It comes as no surprise that since I have moved to Southern California I am absolutely SMITTEN with carne asada tacos. They are just about the best food ever! I dare say that if I could only eat one thing for the rest of my life it just might be carne asada tacos. Ok….I dunno! That’s a pretty bold statement. I might have to retract my statement because there are too many dang good foods out there and that is too tough to say. I think I am just craving them and need them in the worst way RIGHT now. Well, no matter what day you read this it’s TACO TUESDAY, folks! I’m about to share the most beautiful, tested like no other, carne asada recipe for you today.

The easy route to go for carne asada tacos is to just buy premade carne asada at your local grocery store. I get mine at Aldi. I can buy beautifully seasoned and marinated carne asada meat for like $4 a pound! Chop up some onions, cilantro and lime wedges and bada bing bada boom--I have the world’s quickest (and cheapest) dinner ready in a snap!

Well….when I first bought this meat from Aldi I used to buy it already chopped up into tiny pieces. It was still marinated and seasoned the same but I have since changed to buying it in the flank steak form instead of already chopped up. And let me show you why….

You can achieve that perfect charred, crispy exterior and have a tender, juicy center. It is not too seasoned or overly marinated. The taste of the steak is still the forefront of all the flavors. Anywho, I was researching how to best make my tacos with a flank steak and I came across a life changing article from the only and only J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. He went through the trenches testing out different recipes, marinades, and methods like no man or woman as ever done before to achieve the perfect recipe. He made me want to ditch the current flank steak I was stuck with and go out and start from scratch with his recipe!

And let me tell you, this guy describes food on JK Rowling level. Let me explain. I am a real Harry Potter nerd and after begging and BEGGING my husband to read the books he finally agreed to read the first book. His one takeaway message from the book wasn’t a cool, brave kid who beats the odds at life and faces the greatest super creepy faceless villain ever known to mankind, despite his troubled childhood! Or, you know, the great friends who have your back and are right there facing said super creepy faceless villain as much as they can be with you! No. He just wouldn’t stop raving about JK Rowling’s ability to describe food so beautifully and deliciously for their banquets of food they’d have. Haha! Although I may have not thought of this as main thing I remembered from the book—he’s not wrong. JK Rowling DOES do a beautiful job of making you want to drink a nice mug of butter beer or even have a good helping of weird British food like mince meat pie! J

So does anybody find it funny that his name also starts with JK? No wonder I say such a connection! Ha!

Without further ado…..here is the recipe for the world’s best carne asada. I can only imagine the things JK herself would say about the other JK’s carne asada tacos. One can only imagine.

If you need further convincing, feel free to google and read his article and in-depth analysis of said carne asada by googling “the food lab: how to make the best carne asada”. It is well worth the read! :)

Carne Asada Tacos

Ingredients:

3 whole dried ancho chilies, stems and seeds removed

3 whole dried guajillo chilies, stems and seeds removed

2 whole chipotle peppers, canned in adobo

¾ cup fresh juice from 2 to 3 oranges, preferably sour oranges

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce

6 medium cloves garlic

1 small bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems only, divided

1 tablespoon whole cumin seed, toasted and ground

1 teaspoon whole coriander seed, toasted and ground

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

Kosher salt

2 pounds skirt steak (2 to 3 whole skirt steaks), trimmed and cut with the grain into 5-6 inch lengths

Warm corn or flour tortillas, lime wedges, diced onion, fresh cilantro, and avocado, for serving

 

Directions:

1. Place dried ancho and guajillo chilies on a microwave-safe plate and microwave until pliable and toasty-smelling, 10 to 20 seconds. Transfer to the jar of a blender and add chipotle peppers, orange juice, lime juice, olive oil, soy sauce, fish sauce, garlic, cilantro, cumin seed, coriander seed, and brown sugar. Blend until a smooth sauce has formed, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt. Transfer half of the salsa to a large bowl and the other half to a sealed container. Set aside the sealed container in the refrigerator.
2. Add an extra 2 teaspoons of salt to the salsa in the bowl. It should taste slightly saltier than is comfortable to taste. Add 1 piece of steak to bowl and turn to coat. Transfer to a gallon-sized zipper-lock bag with the top folder over to prevent excess sauce and meat juices from contaminating the seal. Repeat with remaining steak, adding it all to the same bag. Pour any excess marinade over the steak. Squeeze all air out of the bag and seal. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to overnight.
3. When ready to cook, remove the extra salsa from the fridge to allow it to warm up a little. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange the coals on one side of the charcoal grate. Set the cooking grate in place, cover grill, and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Alternatively, set half the burners on a gas grill to the highest heat setting, cover and preheat for 10 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate.
4. Remove steak from marinade and wipe off excess. Place directly over the hot side of the grill. If using a gas grill, cover; if using a charcoal grill, leave exposed. Cook, turning occasionally, until steak is well charred on the outside and center registers 110 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, 5 to 10 minutes total. Transfer to a cutting board and allow to rest for 5 minute. Slice thinly against the grain and serve immediately, passing extra salsa, lime wedges, avocado, onions, cilantro, and tortillas on the side.

 

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