Mission-Style Carne Asada
Carne Asada·(kahr-neh ah-sah-dah)
Chapter 2 — The Meats: The Marinated Proteins that Define a Taqueria
Walk up to any great taqueria on Mission Street, or a late-night food truck parked off a Texas highway, and the aroma that hits you first is the carne asada. It is beefy, aggressively savory, kissed by citrus, and laced with the smoke of a roaring plancha. This recipe teaches you to marinate and sear like a true taquero, utilizing a one-two punch of commercial umami—Jugo Maggi and Worcestershire—alongside the sweet, caramelizing sugars of fresh orange juice. Prepare it the night before, sear it fast and hard in carbon steel, and chop it fine for a massive feast.
Before you start
Combine the liquids, aromatics, and spices to build the marinade.
In a large bowl or a heavy-duty ziplock bag, whisk together the orange juice, lime juice, oil, Jugo Maggi, Worcestershire, and beer until emulsified, then stir in the garlic, onion, cilantro, jalapeño, cumin, oregano, black pepper, salt, and achiote paste.
Massage the marinade aggressively into the loose fibers of the meat.
Ensure every inch of the beef is coated and interspersed with the onions and cilantro, then seal tightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or ideally overnight.
Ingredients
- ranchera or skirt steak2 1/2 lb
- fresh orange juice1/2 cup
- fresh lime juice1/4 cup
- neutral oil1/4 cup
- Jugo Maggi3 tbsp
- Worcestershire sauce2 tbsp
- Mexican lager beer1/4 cup
- garlic6 large clove
- white onion1/2 med
- fresh cilantro1 large handful
- jalapeño1 med
- ground cumin1 tbsp
- dried Mexican oregano1 tbsp
- coarse black pepper1 tbsp
- kosher salt1 tsp
- achiote paste1 tsp
Method
- 01
Heat a large, well-seasoned carbon-steel or cast-iron skillet until it is ripping hot and lightly smoking.
Remove the meat from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking to take the chill off. Do not crowd the pan; work in batches if necessary.
- 02
Sear the beef undisturbed to develop a deep, dark crust.
Lift the steak from the marinade with tongs, letting the excess liquid drip off, and lay it into the dry, hot skillet. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes per side until the sugars and amino acids caramelize into that authentic recado color and the internal temperature hits 130°F.
- 03
Rest the meat, slice it thinly against the grain, and chop it into bite-sized cubes.
Transfer the charred meat to a cutting board, tent loosely with foil, and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes. After slicing against the grain, rotate your board 90 degrees and chop those slices into small picado cubes so every taco gets a uniform distribution of fat and char.
Notes
Never serve a cold or stiff tortilla.
Double-warm your corn or flour tortillas on a hot comal by flicking a few drops of water onto the surface to create a burst of steam, then let the dry heat blister and char the edges slightly.
Manteca is non-negotiable for refried beans.
If you are building a massive Mission-style burrito, do not substitute canola oil for lard in your beans. Lard provides the foundational flavor of a true taqueria; without it, your burrito tastes like a health-food wrap.
Crush your salsa aromatics in a molcajete instead of blending them.
Pressing the ingredients extracts the deep, bruised essential oils from the chiles rather than just pureeing them. The textual difference is paramount to the taqueria experience.