Carne Asada is a Latin American grilled beef dish that’s usually sliced and served in tacos, burritos or salads. We absolutely love Mexican carne asada on tacos and when we’re out looking for street tacos to eat, carne asada is on the top of our list. This carne asada recipe has a fantastic and flavorful marinade that produces a juicy, tender and delicious cut of beef that everyone loves. It’s not intimidating at all to make carne asada because it’s super easy to make. All you need is a great and simple recipe for carne asada (which we have below!), some salsa, lettuce and all the taco trimmings. What you have is a fabulous game day, Cinco de Mayo or outdoor grilling Summer dish that’s a guaranteed crowd pleaser.
Watch Video for this delicious Carne Asada:
We love skirt, flap or flank steak because not only is it an inexpensive cut of beef, it’s super tender when sliced thin. You can serve a whole lotta tacos to a whole lotta friends when you use this cut of beef. Just make sure to have a whole lotta beer to go with it! Of course, you can use other cuts of steak too if you want. Our marinade is flavorful and it’s best to marinate the beef for a few hours to let all the great flavors from the garlic and spices soak into the meat. You can marinate the whole steaks (easier for grilling) or pre-slice them and marinated the slices (easier to cook in a skillet). Don’t forget to grill it to a nice caramelized char! Cook it hot, cook it quick! That adds to the great flavor and each bite will wow everyone in your party. But hey, just don’t limit yourself to beer when you’re eating carne asada. Margaritas are awesome too!
Enjoy!
More Beef Recipes and More Appetizer Party Recipes.

- 1 pound Beef Flank Flap or Skirt Steak, or other preferred steak (whole or pre-sliced 1/2-inch thick)
- 1/4 cup Olive Oil
- 1/2 small Onion , diced
- 1/4 cup chopped Cilantro
- 3 cloves Garlic , minced
- 1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon fresh Lime Juice
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt or Sea Salt , or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground Cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder
- fresh cracked Black Pepper , to taste
- Combine all marinade ingredients in a large bowl (oil, onion, cilantro, garlic, vinegar, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, salt, cumin, paprika, chili powder, and pepper). Add steak to the marinade, turning the beef to make sure it is completely coated.
- Marinate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
- Remove the steak from the marinade and cook over medium-high heat for about 3-4 minutes on each side or until your preferred doneness (if you are comfortable cooking on high heat, go for it since it does helps create a nice char-just be careful, the beef can cook a bit too quickly if you aren't on top of it!) . The beef can be cooked in a skillet or on the grill - a skillet may be preferable if using slices rather than the whole steaks.
- After cooking, allow meat to rest for about 5 minutes. If using whole steaks, slice 1/2-inch thick and serve on rice, in tortillas, or in a tortas (sandwiches).
SERVING IDEAS:
- tortillas or tortilla chips
- rice and beans
- shaved cabbage, avocado and radish slices
- sour cream
- cheese
- salsas
- hot sauces
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