Carne Asada - A Beautiful Mess

Carne Asada means grilled meat or roasted meat, so it more refers to how the meat is cooked rather than a specific recipe. That being said, when I hear the words “carne asada,” I tend to think of tender, juicy steak cooked with a little bit of that char flavor that comes through when grilling or cooking with high heat. And if I’m being super honest, I also think of a Chipotle burrito bowl. Lol.

This carne asada recipe has a simple marinade made with citrus, soy, garlic and cilantro. I tend to cook the steak in a cast iron grill pan on the stovetop, but an outdoor grill is great too! You can serve this traditional carne asada on its own, with a sauce like chimichurri, or in tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, rice bowls or even over a salad. Whatever you choose, you will love this recipe!

Related: Next up, learn how to cook steak, how to broil steak, and air fryer steak.

Ingredients

Flank steak
Orange
Lime
Cilantro
Soy sauce
Garlic

How to make Carne Asada

Mix together the orange juice, lime juice, chopped cilantro, soy sauce and minced garlic. Add this marinade to a gallon size ziplock bag along with the steak. Marinate in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.

Remove the steak from the fridge and take it out of the bag. Remove any large pieces of cilantro and garlic. Let it sit out for 30 minutes, coming to room temperature or close to it. Season both sides with salt and pepper.

Heat the cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Place the steak in the pan and let cook for 5-6 minutes. Flip and continue to cook for 5-6 minutes on the other side. This will yield a medium-rare to medium steak. Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness.

Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5-6 minutes before cutting into it.

Tips & Notes

Flank steak is also sometimes called London broil. You can also use a different cut of beef like skirt steak or flap steak.
You can add more ingredients to this simple carne asada marinade if you like! You could try some ground ginger, cumin, black pepper, chili powder, chopped jalapeño for heat or other herbs beyond fresh cilantro like mint leaves or basil.
I use a cast iron grill pan on the stovetop, but you can grill this other ways too. If your grill pan isn’t cast iron, you might want to lightly brush the pan with olive oil as you cook.
Slice against the grain of the meat (the muscle fibers) for a more tender bite.
Serve with Mexican rice, flour or corn tortillas, refried beans or over a salad. You can also eat this exactly like you would steak—as that’s what it is. 🙂
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least 3 days. This makes great leftovers! You can rewarm in the microwave, stovetop or air fryer.

Temperatures of Doneness

Rare: 120-125°F (49-52°C)
Medium Rare: 130-135°F (54-57°C)
Medium: 140-145°F (60-63°C)
Medium Well: 150-155°F (65-68°C)
Well Done: 160°F (71°C) and above

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Marinated and grilled steak you can use for all sorts of meals!

Yield 2

Prep 8 hours

Cook 12 minutes

Total 8 hours 12 minutes

Instructions

Mix together the orange juice, lime juice, chopped cilantro, soy sauce and minced garlic.
Add this marinade to a gallon size ziplock bag along with the steak. Marinate in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.
Remove the steak from the fridge and take it out of the bag. Remove any large pieces of cilantro and garlic.
Let it sit out for 30 minutes, coming to room temperature or close to it. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
Heat the cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Place the steak in the pan and let cook for 5-6 minutes. Flip and continue to cook for 5-6 minutes on the other side. This will yield a medium-rare to medium steak.
Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5-6 minutes before cutting into it.

Notes

Flank steak is also sometimes called London broil. You can also use a different cut of beef like skirt steak or flap steak.
You can add more ingredients to this simple carne asada marinade if you like! You could try some ground ginger, cumin, black pepper, chili powder, chopped jalapeño for heat or other herbs beyond fresh cilantro like mint leaves or basil.
I use a cast iron grill pan on the stovetop, but you can grill this other ways too. If your grill pan isn’t cast iron, you might want to lightly brush the pan with olive oil as you cook.
Slice against the grain of the meat (the muscle fibers) for a more tender bite.
Serve with Mexican rice, flour or corn tortillas, refried beans or over a salad. You can also eat this exactly like you would steak—as that’s what it is. 🙂
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least 3 days. This makes great leftovers! You can rewarm in the microwave, stovetop or air fryer.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Carne Asada

Amount per Serving

% Daily Value*

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.

Carne Asada – A Beautiful Mess