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This sh** is so good 🤤🤤🤤 Definitely my new way to marinade my meat!!
Cynthia
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What goes in the marinade
Five things, plus salt and pepper. We use avocado oil mixed with fresh lime juice and fresh orange juice for the acid and add some garlic for depth. Cumin and chili powder add the warm, smoky base every carne asada needs. That is it. No soy sauce, no apple cider vinegar (we tested it with ACV in the original recipe felt it was too much with the citrus). Cilantro goes on top after slicing.
Related –> Check out our Juicy, Shredded Instant Pot Pork Carnitas!
How to make our easy carne asada (step-by-step)
My tips for a simple carne asada marinade
Using fresh ingredients for the marinade is the key to getting the most flavor into your carne asada. You’ll want to use fresh lime and orange juice, just squeeze it right out with your hands or use a manual juicer.
Here are some other marinade tips from my testing:
- You can marinate the steak for up to 4 hours. The citrus in the marinade will help to tenderize the steak. Marinate too long though, and you’ll end up with mushy meat.
- Keep the steak covered in the refrigerator. If you don’t, it can dry out (even in the marinade).
- Once you place the steak on the grill, baste or pour the remaining marinade on the steak while cooking. This will add extra flavor that gets cooked into the steak.
Grilling carne asada
After testing this recipe and making it several times, here are my grilling tips:
- Use a hot grill: Skirt steak is a thin cut, so cook it hot and fast. About 4 to 5 minutes per side over a hot grill.
- Don’t overcook it: Overcooked skirt or flank steak gets tough and chewy.
- Let it rest: 10 minutes on a cutting board after cooking, otherwise the juices run out.
- Cut against the grain: For the most tender pieces, slice against the grain, then optionally cut into smaller chunks.
More tips from our kitchen
Skirt is our default cut for carne asada. It picks up the marinade faster than flank because of the looser grain, and it cooks in 8 to 10 minutes total on a hot grill. Flank works if your store does not have skirt, it might just be thicker and require more cooking time.
Marinate in a shallow dish, not a zip-top bag. This makes it easier to flip the steak once at the 10-minute mark while marinating and easier to baste with the leftover marinade on the grill.
Pour the leftover marinade over the steak in the last 2-3 minutes of cooking, not the whole time. Leave it on long enough to coat and to cook off the raw marinade bacteria.
Quick (20 Minute Marinade!) Carne Asada Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds skirt steak, (can use flank, flap or flatiron steak)
For the carne asada marinade:
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
- 2 limes, juice of
- 1 orange, juice of
- 3 cloves garlic, minced, (can sub 1 tsp garlic oil)
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Equipment
- Grill
Instructions
- Prepare marinade by mixing marinade ingredients in a bowl or jar.1/4 cup avocado oil, 2 limes, juice of, 1 orange, juice of, 3 cloves garlic, minced, 2 tsp cumin, 2 tsp chili powder, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Place steak in a shallow dish or zip-top bag. Pour marinade over the steak to coat on both sides. Allow the steak to marinate while your grill heats up, at least 20 minutes. Or, you can marinate it covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours. (See recipe notes)2 pounds skirt steak
- Heat a grill to medium-high heat. Once the grill is hot, place the steak on the grill to cook for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until cooked to your liking. While cooking, baste the steak with any remaining marinade using a brush or by simply pouring the marinade over the steak.
- When the steak is cooked, remove it from the grill and place on a cutting board to rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Slice the steak into thin strips against the grain. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
- If marinating the steak longer than 20 minutes, cover it and place it in the refrigerator. Marinate the steak for up to 4 hours.
- I prefer the grill for carne asada, but if you don’t have one this can be made on the stovetop using a skillet or grill pan. Just follow the same instructions and cooking time.
- Nutrition estimates are per serving and an estimate provided for reader benefit. See our full nutrition information disclosure here.
All the grand kids came back for 3rds That never happens
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This sh** is so good 🤤🤤🤤 Definitely my new way to marinade my meat!!
Trying to get the instructions for this recipe is not easy, in fact I still haven’t found it, o it tells you ingredients alright but how to perform the recipe no where to be found, I guess one just mixes it all together and goes for it huh? I hate my attitude but it can get extremely frustrating when you can’t find what you’re looking for!
Everything is in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. You can use the jump to recipe button at the top to take you there. If you still have issues you can send a screen shot to support@realsimplegood.com and we can try to troubleshoot.
This is a great recipe for it’s speed and simplicity. However, next time I’ll omit the apple cider vinegar. There is enough acid between the limes and orange. It was good, but the ACV gives it a funky flavor.
Thanks for the review. After re-testing this recipe we actually agree! I’ve removed the apple cider vinegar from the recipe card.