Description
My favorite Mexican carne asada recipe — made with a simple and flavor-packed carne asada marinade, and easy to cook on an outdoor grill or on the stovetop. Perfect for tacos, burritos, nachos, fries, and more!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 1/2 to 2 pounds flank steak
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 orange, juiced
- 1 jalapeño, cored and finely minced (optional)
- 1/2 cup finely-chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/4 cup avocado oil (or olive oil)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- coarse sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Make the marinade. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the garlic, lime juice, orange juice, jalapeño (if using), cilantro, oil, chili powder, cumin and oregano until combined.
- Marinate the steak. Place the flank steak in a shallow baking dish, pour the marinade evenly over the steak, and toss the steak until it is evenly coated in the marinade. (Alternately, you can combine the steak and marinade in a large Ziplock or Stasher bag and toss to coat.) Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours to marinate.
- Bring the steak back to room temperature. Remove the dish from the refrigerator, lift the steak out of the marinade and transfer it to a clean plate. Season each side with a few generous pinches of salt and pepper, then let the steak rest for 30 minutes or until it reaches room temperature.
- Cook the steak. Heat an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan (or cast-iron skillet or griddle) to high heat. Cook the steak for 5-7 minutes per side — resisting the urge to move the steak as it cooks so that it can sear properly — until it reaches your desired level of doneness. (See temperature chart below.)
- Rest the steak. Transfer the steak to a clean plate and let it rest for 10 minutes, which will help to seal in the juices.
- Slice/cut and serve. Then slice the steak against the grain as thickly or thinly as you prefer. (Or you can dice the steak into small pieces.) Then serve and enjoy!
Notes
Temperature chart for doneness: I strongly recommend using an instant-read thermometer so that you can cook the steak to your preferred level of doneness. Internal temperatures for steak are as follows (measured in the thickest part of the steak):
- Rare: 125°F or 52°C (remove from the grill at 120°F or 49°C.)
Medium-rare: 135°F or 57°C (remove from the grill at 130°F or 54°C.)
Medium: 145°F or 63°C (remove from the grill at 140°F or 60°C.)
Medium-well: 150°F or 66°C (remove from the grill at 145°F or 63°C.)
Well done: 160°F or 71°C (remove from the grill at 155°F or 68°C.)
FDA note: The FDA recommends that steak be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°C or 63°C.
