The BEST Homemade Carne Asada Marinade
The BEST Homemade Carne Asada Marinade creates a deeply flavorful beef dish in a mixture of citrus, garlic, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, and Mexican spices. Marinate for 24 hours and you’ll have the perfect tender steak. Ready to take your backyard BBQ game to the next level? Look no further. Imagine tender, juicy strips of carne asada, grilled to perfection and bursting with flavor. Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, it’s not. With just a few simple ingredients, you can create an irresistible homemade carne asada marinade that will have your taste buds dancing. Whether you’re an experienced grill master or a novice cook, this article will provide you with a step-by-step guide to creating the ultimate marinade that will elevate your carne asada to new heights. So get your tongs ready and let’s dive into the world of homemade marinades.
What is Carne Asada?
Carne Asada, which in English means “grilled meat,” that has been marinated in citrus and seasonings. The juicy marinated steak is to to street-style tacos, burritos, nachos, and more.
How to Prepare Tri Tip For Marinade
- You can do this or have your grocery store butcher do it for you.
- Turn roast on its side so that the curved side is facing up.
- Slice roast into three pieces (from the curved side to the long side).
- It should look like three pieces of flank steak.
- This step is important, It adds extra marinating surface.
How to Make The BEST Homemade Carne Asada Marinade
Mexican food is at the top of my favorite type of food. This delicious carne asada is better than your favorite Mexican Restaurants and the most flavorful carne asada you’ll ever have!
BEST CARNE ASADA MARINADE INGREDIENTS LIST-full printable recipe below in recipe card
- 1 (2½-3 pound) roast, I used a tri tip
- 2 medium oranges, zest and juice
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- 2 limes, zest and juice
- 10 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 large white onion, sliced
- 1½ cups cilantro, roughly chopped
- 2 medium jalapeno peppers, slice with seeds
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoons black pepper
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
CARNE ASADA MARINADE INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large plastic bag, add all the ingredients ( orange zest, orange juice, lemon zest, lemon juice, lime zest, lime juice, garlic, onion, cilantro, jalapeno peppers, olive oil, and spices). Close, rub with hands to mix. Place meat in marinade for best results, marinade 24 hours. A few times throughout the 24 hour period, rub the marinade into the meat and turn over.
HOW TO PREPARE TRIP TIP FOR MARINADE INSTRUCTIONS
- You can do this or have your grocery store butcher do it for you.
- Turn roast on its side so that the curved side is facing up.
- Slice roast into three pieces (from the curved side to the long side).
- It should look like three pieces of flank steak.
- This step is important, It adds extra marinating surface.
ANOTHER OPTION FOR PREPARING MARINATED BEEF
- Leave the piece of meat (in this case Tri-Tip) whole. Place meat in marinade for best results, marinade 24 hours. A few times throughout the 24 hour period, rub the marinade into the meat and turn over.
HOW TO GRILL CARNE ASADA CUT PIECES
- Heat a grill to high heat, between 400-450 degrees Fahrenheit. For a perfect medium steak, grill a 1 inch thick steak for 6 minutes per side. For a steak that is 1 1/2 inches thick, add 1 minute to the cooking time per side. Use an instant read thermometer to check the internal meat temperature of the steak. Should be 140°-150°F
HOW TO GRILL CARNE ASADA AS A WHOLE PIECE OF MEAT
- Preheat grill to medium high heat (around 400 degrees)
- Cook for 15 minutes on each side until desired doneness is reached (I suggest cooking to 130 degrees F)
- Remove and let rest for 10-15 minutes
- Slice against the grain to serve
Can I also Marinate Chicken?
YES, Immerse the chicken for 4 hours in this spicy fresh citrus juices marinade and you’ll get juicy chicken packed with flavor. Make sure to keep the time at a maximum of 4 hours. The citrus in the marinade will breakdown the chicken. If marinated too long the chicken will become mealy. I used boneless skinless chicken thighs. If you want to use white meat, I highly recommend (for your first time) only marinating for 2 hours. Then if you feel it could use more marinating you can add more time next time you make Pollo (chicken) Asada.
The Best Tool for Zesting Fruit
Both of these tools work great. The one you use depends on what you want your end result to be. If you want the zest to be fine than you would use a microplane tool, but if you want the zest to be in strips you would use a zester. For this steak marinade I liked using the zester. It gave me nice strips and lots of citrus flavor.
How Long Should I Marinate Carne Asada?
BEEF: Marinating for 24 hours is perfect! I tried only marinating for 6 hours and while the beef was still tasty it didn’t have the punch of flavor or tenderness I wanted. Mind you I was using an already tender piece of meat (tri-tip) If you use a tougher steak like flank, flap, or skirt you will definitely need to marinate 24 hours.
CHICKEN: Chicken and beef have two different marinating times. So, if you choose to also serve chicken you’ll need to make two separate recipes. I recommend using boneless skinless chicken thighs. Marinate the chicken thighs for a maximum of 4 hours. The time is different for chicken breast (2 hours).
WHAT’S THE BEST MEAT FOR CARNE ASADA?
The obvious answer is beef. Now that that’s decided, what cut of beef?
CUT OF MEAT: The authentic carne asada recipe cuts of meat are flank steak, flap steak, flat iron steak, or skirt steak. Since I’m a beef snob, my favorite cut of meat is tri tip. Sirloin is also an option. The citrus will break down any meat choice.
MORE MARINADE RECIPES
THE BEST HOMEMADE CARNE ASADA MARINADE FAQ’s
Traditionally the beef of choice is flank steak, flap steak, flat iron steak, or skirt steak. Since I’m a beef snob, my favorite cut of meat is tri tip. Sirloin is also an option. The citrus will break down any meat choice.
Don’t worry if you don’t have a grill or the space for a grill there are other options of cooking your carne asada. Using a cast iron skillet or cast iron grill pan will work too.
I like serving my carne asada in thin slices on the side with a warm tortillas, sour cream, fresh pico de gallo, fresh cilantro, chopped white onions, and a slice of lime. From there I can build a taco or eat everything individually.
The best way of storing your leftover meat is in an airtight container.
Homemade Carne Asada Marinade
Homemade Carne Marinade creates a deeply flavorful beef dish in a mixture of citrus, garlic, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, and Mexican spices. Marinade for 24 hours and you'll have the perfect tender steak.
Ingredients
- 1 (2½-3 pound) roast, I used a tri tip
- 2 medium oranges, zest and juice
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- 2 limes, zest and juice
- 10 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 large white onion, sliced
- 1½ cups cilantro, roughly chopped
- 2 medium jalapeno peppers, slice with seeds
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoons black pepper
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
In a large zip top bag, add all the ingredients ( orange zest, orange juice, lemon zest, lemon juice, lime zest, lime juice, garlic, onion, cilantro, jalapeno peppers, olive oil, and spices). Close, rub with hands to mix. Place meat in marinade for best results, marinade for 24 hours. A few times throughout the 24 hour period, rub the marinade into the meat and turn over.
HOW TO PREPARE TRIP TIP FOR MARINADE: NOTE: THIS METHOD IS GREAT FOR MAXIMIZING FLAVOR: You can do this or have your grocery store butcher do it for you (for visual, refer to photo example in post). Turn the roast on its side so that the curved side is facing up. Slice roast into three pieces (from the curved side to the long side). It should look like three pieces of flank steak.
ANOTHER OPTION FOR PREPARING MARINATED BEEF: Leave the piece of meat (in this case Tri-Tip) whole. Place meat in marinade for best results, marinade 24 hours. A few times throughout the 24 hour period, rub the marinade into the meat and turn over.
HOW TO GRILL CARNE ASADA CUT PIECES: Heat a grill to high heat, between 400-450 degrees Fahrenheit. For a perfect medium steak, grill a 1 inch thick steak for 4-5 minutes per side. For a steak that is 1 1/2 inches thick, add 1-2 minutes to the cooking time per side. Use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature of the steak.
HOW TO GRILL CARNE ASADA AS A WHOLE PIECE OF MEAT: Preheat grill to medium high heat (around 400 degrees) Cook for 15 minutes on each side until desired doneness is reached (I suggest cooking to 130 degrees F) Remove and let rest for 10-15 minutes Slice against the grain to serve
Notes
HOW TO MARINADE CHICKEN:
Immerse the chicken for 4 hours in this spicy citrus marinade and you'll get juicy chicken packed with flavor. Make sure to keep the time at a maximum of 4 hours. The citrus in the marinade will breakdown the chicken. If marinated too long the chicken will become mealy. I used boneless skinless chicken thighs. If you want to use white meat, I highly recommend (for your first time) only marinating for 2 hours. Then if you feel it could use more marinating you can add more time next time you make Pollo (chicken) Asada.
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This is the best marinade that we’ve used for asada. We add more garlic than the recipe calls for (twice as much). We get so many compliments.
That’s amazing! Hahaha….Wow you really like garlic.