I had a gorgeous hunk of flank steak in our freezer from our quarter cow we bought last year, and carne asada street tacos were calling my name! Typically skirt steak is used for these tacos, but I figured the leaner flank steak would work just as well provided it was marinated in a citrusy sauce for a spell. I decided to cook this via the sous-vide method, but grilling the steak would work just as great.
Total thumbs up all the way around for the tacos! We had plenty of leftovers for another dinner even with my daughter eating three of them in one sitting. I made some fresh pico de gallo to serve these with along with the avocado, but you can use any condiments of choice for these tasty tacos.
Carne Asada Street Tacos: Sous Vide or Grilled
Adapted from Serious Eats
3 whole dried ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed
3 whole dried guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 whole chipotle peppers, canned in adobo sauce
3/4 cup fresh juice from 2 to 3 oranges (I used Cara Cara)
2 tablespoons fresh juice from 2 to 3 limes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
6 medium cloves garlic, peeled
1 small bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems only
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
Sea salt, to taste
1.5 to 2 pounds flank or skirt steak
Warm corn or flour tortillas, lime wedges, diced onion, additional fresh cilantro (or Pico de Gallo), and avocado, for serving
Place dried ancho and guajillo chilies in a glass bowl and cover with boiling water. Let steep for 20 minutes until soft and pliable. Drain water, then transfer chiles to a food processor or blender.
Toast the ground cumin and coriander in a hot dry skillet until fragrant and add to the chiles. (You could toast the seeds and grind yourself, but I’m not that fancy.)
Add the rest of the ingredients except steak and condiments. Blend until a smooth sauce has formed. Transfer half of the sauce to a gallon-sized zip-top bag and refrigerate or freeze the other half in a sealed container for future use.
BONUS! Here’s my quick recipe for homemade Pico de Gallo. Double or triple as needed:
Pico de Gallo
1 Roma tomato, chopped
1/4 cup diced onion
1/2 jalapeño or serrano chile, finely diced
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon lime juice
Salt and pepper, to taste
Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl, and let marinate for an hour or so. That’s it!
For cooking via sous-vide method:
Add steak to the marinade in the bag, squishing around to coat.
Vacuum-seal the bag using the water immersion method. Set temperature on the sous vide to 131 F, then place the bag in the pot and cover with plastic wrap to prevent evaporation. Cook for 24 hours.
After 24 hours, preheat a cast-iron pan on high. Remove the bag from the sous-vide pot, then remove the steak from the marinade and wipe off excess. Discard marinade. Char the steak in the hot pan for a minute or two on each side until well-browned. Transfer to a cutting board and slice thinly against the grain.
Serve immediately with warmed tortillas and garnishes.
For cooking on a grill:
Add steak to the marinade in the bag, squishing around to coat. Squeeze the air out of the bag, seal, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to overnight.
When ready to cook, preheat your grill on one side to the highest temperature. Clean and oil the grilling grate.
Remove steak from marinade and wipe off excess. Place directly over the hot side of the grill. If using a gas grill, cover; if using a charcoal grill, leave open. Cook, turning occasionally, until steak is well charred on outside and center registers 110°F on an instant-read thermometer, 5 to 10 minutes total. Transfer to a cutting board and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Slice thinly against the grain.
Serve immediately warmed tortillas and garnishes.
Love your marinade ingredients! This looks delicious!
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Thank you Adam, I figured this would excite your taste buds! 😀
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I love street tacos and your sauce looks great with all those added flavors.
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Thank you Gerlinde, this is what I usually get at our local taco stand. 🙂
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You’re talking my language
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LOL I bet, thanks!
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Kathryn, you’ve done it again. What a colorful, beautiful presentation you made. And the carne looks mouthwatering. Mega hugs!
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Gosh, thanks so much Teagan! And I can’t wait until it’s warm enough to grill this. Hugs back! xoxo
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Looks amazing. I am one of the secret cilantro and avacado non-eaters. Never done sous vide. May have to try it!
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Thanks Marcie! You can always use parsley and ditch the avocado! Sous-vide circulators are very affordable now, and cooks meat to mouth-watering tender without drying it out. Especially chicken, pork, and tough cuts of meat!
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Yes, yes, yes I am on board with these babies! Yum-oooooooooooooooooo!!! Happy Sunday. xoxo ccc
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Thanks CCC, Happy Sunday to you as well! xoxo
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xoxo ccc
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OMG! These looks soooooooo amazing!
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Thank you Jodi, they sure were! xoxoxo
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OK, I’d like to sample, but since that isn’t possible I’m saving the recipe.
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I sure wish I could share with everyone through the screen, thanks!
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Love this and will definitely make it.
It seems like a waste to discard the marinade — I suppose some kind of sauce could be made from it.
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Thank you Stefan. We tried to use it as a topping for the tacos but it didn’t suit us for that so opted for Pico de Gallo instead. I did save the other half of the sauce for next time I make this as it’s great as a marinade.
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I think the marinade would need to be reduced or thickened with starch. But I can see why pico de gallo would be nice, too.
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Oh wow. Kathryn. This makes me think of spring and summer. The ingredients alone are drool-worthy. I love it that you even toast the cumin and coriander! Yum. This recipe is going to take a special shopping trip, but it looks worth it. 😀
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Thank you Diana, it’s been wishful thinking for grilling weather lately, ha! I can’t wait to actually grill this next time!
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That sounds even better. We had snow again this morning. What a strange winter.
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It is spitting snow as we speak, and will continue to for the next few days. 😛
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Look so tasty!
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Thank you so much!
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I’ll have to opt for grilling but these sound delicious. Love left overs for more tex-mex as well. Thanks!
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Thank you Michelle, I can’t wait to grill them! But it’s still snowy and cold as heck out up here. 🙂
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That flank steak looks absolutely delicious!
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Thank you Tracey for such a nice comment!
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Ay chihuahua these are right down my alley trying these some time this week ! 💗💗
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Wow thank you, and thanks for stopping by! I hope you get to make them. 🙂
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Gorgeous your BLOG !!! I’m following!!! Follow mine too !!!! Kisses !!!
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Thank you for such kind words!
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Comment my photo too!!! Kisses!!!!
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Looks very NUMMY!!
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Thank you Sam so much!!! xo
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mmm. . . The tacos look yummy. Your marinade recipe sounds wonderful.
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Thank you Sheryl! We really enjoyed it. 🙂
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I love EVERYTHING about these tacos!!!
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Thank you Mimi! They were a hit!
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Kathryn, this is everything I love about Mexican food. Yum!
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Thanks Debbie! I sure love a lot of your recipes. You have quite a few Mexican recipes that are right up my alley too!
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Tacos are a favorite and I usually cook the meat on the grill – no sous vide gadget!
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Grilling this is just fine, but it’s too darn cold and snowy to do that quite yet! I will definitely grill these when it’s warmer. 🙂
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Years ago, Mom marinated flank steak which Dad grilled. The meal was delicious and it was all due to her marinade. I can see that the same holds true here. Your marinade would make these tacos sing. I gotta give it a try, Kathryn. Thanks for sharing.
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Wow thanks John, and you are so welcome! I can’t wait for grilling weather!
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So impressed with your sous vide expertise.
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Why thank you! I am still learning but it’s fun!
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Oh me, oh my. This looks like some serious cooking.
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Thank you Karina, and it was some serious eating too! 😀
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I can dig into it!
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Wow these sound amazing!
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Thank you Lynn, they were! xoxo
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So many great flavours!!!
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Thanks Elaine!
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Another recipe that’s a must make! I still have to do your Marco Polo tacos and your guisada!! This sounds so absolutely wonderful. Interesting that there’s that little touch of fish sauce in this…
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Thanks Mollie! From the original recipe, it was for the “umami” that the cook was looking for to help cut the citrus. I decided it couldn’t hurt it was so little. 🙂
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I tried some once in a bolognese from J. Kenji Lopez on Serious Eats but it tasted fishy, lol! I have successfully snuck a little bit of fish sauce in other things, tho. I love how the sous vide cooks the meat through so consistently – it’s a lovely color.
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Thank you!
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Never heard of tacos made sous vide, but now it seems like the best idea in the world.
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Thank you Devon, they are delicious made this way!
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I can only imagine.
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Wow! Sounds delicious, Kathryn. 🙂
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Thank you Tonya!
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Good posts, beautiful blog.
Congratulations.
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Thank you, you have beautiful creations!
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thanks and welcome, my friend 🙂
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24 hours? For such a thin cut of steak? Are you serious?
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