Homemade Carne Asada

Homemade Carne Asada Recipe con “Chingaso”

Now, let me tell you why.

I adapt a lot of what I learned in Thailand to what I learned living in SoCal with regards to Mexican food. For this recipe, as with most Mexican recipes, I aim for that pungent cumin, peppery, oniony, caliente “sabor”. I want to marry that with the sweetness of fresh cherry tomatoes and the creaminess of a homemade coriander crema all the while keeping along with a traditional carne asada.

The Carne Asada Rub

• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground annatto
• Pinch of cayenne
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

There is an art to seasoning meats and I think this is generally where people go wrong. Either it’s too heavy-handed or not enough to bring out the taste of the beef with the above flavors. My rule of thumb is to make a rub that is heavier in the aromatics and spices than salt. You can always salt a little as it sears or grills.

I dust the beef based on the thickness and cut. For flank steaks I want an even dusting on both sides but not too much since they are pretty thin. You may have a little rub left over depending on your tongue. That is OKAY. Use it next time.

We want to hit all areas (sweetness, sourness, saltiness, bitterness, umami) on this one. People love it and that’s the real bottom line.

• Minced Tomatoes = sweet, and some tart (citric acid that lowers the PH), responsible for some of the umami flavor.
• Homemade Crema = sweetness, bitter-fresh (coriander), sour creaminess and some fat
• Homemade Carne Asado = super savory with cumin, anatto, black pepper, garlic salt, onion salt, smoked paprika

Once the carne is rubbed put is aside while you prep some Yucca fries.

Next we do a round of some serious yucca fries. It’s so easy, don’t let the process fool you.

1. Boil the yucca in salted water until it starts to pull apart in the water. Usually around 8-12 minutes.
2. Drain that ASAP and let air dry.
3. While that is drying, grill or sear the beef you had on the side.
4. Next, bring some peanut oil up to 300⁰ F until it stays there.
5. You want to make a quick sauce I learned in Costa Rica. 1 TBL of ketchup, 1 TBL of Vegenaise and 1 teaspoon of pickle juice. Easy again.
6. Make a quick cream sauce. Buy some Salvadoreño crema, add 1 TBL to a half a lime squeeze, a pinch of salt and a sprig of minced coriander. EASY! BAM!
7. The beef should be totally done by now. You simply sear it for a couple minutes on each side. Remove from the heat and let the flavors rest for a few minutes. Then you simply want to dice the meat. Easy, right? Put that aside.
8. Drop the yucca fries into the oil for a couple minutes OR until they turn a golden brown.

Wow, you are done! Plate the fries next to a steamed corn tortilla. Put the carne asada on the corn tortilla and side that with some Mexican style pickled veggies (cauliflower, carrot, pepper). Nice, nice, nice!