cherry Tomatoes, Salsa Verde, Sour Cream, Cilantro. Quarter the cherry tomatoes and chop the cilantro before grilling the steak.
Grilling
Heat grill to high direct heat – over 500 F. Grill the skirt steak for approximately 2-3 min a side to medium rare. Cooking time dependent on steak thickness and grill temperature. While the steak is resting, brush a little olive oil on corn or flower tortillas and quickly place over the grill.
Now, just dive in. I think you will love the big flavor of the Carne Asada. I only at like 5 tacos the first time I made these!
Skirt Steak Carne Asada Tacos
Ingredients
Skirt Steak
- 2 lbs Skirt Steak Leave whole, or trimmed and cut into 2" wide strips cut with the grain.
Marinade
- Juice of 2 Small Oranges
- Juice of 1 Lime
- 1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
- 2.5 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 1/4 Cup Rice Wine Vinegar
- 1 Small White Onion - finely diced
- 3 Cloves Garlic - finely diced
- 1/2 Cup Corona Beer
- 1 Jalepeno Pepper - finely diced add one more if you like it spicy
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Hand Full of Chopped Cilantro
Salsa Verde
- 1 White Onion
- 8-10 Tomatillos
- 1-2 Jalapenos depending on heat level
- 1 Handful of Cilantro
- 2 Tablespoons of Light Olive Oil
- Pinch of Salt
- Pinch of Black Pepper
Fixins
- 16 Small Four or Corn Tortillas
- 1 Handful of Cilantro - Chopped
- 16 oz Cherry Tomatoes - Quartered
- 1 Cup Sour Cream
Instructions
- Combine all marinade ingredients
- Trim and section skirt steak
- Place steak & marinade in large ziploc and marinate overnight
The day before or the day of the grilling - Roast Salsa Verde veggies under a broiler at 500 F or over high heat on the grill until charred. Blend olive oil, salt, pepper, and veggies in a food processor until smooth. (reserve extra jalapenos and tomatillos to adjust heat level of salsa)
Grill steak over high hight for 2-3 minutes on each side until medium rare. Desired internal temperature of 130F.
- Brush tortillas with olive oil and grill each side briefly over high heat until slightly charred
- Serve with Fixin's
Recipe Notes
Use flank steak or flat iron chuck steak if you cannot find skirt steak
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2 thoughts on “Skirt Steak Carne Asada Tacos”
Hi Keegan,
What is the reason you prefer Skirt Steak, Flank Steak, or Flat Iron Steak (in that order)? I’ve made steak tacos with flat iron steak a few times but never skirt or flank. Looks great. Thanks!
Brett
Good question… I think the skirt steak is easiest to work with, as it is usually a pretty thin cut with good uniformity, great for marinating. Flat iron is my last choice, just because it is hard to tell what you are getting until you get it home. Lots of times the flat iron will have a few very hard fatty spots that need some attention. I love flank too…its a close 2nd. I just pound it out a little to get it more uniform if needed. I find skirt steak is hard to find in Des Moines sometimes, so I usually get flank.