When It Comes to Carne Asada, You Can Make Tacos, But What About Fries?

Fire up the grill and get creative with grilled meat

Mark Bittman
Heated

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Photo: Christina Holmes

The skirt steak used for this version of carne asada is a chewy cut and must be cooked quickly and sliced across the grain to guarantee tenderness, but the evenly distributed fat makes for rich and satisfying eating. You don't have to season the meat much but you can; feel free to tinker with the spices and herbs according to what you like and what you have: Ground cumin, chili powder, ground coriander, and/or dried thyme are all good. Corn tortillas are traditional for tacos, as is serving the tortillas doubled up. If you like flour tortillas, go for it; the same goes for using one tortilla per taco instead of two.

Carne Asada Tacos

Makes: 4 servings
Time: 20 to 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
  • ½ teaspoon chipotle chile powder
  • ½ teaspoon ancho chile powder
  • 1½ pounds skirt steak
  • 1 large ripe avocado
  • 2 or 3 limes
  • Hot sauce of your choice

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Mark Bittman
Heated

Has published 30 books, including How to Cook Everything and VB6: The Case for Part-Time Veganism. Newsletter at markbittman.com.