Carne Asada Tacos are marinated in lime juice, cumin, and plenty of garlic. After marinating, the flank steak is grilled over charcoal to a perfect medium-rare. The tacos are served on corn tortillas that are warmed over the charcoal grill. Garnished with diced white onions, cilantro, a squirt of lime juice, and your choice of salsa. My Carne Asada Tacos are mouthwateringly delicious.
For most Carne Asada street tacos, the vendors use skirt steak in a type of Mojo Marinade which is cooked well-done. And these street tacos are amazing, however, I prefer using a more tender cut of beef, leaving it medium-rare so that its tender and juicy. My Carne Asada Marinade recipe imparts a tremendous flavor into the steak. And if you’re like me, you’ll probably wind up overeating, sorry about that.
Gas Station Tacos
Currently, I live in Dallas, Texas and we have a pretty good street taco scene. With one exception, the majority of vendors don’t sell them out of food carts on the sidewalks, they sell them in the gas stations. It’s true, gas station tacos are a real thing, and they are magnificent. The main problem with Dallas is not a very pedestrian-friendly city. Texas is usually about a thousand degrees Fahrenheit in the summer, so walking anywhere is out of the question. As a result, the best place for a street vendor to sell tacos is in the gas stations. Therefore, if you find yourself driving in Texas someday, don’t hesitate to eat the gas station tacos. They are some of the best tacos in the world!
Here is my Carne Asada Taco recipe:
Carne Asada Tacos
Equipment
- Grill
Ingredients
- 2 Pounds Flank Steak
- 3 Tablespoons Garlic Crushed and chopped
- 1 Orange Juice only
- 3 Limes Juice only
- 2 Teaspoons Ground Cumin
- 2 Teaspoons Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- 2 Tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
- 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
Instructions
- Use a fork to poke holes into the steak to help the marinade penetrate the meat
- Combine all ingredients in a dish just large enough to hold the steak and marinade, a large resealable plastic bag works great as well
- Marinade for 2-4 hours (no longer than 4, the lime juice will break down the meat too much)
- Prepare the grill with the heat on one side only. Have the charcoal or gas at medium-high heat
- Depending on the thickness of the steak, grill for 2-3 minutes per side, then move to indirect heat and cover for about 5-7 minutes until medium-rare. Remove from the grill, cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes
- While the steak rests, clean the grill and lay the tortillas over direct heat for about 10-15 seconds per side. Optional grilled jalapenos and green onions are nice with the tacos as well
What to Serve With Carne Asada Tacos
Tacos are a very personal food. Therefore, how you garnish them and what you garnish them with is up to you. Here are a few of my favorite tacos garnishes:
- Warm corn tortillas
- Dice steak into ½ inch cubes
- Diced avocado
- Finely dice a white onion
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Slices of lime
- Your choice of salsa
- Grilled jalapenos and onions (optional)
- Beans and rice
- Chips and salsa
- Margaritas, ice-cold beer, or Micheladas. Definitely check out the Sips section of my blog for a good cocktail recipe!
Suzy
We really enjoyed having these for dinner. Yum!