Carne Asada Recipe: Marinade, Grilling Tips & Chile de Árbol Salsa

In Southern California, carne asada is more than a recipe. It's a backyard, a hot grill, a stack of tortillas, and people standing around waiting for the first slices to come off. The good news is that great carne asada is not complicated: a thin, flavorful cut of beef, a citrus and garlic marinade, very high heat, and the right salsa. Here's how we make it, finished with El Guero 2 Chile de Árbol Hot Salsa.

Choosing the meat

• Skirt steak (arrachera): the classic choice. Thin, well-marbled, and full of beefy flavor. It cooks in minutes.
• Flank steak: leaner and a little thicker, easy to find, and great when sliced thin against the grain.
• Pre-sliced carne asada from the carnicería: thin-cut beef, often already marinated, that's ready for the grill. If you're in San Diego, a Mexican market is the easiest place to find it, along with tortillas, onions, limes, and cilantro.

Carne asada with chile de árbol salsa

Serves: 6 · Prep: 15 minutes, plus 2 to 8 hours to marinate · Cook: about 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 to 3 lb skirt steak or flank steak
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup neutral oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon El Guero 2 Chile de Árbol Hot Salsa, plus more for serving
• For serving: warm corn or flour tortillas, grilled green onions (cebollitas), guacamole, chopped onion and cilantro, and lime wedges

Instructions

1. Mix the marinade. In a large bowl or zip-top bag, combine the orange juice, lime juice, oil, garlic, cilantro, sliced onion, cumin, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon of El Guero 2.
2. Marinate. Add the steak and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 2 to 8 hours. Thin skirt steak needs less time (2 to 4 hours is plenty).
3. Get the grill very hot. Take the steak out of the fridge about 30 minutes before cooking. Heat a charcoal or gas grill to high. Scrape the onion and cilantro off the meat and pat it dry so it sears instead of steams.
4. Grill. Cook skirt steak for about 3 to 4 minutes per side, or flank steak for about 5 to 6 minutes per side, until well charred outside and cooked to your liking (about 130 to 135°F for medium-rare). Grill the green onions and warm the tortillas on the cooler side of the grill at the same time.
5. Rest. Move the steak to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes so the juices settle.
6. Slice against the grain. Look for the lines running through the meat and cut thin slices across them. For tacos, chop the slices into small pieces.
7. Serve. Pile the meat on a platter with the tortillas, cebollitas, guacamole, onion and cilantro, and lime wedges. Put the El Guero 2 on the table so everyone can add their own.

Tips from the grill

• High heat is everything. Carne asada should be charred on the outside. If your grill isn't hot enough, the meat turns gray before it browns.
• Slicing matters more than you think. Cutting against the grain is what makes skirt and flank steak tender.
• Save the salsa for the end. A little El Guero 2 in the marinade adds background flavor, but the real hit of chile de árbol and garlic comes when you add it right before eating.
• Start small. It's a spicy salsa. A few drops per taco is a good place to start.

Ways to serve carne asada

• Tacos: the classic. Build them street-style like our street tacos, with onion, cilantro, lime, and salsa.
• Plates: sliced asada with rice, beans, guacamole, and tortillas on the side.
• Burritos: asada, beans, rice, and cheese, with a line of El Guero 2 inside before rolling.
• Tortas: on a toasted bolillo with beans, avocado, and pickled jalapeños.
• Carne asada fries: a San Diego favorite. Fries topped with chopped asada, cheese, guacamole, and sour cream, with salsa on top.
• Leftovers for breakfast: chop leftover asada into scrambled eggs. See our breakfast guide.

Hosting a carne asada

For a crowd, plan on roughly 1/3 to 1/2 pound of raw meat per person. Set up a taco bar with tortillas in a towel-lined basket, bowls of toppings, and a few salsas from mild to hot, with a bottle of El Guero 2 at each end of the table. Frijoles charros, grilled corn, and chips round it out, and for guests 21 and over, a michelada is the classic drink to go with it.

Bring El Guero 2 to your next carne asada

El Guero 2 is a small-batch chile de árbol and garlic hot salsa from a San Diego catering kitchen. Order it online as a Single ($5.99), 3-Pack, 6-Pack, or 24-Pack, with free U.S. shipping on orders of $70 or more. Shopping for your asada at the market? Look for El Guero 2 at Liva Distributors in San Ysidro and Spring Valley. See Where to Buy for addresses.

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