Carne Asada

This one may be a new favorite. It was ridiculously easy. Put it to you this way, when President Trump and I were having our issues, we connected over our shared love of a well-done steak with ketchup and a coke. Don’t hold it against us.

And this…well, this I grilled up medium rare, cut really thin, and wow. I might like it better than the pork belly burnt ends. It is really amazing. Here’s the thing — cut it really thin with a sharp knife across the grain and put it on a warm tortilla with maybe a drizzle of salsa and a slice of avocado. But the meat speaks for itself.

Ingredients

4 cloves garlic

1 whole green onion, washed and cut into quarters and the roots trimmed off

1 inch of peeled ginger cut into small pieces

1 heaping tbsp brown sugar (dark or light)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sweet paprika

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp chipotle chile powder

1/2 tsp chili powder

(if you can’t find chipotle powder, use 1 tsp of chipotle chili powder instead of the chipotle powder and chili powder)

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp coriander

Juice of two limes and zest

Juice of one orange

1/2 cup olive oil

2 lbs of flank or skirt steak (Try Porter Road for great quality)

Directions

Combine the garlic, green onion, ginger, and all the spices and herbs in a mortar. Use the pestle to flatten and grind the ingredients into a paste. Add the zest of the lime and the juices of the fruits and use the pestle to combine thoroughly. Using a small whisk, whisk in the olive oil to blend everything together.

Add the steak to a gallon ziptop bag. Pour in the marinade. Squeeze out all the air. Massage the rub into the meat and place in the fridge for two to six hours. Flip occasionally to ensure an even marinade on both sides.

Preheat a grill. Get it very hot. If using coals, get them to steak-level ash.

Remove the meat from the bag and wipe off the marinade with your hands, but don’t wash it off. Just get the big bits of onion, etc., off so they don’t burn.

Place the steak on the hot grill. If a very thin skirt steak, flip after two minutes and remove after two more minutes. If using flank steak, go four minutes and four minutes. To get a good crosshatch sear, after two minutes, turn the steak 45º, then flip two minutes later, then turn another 45º, then remove two minutes later.

Let the steak rest for about 15 minutes. Then thinly slice it against the grain and serve on warm tortillas.

Garnish with jalapeno slices and avocado. Top with salsa if you desire. But don’t cover the flavor of the meat.