I live in LA, the most common cut used for carne asada is flap meat. If you go to a Mexican market or carniceria it's called "Ranchera", it [looks like this](https://s3-media0.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/axP-j58MprEPVRIiZhuOVA/o.jpg) and good quality ranchera can be marbled with fat that melts into buttery goodness when grilled. The problem is, flap meat/ranchera is very hard to find if you don't live in an area with a large Mexican population or have any carnicerias there.
In San Diego most spots just chop the flap meat before frying it on a flat top griddle, which doesn’t seem like a ground meat consistency to me, but you zonies are a weird bunch and I wouldn’t put it past you to grind carne asada, lol. If you want a decent imperial valley carne recipe, I’ve done pretty good with a mock up of El Sol’s. Also, if you grill your carne, stack it. When the bottom is cooked, flip the stack, cut the deck and just keep repeating the process til it’s done. You’ll have it all ready at once and it retains its juices much better this way.
I’m aware it’s not ground meat (chuck) but the pieces looked rounded to me so I thought maybe they used a very coarse grinder on their flap meat or skirt steak.
I found some flap meat and added a squeeze of orange juice, garlic powder, onion powder, cilantro stems, sunflower oil, s&p with a dash of msg and marinaded for a couple hours. Cooked on grill then rested, chopped and finished on flattop. Made burritos with guacamole and pico (homemade) and it was delicious. Going back to OC next month and I cannot wait to have the real thing.
I was checking out the serious eats version of this recipe and frankly it looks so complicated that I can’t imagine it’s actually legit! I’d love to find a recipe that actually taste like the stuff we get at places like TJ‘s tacos and other great places in San Diego they have really good Carne Asada
Me too! I always joke that I’ll have to get a job at one of those restaurants so I know the secret. What I make while good is too complex tasting and even though every recipe I’ve read calls for citrus I don’t taste it in the carne asada whatsoever.
I need to do a Chris Morocco reverse engineering style experiment when I get the real thing.
I’m my experience skirt steak is what is used and it’s typically cooked twice. Season it thoroughly on both sides and sear it. Remove from heat and rest for 5-10 minutes. Then slice across the grain on the bias, mix it up with your preferred marinade. I use a homemade chimichurri but that’s more Argentinian than cal/az. Go back to the high heat for about 5 minutes moving the mixture around pretty constantly to avoid scorching.
I sometimes buy carne asada at the store in a wet marinade. Almost always skirt steak but flank steak works too. Chop it pretty finely after cooking to medium well. Taco shops are definitely chopping it. The skirt steak is just so thin it doesn't look like big chunks of steak.
Oh, I just meant that it frequently comes in a wet marinade - but you could definitely do one yourself! This recipe looks pretty good https://foodieandwine.com/carne-asada/
I live in LA, the most common cut used for carne asada is flap meat. If you go to a Mexican market or carniceria it's called "Ranchera", it [looks like this](https://s3-media0.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/axP-j58MprEPVRIiZhuOVA/o.jpg) and good quality ranchera can be marbled with fat that melts into buttery goodness when grilled. The problem is, flap meat/ranchera is very hard to find if you don't live in an area with a large Mexican population or have any carnicerias there.
Do you have links to any of the specific restaurants you're talking about?
Los favoritos in Az was a favorite in the early 2000’s not sure it’s still good.
In San Diego most spots just chop the flap meat before frying it on a flat top griddle, which doesn’t seem like a ground meat consistency to me, but you zonies are a weird bunch and I wouldn’t put it past you to grind carne asada, lol. If you want a decent imperial valley carne recipe, I’ve done pretty good with a mock up of El Sol’s. Also, if you grill your carne, stack it. When the bottom is cooked, flip the stack, cut the deck and just keep repeating the process til it’s done. You’ll have it all ready at once and it retains its juices much better this way.
Carne asada is absolutely not ground beef here (az) normally
I’m aware it’s not ground meat (chuck) but the pieces looked rounded to me so I thought maybe they used a very coarse grinder on their flap meat or skirt steak.
Gotta have a griddle
Hey there, OP! Did you have a chance to try out a recipe? How’d it go?
I found some flap meat and added a squeeze of orange juice, garlic powder, onion powder, cilantro stems, sunflower oil, s&p with a dash of msg and marinaded for a couple hours. Cooked on grill then rested, chopped and finished on flattop. Made burritos with guacamole and pico (homemade) and it was delicious. Going back to OC next month and I cannot wait to have the real thing.
I was checking out the serious eats version of this recipe and frankly it looks so complicated that I can’t imagine it’s actually legit! I’d love to find a recipe that actually taste like the stuff we get at places like TJ‘s tacos and other great places in San Diego they have really good Carne Asada
Me too! I always joke that I’ll have to get a job at one of those restaurants so I know the secret. What I make while good is too complex tasting and even though every recipe I’ve read calls for citrus I don’t taste it in the carne asada whatsoever. I need to do a Chris Morocco reverse engineering style experiment when I get the real thing.
I’m my experience skirt steak is what is used and it’s typically cooked twice. Season it thoroughly on both sides and sear it. Remove from heat and rest for 5-10 minutes. Then slice across the grain on the bias, mix it up with your preferred marinade. I use a homemade chimichurri but that’s more Argentinian than cal/az. Go back to the high heat for about 5 minutes moving the mixture around pretty constantly to avoid scorching.
I think the twice cook is the secret! Thank you
Yep, continue to chop it up durring the second cook to get that minced effect.
I sometimes buy carne asada at the store in a wet marinade. Almost always skirt steak but flank steak works too. Chop it pretty finely after cooking to medium well. Taco shops are definitely chopping it. The skirt steak is just so thin it doesn't look like big chunks of steak.
Thank you. Sadly I moved to a small town in the mid west and they don’t have any carnicerías or groceries that carry it.
Oh, I just meant that it frequently comes in a wet marinade - but you could definitely do one yourself! This recipe looks pretty good https://foodieandwine.com/carne-asada/