These carne asada tacos load warm corn tortillas with tender, citrus-marinated skirt steak, fresh toppings, grilled green onions, and homemade salsa. Grill the steak outdoors in the summer or use the pan-searing instructions to cook it indoors year-round. It’s one of my personal favorite summer dinners that gives average taco nights a run for their money.
My family really loves Mexican food, but lately, my daughter only seems to care about my Birria Tacos with a side of my Mexican Street Corn. I can’t blame her—it’s a great meal! And it leaves more of these Carne Asada Tacos leftover for me. When I was testing this recipe, the guys in my studio and I absolutely destroyed them. Now, if only I could get my daughter to try them…
Carne Asada Tacos
Carne asada tacos, meaning “grilled meat tacos,” aren’t just any steak tacos. Unlike the slow-cooked and shredded beef in barbacoa and birria tacos, authentic carne asada uses lean, marinated steak that’s quickly grilled over super-high heat and sliced against the grain for maximum tenderness.
My recipe features an incredible citrus marinade packed with lime juice, orange juice, garlic, and Mexican beer. I soak my dry-brined skirt steak in this flavor-packed mixture overnight before cooking it to a perfect medium-rare the next day, either on my outdoor grill or in a cast-iron skillet (you’ll find the cooking instructions for both in this post). No matter the cooking method I choose, I always end up with juicy, savory bites of steak with a really nice caramelized crust.
For extra fun, I served the steak taqueria-style—stuffed in warm corn tortillas with finely diced onion and chopped cilantro on top and scoops of guacamole and salsa roja for good measure. My wife typically doesn’t eat anything but beef tenderloin, but she absolutely loves these juicy, flavorful steak tacos.
Ingredients and Substitutions
My steak tacos are made with 4 components: lean steak, a zesty citrus marinade, tortillas, and toppings. These are the ingredients I used:
- Skirt Steak is one of the best cuts of steak for carne asada. It’s lean, thin, and soaks up marinades like a sponge.
- Salt is rubbed all over the steak to help it tenderize.
- Worcestershire Sauce deepens the meaty notes in the beef before it hits the marinade.
For the Marinade
- Garlic and Onion – I started the marinade with sautéed garlic cloves and diced yellow onion.
- Cumin brings a touch of warmth.
- Citrus Juice – I used freshly squeezed lime juice and orange juice. This necessary acid tenderizes the meat and adds the signature bright, punchy flavor in a carne asada marinade. Feel free to replace either citrus juice with freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Mexican Beer adds malt sugars to the marinade, which caramelize beautifully on the grill. Modelo, Dos Equis, Tecate, or Corona are a few of my favorites.
- Fresh Herbs – I used oregano and fresh cilantro. Fresh Mexican oregano would be amazing here, but dry oregano always works in a pinch.
- Olive Oil binds the marinade to the meat. Avocado oil works, too.
How to Make Carne Asada Tacos
Season the steak with salt and Worcestershire sauce. Work them into the meat, then cover and place it in the fridge.
Sauté the garlic and onion in a medium skillet until they start to brown.
Mash the sautéed aromatics in a mortar and pestle or food processor into a paste.
To finish the marinade, add the onion-garlic paste to a medium bowl along with the cumin, lime juice, orange juice, beer, oregano, cilantro, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Whisk to combine.
Pour the marinade over the beef, coating it on all sides. Cover again and refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours.
Grilling Instructions
Preheat and Grill: After taking the marinated steak out of the fridge, preheat the grill to high heat (between 500°F and 550°F). Grill the steak for 2 to 2 ½ minutes per side or until there are grill marks and the internal temperature is 130ºF.
Searing Instructions
Preheat the skillet: To start, preheat a griddle or a very large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat (400ºF).
Sear the steak on the griddle/skillet for 2 to 2 ½ minutes per side or until the internal temperature is 130ºF.
Before Serving
Transfer the cooked steak to a wire rack to rest. While it’s resting, season the steak with more lime juice, a drizzle of olive oil, and a pinch of salt.
Prepare the tacos: While the steak is resting, warm the tortillas and grill the optional green onions and jalapeños.
Slice the steak against the grain into thin strips.
To serve, pile the steak strips into the warm tortillas and top with onion, cilantro, grilled green onions, jalapeños, sliced radishes, and the optional sauces.
Chef Tip + Notes
Carne asada tacos require some planning since marinating the steak can take anywhere from 4 to 24 hours. I’d suggest letting it marinate as long as you can—the longer the steak soaks, the more tender, juicy, and flavorful it will be. I always try to leave mine in the fridge overnight.
- Cook the steak over high heat to sear the outside instantly without overcooking the inside. If your grill or griddle isn’t hot enough, the steak will steam and turn grey.
- Cook to your desired temperature: I always pull my skirt steak off the grill/griddle when the internal temperature is between 130°F and 135°F (medium-rare to medium). You can technically cook the steak to whatever temperature you like, but cooking it any further will make it tough and chewy.
- Rest the steak on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes before slicing. Cutting into it immediately will cause those zesty, meaty juices to run out of the meat and onto your cutting board.
- How to slice steak for tacos: Use a sharp chef’s knife to slice the cooked steak against the grain (perpendicular to the parallel muscle lines running through the meat) into thin, bite-sized strips. Slicing in the wrong direction leaves stringy fibers intact, which can make a perfectly cooked steak tough and chewy real quick.
Serving Suggestions
These are the tacos I make when I’m hosting extra special taco nights. Carne asada tacos loaded with fresh toppings, a scoop of this Homemade Guacamole, and a drizzle of my bold Salsa Roja is a perfect meal we love sharing with family and friends or eating on a gorgeous summer evening.
My favorite way to serve carne asada is on a platter surrounded by charred green onions and jalapeños, plus some crisp, sliced radishes. But if we’re going full-on feast, I also make sure there’s an almost overflowing bowl of arroz blanco (Mexican white rice) and slow-cooked frijoles de la olla on the table.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: Carne asada is best served immediately after cooking. It can be kept loosely covered in a 200°F oven for up to 30 minutes before serving, but it will continue cooking and become well done.
How to Store: Cover and refrigerate any leftover steak, tortillas, and toppings separately for 3 to 4 days.
How to Reheat: To keep it juicy, flash-sear the cold steak in a hot skillet with a splash of oil for 1 to 2 minutes. The leftover steak is just as delicious the next day in breakfast burritos, burrito bowls, salads, quesadillas, and so on.
More Taco Recipes
Video
Carne Asada Tacos Recipe (Grilled or Seared)
Ingredients
For the Steak:
- 2 to 2 ½ pounds skirt steak
- 2 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 6 garlic cloves
- ½ yellow onion, peeled, small diced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- Juice of 3 limes, about 5 to 6 tablespoons
- 2/3 cup orange juice
- 2/3 cup Mexican beer
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
To Serve:
- 16 heated corn tortillas
- guacamole, optional
- salsa roja, optional
- 2 cups peeled, small-diced sweet onion
- ½ cup minced fresh cilantro
- grilled green onions, optional
- grilled jalapeños, optional
- sliced radishes, optional
Instructions
- Add the steak to a 13×9 casserole dish and season it with the 2 ½ teaspoons of salt and Worcestershire sauce, and work them in. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the marinade.
- Place the garlic and onion in a medium-sized pan over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 6 to 7 minutes, or until they start to brown.
- Transfer them to a mortar and pestle or food processor and grind until they become like a paste.
- Add the mixture to a medium-sized bowl along with the cumin, lime juice, orange juice, beer, oregano, cilantro, salt, pepper, and olive oil, and whisk to combine.
- Pour the marinade over the seasoned beef, ensuring it is coated on all sides. Cover it and return it to the refrigerator for 4 to 24 hours.
- When you’re ready to cook it, remove it from the fridge and let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes. In the meantime, heat up the grill to high heat (500° to 550°).
- Place the steak directly onto the grill and cook for 2 to 2 ½ minutes per side. They should have grill marks and have an internal temperature of around 130°. This is for medium-rare to medium.
- Remove the steak and let it rest on a rack. This is optional, but while resting, I like to squeeze the juice of ½ lime, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil, and add another pinch of salt.
- While resting, heat up your tortillas and grill the optional green onions and jalapeños.
- Slice the steak against the grain as thin as you can. Turn it 90 degrees and thinly slice again to create very small bite-sized pieces.
- Add the steak to a warm corn tortilla along with onion, cilantro, and optional guacamole and salsa roja. Serve with grilled green onions, jalapeños, and sliced radishes.
Searing cooking options:
- Heat a griddle or a very large cast-iron skillet to medium-high heat (400°).
- Place the steak directly onto the griddle and cook for 2 to 2 ½ minutes per side. It should have some sear marks and have an internal temperature of around 130°. This is for medium-rare to medium.
- Remove the steak and let it rest on a rack. This is optional, but while resting, I like to squeeze on the juice of ½ lime, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil, and add another pinch of salt.
- Slice the steak against the grain as thin as you can. Turn it 90 degrees and thinly slice again to create very small bite-sized pieces.
Carne Asada Tacos Recipe (Grilled or Seared)