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    Home » Recipes » Main Dishes » Beef

    Carne Asada Tacos

    Published by Melissa on August 20, 2021 | Updated June 10, 2022 | 24 Comments

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    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. 

    carne asada taco on a plate with lime and jalapeno

    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. 

    pinterest button for carne asada 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. 

    steak on a grill for carne asada

    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. 

    collage of the steps to marinate and cook carne asada tacos

    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. 

    toppings on a wooden board with cheese, avocado, tomato, tortillas and scallions

    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. 

    close up on slices of flank steak for tacos

    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
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    About Melissa & Barbara

    As of June 2022 Melissa Griffiths now is the one adding recipes. So think of it as Barbara Bakes, and Melissa too! Melissa and Barbara have been blogging friends for over 10 years and when Barbara was ready to retire and spend more time with her family, Melissa took over the site. Read more...

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Megan

      June 23, 2009 at 3:25 pm

      This looks wonderful! I'm taking the skirt steak out of the freezer so I can marinade it overnight. Tacos tomorrow!

      Reply
    2. Lori

      June 18, 2009 at 12:35 pm

      I am always looking for a good carne asada recipe. When I lived in AZ there was a store near our house that sold the BEST carne asada preparado! We would grill it and be in heaven!

      Reply
    3. Amanda

      June 16, 2009 at 11:49 am

      Sounds yummy! I've tried a few carne asada recipes but have yet to find one that mirrors this Mexican deli I used to get mine from in Vegas. I will try this one and see how it compares 🙂

      Reply
    4. Display homes

      June 16, 2009 at 1:12 am

      i so love tacos.. and this is really good

      Reply
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