Carne Asada Tacos (104 of 150)

I've made several carne asada street tacos in my day. To date, this has been my favorite. It's lead ends today! 

That's right, this recipe was so delicious that I swear it came from a restaurant. The key, thin skirt steak! I specifically asked the butcher for thin skirt steak this time. The recipe doesn't call for it, but I noted that restaurant carne asada is always thin. Thinner than flank steak, which is what most carne asada recipes use. 

When I saw skirt steak on this ingredient list, I figured why not as for it to be thin. I literally told the butcher I was making carne asada when he asked "how thin?" and he cut it perfectly. (BTW, befriend the butcher in your favorite grocery store. They can usually give you inside scoop on cuts and are always happy to cut something special.)

I served this along side the traditional onion, cilantro, lime salsa. I'll be burping onions all night, but it was worth every bite.

I marinaded it for 6 hours. The steak can take it and I think that's the reason this one was so damn yummy.

Carne Asada Tacos

Recipe from Baking Mischief

Serves 4

Carne Asada Marinade

• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds skirt, flank, or flap steak
• 1/2 c orange juice bottled is fine
• 1/2 c soy sauce low-sodium is fine
• 1/4 c lemon juice bottled is fine
• 1/4 c olive oil
• 2 T lime juice bottled is fine
• 2 cloves garlic pressed or diced
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground chipotle chili pepper OR 1 tsp finely chopped canned chipotle pepper, optional
• 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro chopped about 3/4 cup very loosely packed

Tacos

• 1/2 red onion sliced into 1/4-inch rounds (do not separate the layers)
• 1 medium avocado sliced
• 8 taco-size tortillas flour or corn are fine
• 1/2 bunch chopped cilantro for topping
• 2 limes quartered, optional for topping

Carne Asada Marinade

Place steak in a gallon plastic bag or shallow container for marinating. In a liquid measuring cup or medium bowl, stir together all marinade ingredients and pour marinade over the steak. Place in the refrigerator and marinate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, flipping the meat halfway through.

Carne Asada and Onions

Adjust the top rack in your oven so it’s about 4 inches from the broiler and heat broiler on high. Transfer meat to a foil-lined heavy-duty baking sheet or broiler pan. Place onion rounds around the meat on the baking tray wherever they will fit.

Broil for 4 to 6 minutes per side (flip both the meat and the onion rounds), until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the steak reads 135°F for medium-rare, 145°F for medium.

If onions have not yet reached your desired level of doneness, you can transfer the meat to a cutting board and return onions to the oven. Once onions are done, slice the rounds in half, separate the slices, and toss them in the pan juices. Allow the meat to rest for 5 minutes before slicing across the grain into strips.

Assemble Tacos

Gently warm tortillas by placing them on a plate and covering the stack with a damp paper towel. Microwave until heated through, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Top warmed tortillas with sliced carne asada, onions, sliced avocado and cilantro. If desired, add a squeeze of lime juice, and enjoy!