Grilled Carne Asada for Tacos

By Mark Bittman

Grilled Carne Asada for Tacos
Jim Wilson/The New York Times
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
4(545)
Comments
Read comments

Carne asada means “grilled meat,” which in turn can mean a lot. But skirt steak is what you most often see made into carne asada (and in some supermarkets, skirt steak is called carne asada). Because of its high fat content, it’s perfect for tacos. Rub it with a few spices, grill it for a few minutes and pile it into tortillas with a couple of other ingredients. Dinner in a flash.

Featured in: The Taco Joint in Your Kitchen

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone
    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
    Subscribe

  • Print Options

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings
  • 1clove garlic
  • 2pounds skirt steak
  • 2teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1teaspoon ground oregano
  • ½teaspoon cayenne
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

225 calories; 15 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 23 grams protein; 267 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by
Cooking Newsletter illustration

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Start a charcoal or gas grill. Crush garlic and rub steak with it. Combine remaining ingredients and rub into steak. Let steak sit until you're ready to grill.

  2. Step 2

    Grill steak 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Cut into slices and use as soon as possible (hot is best, but warm or room temperature is fine).

Ratings

4 out of 5
545 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Comments

JR

Sirloin flap can be substituted and is a more tender alternative.

Nancy

We use flat iron steak. This is easy and delicious. There is Never any steak left, no matter how much I make.

brian kerr

not all skirt steak is created equal; outside skirt is the one i prefer for a dish like this.

MG

If you're not a huge cumin fan, I made this as written, except using only 1/2 teaspoon cumin and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne. Also I used two smashed garlic cloves, one to rub each side. It was exquisite.

david

How would this take 45 mins?

wgh

The recipe is good as is, but next time I will increase the spice mixture. I will also add garlic powder to the rub in addition to rubbing the meat with garlic. Lots of herb options too! A hot grill will sear it well on both sides and give a nice crust.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

Advertisement

or to save this recipe.