This Carne Asada recipe is flavorful, delicious, and can be ready in under half an hour! Perfect for a quick and satisfying weeknight dinner.
Carne Asada is a marinated and grilled beef that is full of flavorful and quick to cook. I like to use fajita meat sliced with the grain while marinating and cooking and then sliced smaller into serving pieces against the grain when it’s time to serve.
To make the marinade, I blend together seedless jalapeño, garlic cloves, cilantro, fresh lime juice, oil, and soy sauce.
Rub the beef with salt, black pepper, cumin, and sugar. Then pour over the prepared marinade and set aside.
While the marinade permeates the meat, prepare the red rice. I already have a recipe for it here which was shared when I made Chile relleno. But to summarize, melt butter in a pan, add chicken stock cube and rice. Toast the rice in the butter before adding a 2:1 ratio of liquid. This time I used leftover marinade from the blender, tomato sauce, and water. Then bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low for 20 minutes.
One the rice is simmering, place a heavy bottom skillet on high heat and add a little oil. Add meat and cook on medium high turning once the bottom gets a good sear. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 145°. This will depend on how thick your meat is! It is best to check with a meat thermometer to avoid the meat cooking too long and drying out.
Remove beef from heat and lay on a plate to rest. This is to ensure the juices soak into the meat! Once the rice is ready, slice meat against the grain. Plate up rice, top with meat and garnish with fresh cilantro. Feel free to add sides and toppings such as avocado, tomatoes, salsa, guacamole, beans, and more!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs beef fajita meat
- 1 jalapeño, sliced and seed removed
- 5-6 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Juice from one lime
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp cumin
Directions
1. Blend together jalapeño, garlic, cilantro, soy sauce, oil, and lime juice
2. Season beef with salt, black pepper, sugar, and cumin
3. Pour marinade onto beef and massage in
4. Place a heavy bottom skillet on high heat and add a little oil
5. Sear meat on high heat then turn heat down to medium and cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 145°, turning once
6. Rest beef on a plate before slicing against the grain and serve over red rice