Last Updated on January 16, 2024 by Carne Diem
Protein: 
Origin: North American, Mexican
Method: Grill and Flattop or Stovetop
Updated May 1, 2023 with new content, tips, and cooking methods.
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These days food trucks seem to be in every town and on almost every corner in bigger cities. As little as 15 years ago, if you saw a food truck, it was likely to be a local taco truck. In Washington State, these food trucks are still vastly popular, and have for years served the purpose of helping feed and serve many of the migrant farm workers that travel there each year to work the fields and orchards. A staple in all of these food trucks is carne asada.
This is one of our favorite recipes for carne asada. Here we serve it taco truck style as street tacos, but you can use the meat in a variety of dishes. These grilled steak tacos are the perfect Cinco de Mayo recipe to make on your grill or griddle like a Blackstone.
Live in or visiting Kansas City and want to know where to find the best authentic tacos. Check out our definitive list of the best tacos in Kansas City.
Table of contents
What are Tacos de Carne Asada?
Tacos de Carne Asada are flavorful and tender steak, grilled and placed atop small, handheld corn tortillas. Literally it translates to "grilled meat". These marinated and grilled steak tacos are one of our favorite foods whenever we are looking for a quick bite to eat.
Making Carne Asada Street Tacos
Prepare the best carne asada marinade
To make the marinade for authentic carne asada you will need garlic, cumin, cilantro, oregano, an orange, white vinegar and a few other spices. Gather all of your ingredients and then, in a small bowl, combine all of the spices with the garlic and mix into a coarse paste.
In another bowl, combine the liquid ingredients and the cilantro.
What is the best cut of meat for carne asada
Traditionally, carne asada is made with skirt steak or flank steak which are cuts from the lower chest or abdominal muscles of the cow. Both are extremely flavorful and work very well for carne asada. You may to choose to use a more tender cut like a sirloin or ribeye, but it will not be as traditional.
Season the steak with the carne asada seasoning
For additional tenderness you may wish to use a Jaccard. We love what it does for tough cuts of meat like skirt steak and flank steak. You can read more about the Jaccard at the following link or on our Tools of Trade Page.
Pat your steak dry, then rub the paste evenly over both sides of the skirt steak.
How long should you marinade carne asada meat
Place the meat in a covered bowl or plastic bag with the liquid marinade and marinate the meat for at least 8 hours, or overnight. We do not recommend going longer than 24 hours in the marinade if you mechanically tenderized the meat, or 48 hours if the meat was untenderized, as the steak can become mushy if left in the marinade for too long.
Cooking the Carne Asada Street Tacos
We have used multiple methods to prepare these authentic tacos de carne asada. Some of our favorite methods are making Blackstone carne asada, or grilling the carne asada over charcoal, and finishing them in a cast iron pan.
When you are ready to cook, remove the meat from the carne asada marinade.
Making Carne Asada on a Grill
Heat a grill or smoker over high heat, or about 500 degrees. When your grill is at temp, sear each side of the steak for about 5 minutes. We cooking this carne skirt steak on our PK Grill with GrillGrates, but have also made great carne asada on our Big Green Egg, and even over a live fire on our Breeo firepit.
Once you have grilled the carne asada steak, remove the meat from the grill and let it rest for about 5 minutes, while you prepare the next steps.
Alternatively, the carne asada recipe can be completed to this point, and you can refrigerate the grilled steak to make the tacos de carne asada in the next couple days.
Finish the grilled carne asada in a pan or skillet
When you are ready to finish the grilled carne asada street tacos dice the meat. Preheat a cast iron, or heavy bottomed pan over medium high heat. Add the meat and any juices on the cutting board to the pan.
Heat the diced steak until the meat is cooked through, and nicely browned on the outside.
Making Carne Asada on a Blackstone or Griddle
Preparing tacos de carne asada on flat top like a Blackstone griddle or plancha is another great way to prepare these street tacos. These tacos are easy and packed with flavor.
To cook the Blackstone carne asada, preheat your griddle to high heat. Remove the steak from the marinade and dice the raw carne asada meat. Cook the marinated steak, until cooked through and browned on the outside.
We like to season the carne asada with a little Tajin seasoning, while the meat is cooking for a little more flavor. While the carne asada steak is cooking on the griddle, you can also grill the corn tortillas briefly on the flat top. When the meat is done cooking, remove to a bowl for serving.
What to Serve with Carne Asada Street Tacos
Authentic carne asada street tacos are typically served with diced onion, finely chopped cilantro, and lime wedges. Other common garnishes include sliced radish, grilled jalapenos and an assortment of hot sauces and salsas. Cotija cheese is the traditional cheese used in tacos de carne asada, but you can use your favorite.
Serve the carne asada tacos with your prepared toppings, slices of lime, warm corn tortillas, and some crumbled cotija cheese.
These carne asada street tacos are especially great with some homemade guacamole, homemade charro beans and a spicy margarita or Mezcal Paloma.
For more taqueria style tacos and authentic Mexican recipes be sure to check out our growing list of the best Mexican recipes:
- Trompo Al Pastor Tacos on Your Grill
- Beer Braised Beef Cheek Barbacoa
- Cochinita Pibil on your Grill or Smoker
- Brisket Quesabirria Tacos
- Pollo Asado al Carbon: Mexican Grilled Chicken
- Cast Iron Chicken Fajitas
Frequently Asked Questions
Mexican carne asada is typically made with skirt steak, flap meat, or flank steak, though other more tender cuts may occasionally be used.
Typically 8-24 hours is ideal to help tenderize the meat and maximize flavor. If you go longer than 24 hours, you run the risk of the meat becoming mushy, especially if you are using more tender cuts of beef.
Thank you for taking the time to visit our blog. If you tried and enjoyed our recipe, please share with others and please leave us a comment and review. We also love to see your pics so don’t forget to tag us @Carne_Diem_Culinary or #CarneDiemBlog. To be notified of future recipes please follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest, or sign up for our e-mail notifications. Until next time, Carne Diem!
📖 Recipe
Carne Asada Street Tacos
Equipment
- Skillet or flattop grill
- Grill or Smoker
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Outside Skirt or Flank Steak
- Tajin Seasoning optional
Marinade
- 1 Garlic Clove minced
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon White Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Mexican Oregano
- ¼ teaspoon Cumin
- ¼ teaspoon Paprika
- ¼ cup Cilantro
- Juice of 1 Lime
- Juice of ½ an Orange
- 1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
- ¼ cup Olive Oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine all of the spices with the garlic and mix into a coarse paste.
- In a medium sized bowl, combine the liquid ingredients and the cilantro.
- Rub the paste evenly over both sides of the steak. Then add to the bowl with the liquid ingredients.
- Marinate the meat for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
- Remove the meat from the marinade. Heat a grill or smoker over high heat.
- Sear each side of the steak for about 5 minutes. Remove the meat from the grill and let rest for about 5 minutes, then dice the steak.
- Heat a flat top or cast iron skillet on the grill over high heat. Season the meat with the Tajin seasoning, to taste.
- Cook the diced meat in the skillet or on the flat top until the until the meat is cooked through and slightly charred on the outside.
- Remove from heat and serve in warmed corn tortillas with diced onion, cilantro, salsa and other desired toppings.
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