Carne Asada Tacos

These Carne Asada Tacos are marinated in a flavorful, just-spicy-enough adobo sauce and quickly grilled for smoky and tender steak tacos on a weeknight. 

We love Mexican-inspired food around here. From burritos to tamales, our family is always ready for delicious Mexican and Tex-Mex food. And these juicy carne asada tacos are a long-time favorite, especially during the summer. The meat is tender and juicy and ready for all of our favorite taco toppings. 

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe: These juicy carne asada tacos are full of spicy, savory Mexican flavor from marinating the steak before grilling. This is a largely hands-off recipe that cooks in under 10 minutes on a hot grill.  

Update: I love making these juicy steak tacos on the grill especially when the weather’s nice, so I’ve updated the recipe and post with new tips and tricks for your tacos. 

How to Make Carne Asada Tacos

The key to making the most flavorful carne asada is to marinate the meat. Marinating helps infuse the steak with flavor and helps tenderize a tough cut of beef like skirt or flank steak. 

You want the steak marinade to be nice and smooth. You can make it in a blender or a mixing bowl with an immersion blender. I like to marinate the meat in a Ziploc bag. It’s a mess-free way to seal up the meat and you can easily stir things around every now and then during marinating. 

Grilling Carne Asada

Before you add the meat to the grill, make sure it’s nice and hot. You want the meat to sizzle when you place it on the grates. The steak only needs two to three minutes per side to cook through for medium-rare, which is the ideal temperature for carne asada.

Make sure to let your steak rest for five to 10 minutes off of the heat before slicing. This allows the meat to reabsorb some of the juices and flavor. 

Serving Suggestions

You can use either flour or corn tortillas for your carne asada tacos. We use small tortillas for street-style tacos.

For toppings, we love shredded lettuce, cheese, cilantro, salsa, jalapeños, green onions and avocado. Add a squeeze of lime to top it all off. 

What Cut of Meat is Best for Grilled Steak Tacos?

As long as you have time to marinate the meat and tenderize it, skirt steak is a great option for carne asada. It’s usually a less expensive cut and grills up quickly. Flank steak will also work for this recipe. 

More Taco Recipes

Try these other recipes for your next taco night at home:

• Pork Carnitas Tacos have juicy pulled pork in a savory and spicy tomato and chili sauce. 
• Instant Pot Chicken Tacos from Pressure Cooking Today are an easy indoor taco recipe with juicy pulled chicken. 
• Easy Ground Beef Tacos are a simple kid-approved dinner with ground beef and your favorite toppings. 

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Carne Asada Tacos

Homemade carne asada tacos are marinated in a spicy chipotle sauce and grilled quickly for juicy medium-rare steak tacos

Course: Beef

Cuisine: American

Author: Barbara Bakes LLC

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Equipment

• RSVP International Endurance (NCP-6) Measuring Cups, Medium, Stainless Steel
• CIA Masters Collection 6 Piece Measuring Spoon Set
• Anchor Hocking 2 Quart Glass Batter Bowl With Lid (81106L11)

Ingredients

• 2 ½ pounds skirt or flank steak

Marinade

• 4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ¾ cup chopped onions
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ cup chopped green onions
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• ¼ cup chopped parsley
• ½ cup tomato purée
• ½ cup fresh lime juice
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 cup canola or vegetable oil
• For serving: corn or flour tortillas shredded lettuce, cheese, cilantro, salsa, jalapeños, green onions, avocado

Instructions

• In a large bowl or blender jar, blend the chipotle, garlic, onions, cumin, green onions, cilantro, parsley, tomato purée, lime juice, salt, pepper and oil. (Use an immersion blender to puree it in a bowl.)
• Place the steak in a large, resealable plastic bag with the marinade and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
• Remove the bag from the refrigerator one hour before grilling to allow the steak to come to room temperature. 
• Heat a grill over medium-high heat. Grill the steak about 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium rare. Let the steak rest for 5 minutes and then slice it against the grain into 1-inch slices. Serve immediately.

Notes

Slightly adapted from Joseph Martin, executive chef, Levy Restaurants at Dodger Stadium. https://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-carneasada_rec16a-2008jul16-story.html