We love skirt steak. It may not possess the drama and glamour of its hefty counterparts, but it’s delicious and as a bonus, it cooks very quickly. Any cut of beef that can go from the grill to your plate in a matter of minutes is tops in our book. One of our favorite ways to prepare it is Carne Asada.
Getting Started
We frequently pick up skirt steak at our local Costco. It always seems to be readily available there and the quality is consistently good. This is important because we eat skirt steak a lot. The key to good Carne Asada, is in the marinade. Ours relies heavily on lime juice, fresh lemon juice (we like the tang), jalapeño, garlic, our Green Chile Rub, and kosher salt. We’ve tweaked this to our tastes, but I’ve seen recipes that call for orange juice, sugar, Worcestershire, soy sauce, etc.
I even had a conversation with our satellite dish tech recently (yes, I talk food with EVERYONE) and he soaks the meat in beer first, then adds something called Maggi Jugo to the marinade. He says he learned this trick during a visit to Mexico. Interesting.
Level up the Marinade
As mentioned above, our marinade is lime juice, fresh squeezed lemon juice, 1-2 jalapeños (seeds included), 6-8 cloves of garlic (chopped), AlbuKirky Seasoning Green Chile Rub, and kosher salt. Many of these ingredients are common in Carne Asada, but we’ve found that the magic is to immersion blend the marinade. When we first whisk the ingredients together, they taste pretty good. However, if we take the handheld immersion blender to it, wow, it makes all the difference in the world! The jalapeño and the garlic get distributed throughout the marinade adding a glorious heat and flavor! Nothing settles and disappears. The flavors emulsify and marry, so every bit of meat benefits from all the parts of the marinade.
We let the skirt steak hang out in the marinade 3 or 4 hours in the fridge and then pull it out, pat it dry, and hit it with another sprinkle of the AlbuKirky Seasoning Green Chile Rub before it makes it’s way to the grill.
We sear it on the Big Green Egg about 4-minutes on each side. This is just enough to time to get the steak just north of medium rare and to develop a tasty char on the meat. That char is just as important to the flavor of this dish as is the marinade.
A side of Mexican Rice and a stack of Bacon Fat Flour Tortillas means dinner is ready! If you’re looking for the recipe for these tortillas you’ll find it HERE.
Rather than slicing the skirt steak thin across the grain for tacos, we like to cut into steak-sized hunks and eat it like, well, steak.
CARNE ASADA
Ingredients
2-3 Skirt Steaks
16 oz. Lime Juice
1/4 cup fresh Lemon Juice (about 2 lemons)
1-2 Jalapeños (sliced & seeds included)
6-8 cloves Garlic (chopped)
1 teaspoon AlbuKirky Seasonings Green Chile Rub
Kosher Salt to taste
Instructions
- Place skirt steaks into large plastic sealable bags. The Costco package usually come with 3 skirt steaks in a package, so we’ll place two steaks in one bag and the third in a separate bag.
- Add juices, jalapeños, garlic, and Green Chile Rub to a tall measuring cup or bowl. Blend thoroughly with an immersion blender. Add kosher salt to taste.
- Pour half of the mixture into each bag, seal, and let the meat marinate in the fridge for 3-4 hours.
- Remove meat from the marinade and pat dry.
- Season again with AlbuKirky Seasoning Green Chile Rub, both sides.
- Sear on the grill 4 minutes on each side until meat reaches desired doneness and has developed a bit of char on each side.
- Slice against the grain to serve in tacos or cut into large pieces to enjoy as a steak.
Conclusion
That’s how we like our Carne Asada. The citrus juices give the meat an exotic and unexpected hit of acid, which is surprising and delicious on beef. The immersion blending of the marinade equally distributes the jalapeño, garlic, and seasonings, which work in tandem to ensure every bit of the steak receives a savory bath of flavor and heat. Most importantly, it ensures that none of the flavors get lost. Give this recipe a try and be sure to tweak it to your tastes.
Stock up on our rubs, sauces, and jellies at AlbuKirkySeasonings.com and keep up with what we’re cooking on our Facebook and Instagram pages. See you next time!
