Roy Choi's Carne Asada Recipe (2024)

Recipe from Roy Choi

Adapted by Sam Sifton

Roy Choi's Carne Asada Recipe (1)

Total Time
30 minutes, plus marinating time
Rating
5(1,088)
Notes
Read community notes

Roy Choi is the dharma bum of the Los Angeles food scene, a Zen lunatic bard of the city’s immigrant streets. He is a founder of Kogi BBQ, which used food trucks to introduce the city to Mexican mash-up cuisine, and the creative force behind a handful of Los Angeles restaurants that celebrate various iterations of big-flavor cooking at the intersection of skater, stoner, lowrider and Korean college-kid desire. He cooks poems, and they taste of Los Angeles. Choi's carne asada — grilled meat — might raise eyebrows in Puebla and Laredo alike. There is mirin in the marinade and a lot of garlic. But there is purity to its expression of urban Southern California. This is a recipe to expand minds, a delicious take on a venerable classic. —Sam Sifton

Featured in: Pico de Gallo

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Ingredients

Yield:Serves 6

  • 2jalapeños
  • 1medium tomato, cored and cut into quarters
  • 1small yellow onion or ¼ large one, peeled and cut into quarters
  • 5cloves garlic
  • 2tablespoons white granulated sugar
  • ¼cup ancho chili powder
  • 1tablespoon ground black pepper
  • 1tablespoon kosher salt
  • ½large bunch cilantro, leaves and stems, well rinsed
  • cup fresh-squeezed orange juice (about 1 orange)
  • 3tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice (1 or 2 limes)
  • ¼cup mirin
  • 112-ounce can (1½ cups) Budweiser or other lager beer
  • 2pounds skirt steak, cut into 10-inch sections
  • 2tablespoons olive oil

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

429 calories; 25 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 32 grams protein; 692 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Roy Choi's Carne Asada Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    Preheat the broiler. Place the jalapeños on a cookie sheet or in a skillet with an ovenproof handle, and put them under the broiler until their skins begin to blacken and bubble. (You can also do this by putting the peppers directly over a burner on your stove or on a gas grill.) Pull the stems and seeds from the jalapeños and discard them; skin the peppers and put them into a food processor.

  2. Step

    2

    Add the tomato, onion, garlic, sugar, ancho chili powder, black pepper and salt to the bowl of the machine, and pulse to combine. Add the cilantro, the fruit juices, mirin and beer. Process again until smooth.

  3. Step

    3

    Transfer the marinade to a large, nonreactive bowl and submerge the steak in it. Cover and place in refrigerator for at least four hours or overnight.

  4. Step

    4

    Build a fire in your grill. If using a gas grill, turn all burners to high

  5. Step

    5

    When all coals are covered with gray ash and the fire is hot (you can hold your hand 6 inches over the grill for only a few seconds), remove steaks from marinade, drizzle with olive oil and placeon the grill directly over the coals and cook until deeply seared, turning a few times, approximately 10 minutes for medium-rare. Remove steaks from the grill and allow to rest a few minutes. Slice against the grain into thin strips and serve with warm corn tortillas, pico de gallo (see recipe), grilled scallions, whatever you like.

Ratings

5

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1,088

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Geoff

Find a Mexican grocery, or even your local supermarket, and look for the bagged dehydrated peppers in the Mexican food section. Even in New Jersey, we have Guajillo, Ancho and a bunch of other ones. Get the Anchos. Put one or two into a Pyrex cup and pour boiling water over it, let it sit for 10 minutes and then remove the seeds and membrane if you don't want all the heat. Throw this into the food processor and it beats Ancho chile powder hands down.

Jack Wells

In California this dish is often made with pork instead of beef. I would highly recommend swapping the skirt steak for pork tenderloin.

Jim Bullard

Carne Asada is always made with steak meat, 99.9% of the time it is flap meat, perfect for a taco, nice marbling, cooks fast. You can either chop it up ot just slice it, add onions mixes with cilantro limes and salsa, not hot sauce but salsa With Pork it is a Carnitas Taco, not a Carne Asada Taco, Carne Means Meat, asada is to grill, roast . Some people like to marinate the meat with oranges, limes or lemons or both

JSD

When a recipe calls for mirin, the Japanese sweet rice wine, you need a combination of acidic and sweet flavors. Add between 1 and 2 tablespoons of sugar to 1/2 cup of white wine, vermouth, or dry sherry to replace 1/2 cup of mirin.

Sam Sifton

Next time, save it and make some more asada, or use as the base of a loose-meat LA-style sloppy joe affair!

Oso

I really liked the way this menu idea has blossomed. As kids my dad used to have a large Pyrex pan and would have the flat steak meld with beer, ground pepper, garlic(remember the garlic press) a splash of red wine, and put in the fridge overnight. On Sunday we would cook it over our grill and have it in warm flour tortilla with a splash of salsa and beans. He used say " You don't have to be a king to eat like one"

Daniela

As a mexican, I hate to see this recipe praised as "a creative take" on carne asada tacos. It is not new, nor creative - it's how we eat carne asada in Mexico. Just stop it.

Sarah

I actually used this recipe over the weekend and broiled the steak. I wanted to use skirt but ended up with flank, which turned out to be absolutely delicious. I used the broiler in a gas stove, placed the steak directly on the broiler pan and cooked 6-8 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Just keep your eye on it as every broiler is different. This is one of the best recipes I have ever tried!

Michael McAfee

This is a follow up to my broiler question:

About 4 minutes on each side in your broiler (on high if you have different settings) will render a nice char and flavor. This makes the recipe viable for apartment dwellers.

James M

I used the leftover marinade to cook quinoa (substituted 1:1 for water), and the result was irresistible. Don't waste a drop of that delicious marinade!

R. Craton

Delicious! Used Pacifico Blanca instead of Budweiser. Used saki and honey instead of mirin. Cooked over a very hot gas grill 4 minutes on one side and 2.5 minutes on the other. Meat was medium on the thick side and medium-well on the thin side. Next time I'll cook no more than 6 minutes total and I'll take the thin piece of meat off early.

nanbrand

Very good recipe! I used flank steak because that's all I had. It's a bit tough for the grill but better if you slice it really thin. We did not use the tortillas but just served the steak as a main dish and guests loved it. Froze the excess marinade for next time!

Janet

Pico de gallo recipe does not follow.

Spatchco*ck

For the record, Corona *is* a lager, as are almost all the pale Mexican brews (Negra Modelo, Bohemia, Tecate, etc.).

SNick

I just tried this using Gluten free beer. On the West coast, there's one called OMission and another from New Belgium Brewery.

JW

Did anyone find this super sweet?! I followed the recipe exactly EXCEPT I could not find ancho chili powder, so I just used chili powder. But ancho is made from poblanos? I can’t imagine that would change the spice. I marinated it for 24 hours. Anyway, it was good but I felt the end result was pretty Asian-inspired and sweet almost like teriyaki. Maybe I don’t know who Roy Choi is, maybe it should be sweet. Anyway, good but not what I expected and now I have at least 1.5 lb of it!

Mac

Lacks salt, only marinated for 5 hours so perhaps just needed more time… but need to introduce sat in a different way

FeistyPisces

Mirin substitute - 1/4 c white wine plus 1 T sugar

JT

RE: flank steak... Yes, I used flank steak and it was fantastic, but only after a 24 hour marinade. I made half after about 5 hours and it was very underwhelming. The extra overnight time in the marinade made all the difference between something i'd never make again, and something I cant wait to make again.

Ed

Has anyone tried this with flank steak?

Eric M

I've eaten my fair share of carne asada and this version is delish! The only draw back is you will have no leftovers as everyone will chow down. I substituted corona instead of Budweiser and used pickled jalapeños (about 6-8 slices) instead of the whole roasted. This was due to my wife not being able to take much heat. However, it was still very flavorful.

Cam

Another thing: There's kiwi used in the marinade of "original " recipe

Sue

If Roy Choi says, "do it this way" he usually means "do it this way or don't". I tried this his way and it was incredible. As usual

Chef Neil

On the Fusion debate, I arrived at this recipe after seeing a Bulgogi recipe and thinking how similar it was to carne asada. So one additional ingredient could certainly qualify :)

Ryan

The marinade is fantastic!I cooked the marinade after taking the meat out, at medium heat to a low simmer for a few minutes, just to sterilize, and it makes a great sauce! I’d even consider making the marinade just as a thin salsa, maybe just finely dicing half of the onions, for some texture. I had some leftover dried ancho I used in addition to the powdered as well. I only did 16 Oz of beer, since I didn’t have 12 Oz cans of light beer, so that helped to thicken it a bit.

miacomet

Wow - good stuff. Our flank steak was just shy of 1" thick. In WA in winter we could only get our Traeger up to 400 and it took 9 minutes PER SIDE to cook to rare. Planning to freeze the leftover marinade and use it to slow cook a smoked chuck roast for a barbacoa-style shredded beef for our next tacos!

Margaret in Dallas

Two hours on the countertop marinade works just fine. Thanks for the awesome recipe for juices. It was perfection and I will look to use Mirin again.

Patrick

Amazing recipe! I also ended up with medium/medium well after 3 mins/side on the grill so will try 2 mins per side next time. Must serve the gochujang pico alongside!

Dave

Don’t have a food processor, so I diced everything best I could. While the meat grilled, I boiled down the leftover marinade into a sauce. It was delicious!

Keri

Used dried Guerra chilies and shish*to peppers, red onion, canned tomato, about 1/2 cup.

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Roy Choi's Carne Asada Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is carne asada marinade made of? ›

Combine orange juice, lemon juice, and lime juice for marinade in a large glass or ceramic bowl. Add cilantro, soy sauce, garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, black pepper, chipotle pepper, and oregano; stir to combine. Slowly whisk in olive oil until well combined.

What's the difference between carne asada and asado? ›

The term carne asada is used in Latin America and refers to the style of grilled meat in those countries. In South America, the term used for grilled meat is asado and it has a different style and preparation.

Does carne asada need to be cooked through? ›

Skirt steak and flank steak alike should be at a perfect medium-rare when they reach 135°F on an instant-read thermometer. Cut the marinated grilled steak against the grain to ensure that every bite of carne asada is tender and juicy.

What is the difference between carne asada and al pastor? ›

Mexican cuisine is known for dishes with flavorful traditional meats. You can find tacos with pork (al pastor), beef (carne asada), chicken (pollo), or a combination of the three.

What happens if you marinate carne asada too long? ›

Most recipes for marinating meat and poultry recommend six hours up to 24 hours. It is safe to keep the food in the marinade longer, but after two days it is possible that the marinade can start to break down the fibers of the meat, causing it to become mushy.

What is carne asada seasoning made of? ›

How to Make Carne Asada Seasoning - the Recipe Method. Mix together all of the spices - chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, Mexican oregano, cumin, cayenne, and salt and pepper - until well combined. Use and enjoy! It makes 3+ tablespoons, enough for a 2 pound skirt steak.

Is it OK for carne asada to be pink? ›

Carne asada is a Latin American dish that literally means "flesh/meat/beef" that's "roasted/broiled/grilled". Pretty simple right? More precisely, the dish consists of beef (usually skirt or flank steak) that's grilled until charred on the outside and pink on the inside.

How to tell if carne asada is done? ›

Grill steak for 5-6 minutes per side, or until an internal thermometer reads 130-135 degrees F for medium rare or around 140 degrees for medium.

Do you use white or yellow onions for carne asada? ›

Carne Asada Tacos, on the other hand, are usually served street taco-style, with corn tortillas, sliced beef, diced white onion, chopped cilantro, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Sometimes, they'll also have come with a side of guacamole.

Are carnitas and carne asada the same? ›

Carnitas is made with pork that has been braised or slow-cooked until it's fork-tender. Carne asada is made with beef that has been grilled to perfection. Al pastor is made with pork that has been grilled and then sliced off the spit. All three of these dishes are delicious when topped with your favorite toppings.

What do they call carne asada in Mexico? ›

The term carne asada in Spanish translates to roasted or grilled meat in English. That's why it's important to recognize that, in Mexico, carne asada refers to how the beef is cooked rather than a specific recipe. Think of it as like how Americans refer to chicken cooked on the grill as grilled or barbecued chicken.

What is steak marinade made of? ›

Follow these steps and you'll turn out perfectly marinated steaks: Make marinade. In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, salt, thyme leaves, minced garlic, and red pepper flakes until well combined. Mix and massage.

Why is carne asada meat red? ›

The vibrant red color is from the achiote used in the recipe.

Why is carne asada healthy? ›

Carne asada, like most red meat, is a good source of iron. Iron is important for making hemoglobin, which helps transport oxygen throughout the body (3). This is why iron deficiency can cause anemia (4). Grilled steak like carne asada can provide 8-12% of your daily iron needs per serving.

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