Got a huge slab of tri-tip and instead of just grilling it I thought I’d make some carne asada with it. Problem: the 2 or 3 recipes for carne asada I’ve used in the past have turned out somewhat bland. Anybody got any good recipes (especially for the marinade) I can use?
I bought some outside skirt steak the other day, and thought I’d make carne asada sometime. (No hurry, since it’s in the freezer.) I was thinking of marinating it in olive oil, apple cider vinegar, juices of one each orange, lemon, and lime, garlic, cilantro, cumin, kosher salt, and cilantro.
Then I found a recipe that had all of that except the vinegar, plus soy sauce, chile powder, paprika, and oregano. It says to marinate the meat for 24 hours.
I asked my Mexico-born coworker (who gave me a ceviche recipe) how she makes it, and she said she marinates the meat in a zip-top bag with beer, Johnny’s Seasoning Salt, garlic, black pepper, and cilantro. She didn’t say how long she marinated it.
Right now I’m leaning toward my first inclination; but oregano sounds interesting. Maybe some chile powder too. (But no cayenne, since Mi Esposa has grown less tolerant of heat.) Not sure about the soy sauce. Maybe marinate the meat overnight/24 hours instead of only about four hours.
Thoughts and advice?
I love this one:
Tiger bite sauce lives up to its name: it’s spicy and deep in umami. Make a double batch and use it throughout the week because you’re going to want extra. This recipe is from Union Hmong Kitchen in Minneapolis, where chef Yia Vang works his wood-fired magic.
Ingredients
4 servings
Steak
2 Tbsp. Sichuan peppercorns
2 Tbsp. coriander seeds
1 Tbsp. cumin seeds
2lb. tri-tip steak or two 1-lb. sirloin steaks
¼ cup vegetable oil
3 Tbsp. oyster sauce
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
Sauce and assembly
1½ cups cherry tomatoes
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1 small shallot, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 Thai chiles, finely chopped
½ cup finely chopped cilantro
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
Purple Sticky Rice and Little Gem or butter lettuce leaves (for serving)
Special Equipment
A spice mill
Preparation
Steak
Step 1
Toast Sichuan peppercorns, coriander seeds, and cumin seeds in a dry small skillet over medium heat, tossing often, until spices are very fragrant and slightly darkened in color, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a spice mill and let cool; finely grind.
Step 2
Pat steak dry; season all over with salt. Whisk oil, oyster sauce, fish sauce, and spices in a large bowl. Add steak; turn to coat. Cover and chill 4–12 hours (for the most flavor go the full time!).
Step 3
Remove steak from marinade and place on a plate. Let sit at room temperature 1 hour before cooking.
Step 4
Prepare a grill for medium-high indirect heat (for a charcoal grill, bank coals on one side of grill; for a gas grill, leave one or two burners off). Grill steak over direct heat until lightly charred, about 2 minutes per side. Move steak over to indirect heat and cover grill, placing vent (if your grill has one) over steak so it draws heat up and over it. Grill, turning steak occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of steak registers 120°, 20–25 minutes for medium-rare.
Step 5
Transfer steak to a cutting board and let rest 15 minutes before slicing it against the grain.
Sauce and assembly
Step 6
While the steak is resting, place a wire rack on direct heat side of grill, arranging so bars run perpendicular to grate. Toss tomatoes with oil in a medium bowl; season with salt. Grill tomatoes in a single layer on rack, turning occasionally, until lightly charred all over and beginning to burst, about 5 minutes. Return to bowl as they’re done and let cool.
Step 7
Pulse shallot, garlic, chiles, and a pinch of salt in a food processor until mixture starts to resemble a paste. (This is even better in a mortar and pestle, which will create a finer texture.) Add cilantro and pulse until very finely chopped.
Step 8
Lightly crush tomatoes with your hands and add shallot mixture, lime juice, fish sauce, and oyster sauce. Season sauce with salt; let sit 10 minutes. Serve steak with sauce, rice, and lettuce.
Looks tasty, but more Asian than Mexican.
Here’s Kenji’s , for what its worth:
I think the meal is over already.
Either that or the meat is going to be a little off…
I hadn’t thought about a protease. I don’t have a papaya or pineapple, but I do have some meat tenderiser in the cupboard.
The linked recipe ends up just using soy sauce from the “protease” category.
Nonsense! Properly refrigerated, it should easily keep for more than 14 years! 
I’ve made Kenji’s version and it’s very good.
That’s what dry aging is for.
Coincidentally, I just marinated and grilled some carne asada flank steak this past weekend and this is almost exactly how I made it, down to pretty much the exact ingredients and 24 hour marinade time (I subbed oregano for cilantro because the wife and kids don’t like it). Served with grilled peppers and onions, other various toppings and wraps to make fajitas. It turned out quite tasty.
The linked recipe, or what I posted? (Low on caffeine yet.)
Everything you mentioned in the first paragraph (minus cilantro, and I think I skipped the vinegar since there was plenty of acid from the citrus) plus the additional ingredients from the recipe you found.
Thanks. Now I just need to decide when I want to make it, and get the meat out of the freezer the day before.
Oh, and for chile powder I used Chipotle powder, cayenne pepper, and I also finely chopped up a couple fresh jalapenos and added to the marinade.