Protein:

Origin: North American, Mexican

Method: Grill and Flattop or Stovetop

Updated May 1, 2023 with new content, tips, and cooking methods.

Carne asada street tacos on a festive plate. — Carne Asada Street Tacos

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.

Taqueria style tacos on a plate. — Food truck tacos

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.

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.

Festive plate with carne asada street tacos.

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.

Assorted ingredients on a table for carne asada seasoning.

In another bowl, combine the liquid ingredients and the cilantro.

What is the best cut of meat for carne asada

Beef diagram showing where flank steak comes from.

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.

Skirt steak seasoned with carne asada seasoning.

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.

Skirt steak for authentic carne asada in a marinade.

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.

Making tacos de carne asada on a Blackstone,

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.

Flank steak searing on a PK grill with GrillGrates.

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.

Grilled Carne Asada cooked on a Breeo, firepit.

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.

Diced grilled skirt steak for tacos on a cutting board.

Heat the diced steak until the meat is cooked through, and nicely browned on the outside.

Carne asada cooking in a Staub cast iron pan.

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.

Carne asada street tacos cooking on a Blackstone Griddle.

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.

Tajin seasoned Carne Asada on a flat top griddle.

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.

Assorted street taco toppings on a square plate.

Serve the carne asada tacos with your prepared toppings, slices of lime, warm corn tortillas, and some crumbled cotija cheese.

Carne Asada Tacos with tortillas, guacamole, lime wedges, and cheese. — Homemade Carne Asada Tacos

Tacos de carne asada with grilled skirt steak, salsa verde and 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:

Bowl with carne asada meat and a plate of street taco toppings. — Carne Asada Street Tacos

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