Carne Asada

I LOVE DELICIOUS MEXICAN FOOD...I could eat it EVERY day! Hubby and I used to buy carne asada (marinated flank steak) from our local carniceria (Mexican meat market ) because I could never make good carne asada. Whenever I made it, the flavor was blah and the meat was always tough and leathery. A couple years ago, my chef friend, Kat, told me how easy it is to make it at home. It turns out, I wasn't marinating the flank steak properly or slicing the meat the right way either. With her helpful tips, I've been making tasty carne asada ever since. Last week's carne asada was grilled to perfection and the best I've made yet!

In this pic, you can see the grain runs left to right.

To have tender steak, cut against the grain.

It was PERFECT!

Next time, I'll cut it into thin strips typical of carne asada so it's easier for the kids to eat.

2/26/10 - Nice, thin slices of carne asada. YUM!

Carne Asada

Ingredients:

• 1-2 lbs flank (or skirt) steak 
• Emeril's Essence, to taste
• 3-4 limes, juiced (I was out of limes so I used juice from 2 oranges)
• 1/4 c olive oil
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced

Directions:

1. Let flank steak come to room temperature. Wash and dry steak and rub with Emeril's Essence or seasonings of choice.
2. In gallon-sized Ziploc bag, add lime juice, olive oil and garlic. Put steak in bag and marinate for 1-3 hours. Do NOT over-marinate as the lime slowly cooks the meat during the marinating process.
3. Grill slowly on low and turn steak every 4-5 mins for about 30 mins.
4. When meat is grilled to your liking (we prefer med-rare), place on cutting board and let sit for 5-8 mins before slicing.
5. When ready to slice, be sure to cut AGAINST the grain. That keeps the meat tender. 

Suggestions: Serve carne asada on its own, sliced up for tacos, burritos, enchiladas or quesadillas. Eat in soup, salad or as topping for nachos. There are so many possibilities for leftovers. Cook once and serve at least 3 different meals with it. If you get burned out on the meat, put it in a ziploc and freeze it for future use. I made fresh guacamole, tortillas and rice for this carne asada. This was yummerific!


Source: Adapted from Kat, my chef friend.