Carne asada is one of my all-time-favorite dishes: it’s easy to make, it uses affordable cuts of meat, and it’s delicious. It’s typically made with somewhat tough but full-flavored cuts like flank, flap, and skirt steak. The trick is to slice them thinly across the grain after cooking them on high heat. All that connective tissue that was tough will have melted over the heat, and cutting across the grain makes the fibers of the meat separate when you bite into them. While soy sauce isn’t a traditional Mexican ingredient, it’s the secret to the success of our carne asada, adding deep flavor and seasoning the steak more than salt alone would. It’s best to make this marinade a day in advance so you have time to let the flank steak marinade for overnight before grilling.
12 tacos
- Combine the onion, chipotles and sauce, jalapeños, garlic, cilantro, orange juice, olive oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, cumin, and paprika in a food processor or blender and puree. Transfer the marinade to a large self-seal plastic bag or airtight container.
- Add the flank steak and turn to coat it in the marinade, then seal the bag (or cover the container). Refrigerate overnight.
- Remove the steak from the marinade, letting the excess marinade drip back into the bag or bowl. Place the steak on a platter and set it aside at room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling.
- Meanwhile, heat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat. Grill the steak until it is charred, about 5 minutes. Turn it over and grill until charred on the other side, about 5 minutes more. Transfer it to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing it crosswise and against the grain.
- Preheat the oven to 250°F. Stack the tortillas, wrap them in aluminum foil, place them in the oven, and let them warm until they’re fragrant and pliable, about 15 minutes.
- Remove the tortillas from the oven. Unwrap the stack and line up the tortillas, assembly line style, on your work surface.
- In a medium bowl, mix the shredded cabbage with the Salsa Verde. Divide the Carne Asada among the tortillas, placing it in a straight line down the center of each tortilla. Place a line of the cabbage mixture to the right of the steak. Serve a lime wedge with each taco.
