Course
Main
Duration
1 to 2 hours
Serves
4 to 6
I’ve been trying to recreate my best friend's dad’s carne asada recipe for about a decade. He’d make it for us in high school for special occasions and set up a stand in town every once in a while to sling street tacos. It set a high standard for my ideal carne asada taco to say the least. This recipe is the closest I’ve come to recreating it, and I’ve got to say, it’s pretty damn good.
The internet will tell you that carne asada needs to be made with flank or skirt steak. I’m here to tell you otherwise. While those cuts can make delicious tacos, they’re not as big on wild game as what you’ll find on cattle and can be challenging to get properly cleaned. Instead, I opt for using bigger muscles like the top and bottom round or sirloin.
Similar to the vaguely-labeled “carne asada meat” you’ll find pre-sliced in a styrofoam meat tray at any carniceria, you can use just about any roast here, as long as you slice it thin. To achieve this, thaw your roast for a couple of hours on your countertop. Then use a sharp knife or deli slicer to make about ¼- to ⅓-inch-thick slices, against the grain, while it’s still mostly frozen. (This technique is perfect for when you forget to pull protein out of your freezer and need dinner in a couple of hours.)
For the marinade, putting soy sauce in a Mexican dish may seem counterintuitive. If you’re skeptical, try it with and without, and you’ll understand why it’s there. It gives the meat a depth of umami that is irreplaceable. And once the meat is done, leave the grill on a bit longer. Grilled jack cheese quesadillas make the perfect charred and cheesy vessel for tender, garlicky carne asada.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 to 2 lbs. venison roast, sliced thin (top round, sirloin, etc.)
- Flour tortillas
- Jack cheese, shredded
- Taco toppings
Marinade
- 1 tbsp. honey
- 2 tbsp. avocado oil (sub any high-heat oil)
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Also works with
Special equipment
Preparation
- Prepare the marinade by whisking all the ingredients together in a large container. Season to taste.
- Place sliced meat (it’s OK if it’s still a bit frozen) into the marinade and use your hands to toss well, ensuring all the meat is covered. Allow this to marinade for an hour or two.
- Fire up your grill on high. 500°F is a good temp to aim for because you’ll have the lid open for most of this cooking process, so you want the grates hot. These thin pieces of meat cook fast, only 2 or 3 minutes. The goal is to char them a bit but get them off the grill before they just turn to charcoal. You’ll likely have to work in batches.
- Once all the meat is cooked, turn the heat on your grill down to medium-low while the meat rests for about 10 minutes. Grill one side of a tortilla, flip, cover with jack cheese, and fold over to make a quesadilla. Grill both sides until done.
- Chop the meat up into small cubes, stuff it into a molten quesadilla, and finish with your favorite toppings like lime, pico, cilantro and onion, grilled green onion or pickled red onion, pickled or grilled jalapeño, queso fresco, sour cream, or guacamole (or just get creative with whatever’s in the fridge).
I’ve been trying to recreate my best friend's dad’s carne asada recipe for about a decade. He’d make it for us in high school for special occasions and set up a stand in town every once in a while to sling street tacos. It set a high standard for my ideal carne asada taco to say the least. This recipe is the closest I’ve come to recreating it, and I’ve got to say, it’s pretty damn good.
The internet will tell you that carne asada needs to be made with flank or skirt steak. I’m here to tell you otherwise. While those cuts can make delicious tacos, they’re not as big on wild game as what you’ll find on cattle and can be challenging to get properly cleaned. Instead, I opt for using bigger muscles like the top and bottom round or sirloin.
Similar to the vaguely-labeled “carne asada meat” you’ll find pre-sliced in a styrofoam meat tray at any carniceria, you can use just about any roast here, as long as you slice it thin. To achieve this, thaw your roast for a couple of hours on your countertop. Then use a sharp knife or deli slicer to make about ¼- to ⅓-inch-thick slices, against the grain, while it’s still mostly frozen. (This technique is perfect for when you forget to pull protein out of your freezer and need dinner in a couple of hours.)
For the marinade, putting soy sauce in a Mexican dish may seem counterintuitive. If you’re skeptical, try it with and without, and you’ll understand why it’s there. It gives the meat a depth of umami that is irreplaceable. And once the meat is done, leave the grill on a bit longer. Grilled jack cheese quesadillas make the perfect charred and cheesy vessel for tender, garlicky carne asada.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 to 2 lbs. venison roast, sliced thin (top round, sirloin, etc.)
- Flour tortillas
- Jack cheese, shredded
- Taco toppings
Marinade
- 1 tbsp. honey
- 2 tbsp. avocado oil (sub any high-heat oil)
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Also works with
Special equipment
Preparation
- Prepare the marinade by whisking all the ingredients together in a large container. Season to taste.
- Place sliced meat (it’s OK if it’s still a bit frozen) into the marinade and use your hands to toss well, ensuring all the meat is covered. Allow this to marinade for an hour or two.
- Fire up your grill on high. 500°F is a good temp to aim for because you’ll have the lid open for most of this cooking process, so you want the grates hot. These thin pieces of meat cook fast, only 2 or 3 minutes. The goal is to char them a bit but get them off the grill before they just turn to charcoal. You’ll likely have to work in batches.
- Once all the meat is cooked, turn the heat on your grill down to medium-low while the meat rests for about 10 minutes. Grill one side of a tortilla, flip, cover with jack cheese, and fold over to make a quesadilla. Grill both sides until done.
- Chop the meat up into small cubes, stuff it into a molten quesadilla, and finish with your favorite toppings like lime, pico, cilantro and onion, grilled green onion or pickled red onion, pickled or grilled jalapeño, queso fresco, sour cream, or guacamole (or just get creative with whatever’s in the fridge).