First things first:  Carne asada isn’t a “dish” so much as it is a primary ingredient in other foods.  Carne asada, at its essence, is basically marinated beef—usually a flank or skirt steak, such as that used in fajitas.  In this particular case, I’m making the carne asada as a filling for burritos.

A caveat before we get started:  This isn’t New Mexican cuisine, per se.  This is, more or less, New Mexican food, but with a Caribbean marinade because I love Caribbean food, but—alas—don’t have any good restaurants of that variety where I live.  I also substituted the orange for about a ½ cup of mango juice.

Here’s what you’ll need:

2 ½ Lbs. Flank or Skirt Steak

⅓ Cup Olive Oil

3 Limes, juiced

1 Orange, juiced

3 Cloves Garlic Minced

1 tsp. Ground Cumin

1 tsp. Red Chile Powder

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Combine olive oil, lime juice, orange juice, garlic, cumin, chile, salt and pepper in a bowl or mason jar. If using a bowl, whisk together until fully incorporated. If using a mason jar, secure the lid and shake for 15 – 20 seconds.

Add steak to a large plastic bag, cover with marinade, and seal bag. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, and up to 24 hours.

Heat grill to medium-high and lightly oil grate. Cook about 7 minutes per side for medium rare.

Let it rest for 5 minutes, so the juices absorb back into the meat, then slice against the grain.  If making burritos, like I did, then cut the slices once again, with the grain, so you end up with roughly 1-inch square cubes.

For the burritos, add the carne asada with whatever fillings you wish (cheese and green chiles for me).

This is good stuff.  I’ve got the Flank Steak for Life special with Butcher Box, so I have plenty of opportunities to experiment.