I chose their flank steak (you could do this with skirt steak), and the key is knowing how to marinate carne asada.

When you marinate carne asada, you will be breaking down the meat with a combination of fat, salt and acid. The acid is mostly citrus in the form of orange and lime juice.

The spices include cumin and heat. I realized I didn’t have cumin. What I did have, however was some Trader Joe’s taco seasoning, which has cumin and other spices.

What is carne asada?

Carne asada means grilled meats, and is found in Mexican restaurants, often in tacos and burritos. Most often strips of meat cut on the bias against the grain and have been previously marinated or rubbed with spices.

What meat do you use for Carne Asada?

Typically, carne asada is made with flank steak or skirt steak, which does well marinated. I could have trimmed some of the fat off, but decided to leave it for more flavor.

How to Marinate Carne Asada

Most of the carne asada marinades include oil, lime, orange, garlic, cumin and cilantro. You will want to marinate carne asada for a minimum of four hours up to overnight.

I used the following ingredients for the marinade. I saved 1/3 of the marinade separately to pour over the carne asada once it is grilled.

• Olive Oil
• Lime Juice
• Coconut Aminos (can use soy sauce or Tamari)
• Orange Juice
• Orange Zest
• Garlic Cloves
• Taco Seasoning (can use cumin and chili powder)
• Cilantro
• Salt
• Pepper

This marinade proved to be simply wonderful.

How do you cook Carne Asada?

I marinated the flank steak for about 6 hours, and then put it on a very hot grill of 500 degrees F.

It took about 15 minutes, ten on the first side, and five on the second side. The internal temperature at the thickest part was 115 degrees f. and I knew that Doug would want it rare. A flank steak is thinner on the ends and that’s the part I would eat. After pouring on the reserved marinade, I allowed the steak to rest for 10 minutes. The steak was then cut across the grain in thin strips.

How do you eat Carne Asada?

The meat was so tasty, we ate it solo, but the leftovers will become tacos tomorrow, using my grain free tortillas and homemade guacamole.

Other Similar Recipes from Spinach Tiger

• Pork Carnitas
• Skirt Steak with Chimichurri
• How to Cook a Perfect New York Strip Steak
• How to Grill a Rib Eye Steak
• Ropa Viejo (Cuban Shredded Beef)
• Seven Ways to Grill Corn

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How to Marinate Carne Asada

Marinade Carne Asada for Tacos and More

Course Entree

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword carne asada

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Marinate Time 6 hours hours

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 2 pounds flank steak
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 lime juiced
• 4 tablespoons coconut aminos or soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 3 garlic cloves sliced
• 4 tablespoons taco seasoning see notes
• handful chopped cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon salt hold if in taco seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

• Mix together all ingredients except flank steak.
• Reserve 1/3 of the marinade for the steak once its cooked.
• Put flank steak in baking dish or dish big enough to hold steak and marinade.
• Marinate at least four hours up to overnight.
• Heat grill to HOT. 500 degrees F.
• Sear on one side about ten minutes. Turn over for about five minutes, until steak reaches 115 degrees F. at the thickest part.
• Rest steak for ten minutes.
• Slice against the grain on the diagonal. Pour reserved marinade.

Notes

I used taco seasoning as it was convenient.

You can add cumin and chili powder instead.

The post How to Marinate Carne Asada appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

New York Strip Steak – I’ve heard so much amazing feedback on this recipe. A customer came up to me at the farmer’s market yesterday, saying it was life changing. You will love how easy this recipe is as long as follow my tips. 

Cowboy Ribeye Reverse Sear (Tomahawk) for a Splurge – This is an AMAZING steak that will feed 2 to 3 people. We buy the prime steaks at Costco. Reverse Sear will make sure they are perfect!

Ribeye Steak – I  use the same recipe for my rib eye, which might be my all time favorite steak, because I  love the fat. 

How to Grill Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce – Skirt steak is a little more affordable, grills very quickly and is full of flavor. Add chimichurri sauce and feel fancy.

Teres Major – Sometimes known as a faux filet, this very lean steak (cut from the shoulder) grilled very quickly is delicious and especially for the price, which is usually about $10 a pound.

Top Sirloin Cap (Picanha) – Think Brazilian Steak House – You’ll love this one. Flavor Flavor Flavor.

Steak Tips on the Grill – Another affordable idea for steak is steak tips. Fill up the plate with fried peppers and onions for a treat. Or my most delicious wine and mushrooms sauce.

Braciole (Italian Rolled Steak) – Round steak flattened, stuffed and braised in tomato sauce, is one amazing, filling Italian take on steak. 

Skillet Cheese Steak with Cauliflower – A unique way to take inexpensive chipped steak and make a low carb feast, but feel free to stuff into a roll. 

Flank Steak in Honey Blackberry Marinade – Have fun with this one. Serve with roasted corn. 

Steak Burger Recipes – Budget friendly, but still so delicious. 

These are all winners with different flavor profiles, different budgets. Enjoy!

Sides for Your Steak

• Fried Corn
• Smashed Buttery Fingerling Potatoes
• Corn on the Cob 7 Ways
• Brussels Sprouts 10 Ways
• Popcorn Cauliflower
• Garlicky Spinach
• Italian Potato Salad
• Mac n Cheese
• Fresh Corn Salad
• Honey Baked Goat Cheese Salad

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The post Our Best Steak Recipes appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I’m reposting this delicious Cuban recipe to bring some excitement to your dinner table. If you can find affordable flank or skirt steak, take a chance on a recipe you might be unfamiliar with.

Ropa Vieja literally means old clothes or old rags, as it’s a Cuban Shredded Beef dish.  In Spanish, it sounds exotic. If I were to say, let’s make some old clothes in English, it would not sound so appealing, would it?

I got this idea and recipe for Ropa Vieja from the butcher at my local grocery store. I trust his word because he was an executive chef at a very ritzy hotel. Normally, I would not have chosen to slow cook flank steak, which is always quickly grilled. He convinced me to use the flank steak and I’m glad I stayed the course.

What Cut of Beef is used for Ropa Viaja?

Flank steak is the cut of meat most used for Ropa Vieja. It’s tough and stringy and requires long, slow cooking to get that delicious shredded meat. This slow cooking will build a complex flavor profile, while tenderizing at the same time.

I have seen some recipes that use chuck, which might taste good, but it’s not authentic. Chuck is short pieces of beef, and will be more like a ragu.

The main flavors for the Ropa Vieja come from oregano, paprika, cumin, tomatoes, olives and peppers, very similar in flavors to picadillo, another Cuban dish I made here.

What Peppers are used for Ropa Vieja?

The typical peppers for ropa vieja is green and bell peppers, not hot peppers.

Ropa Vieja, Cuban Shredded Beef, is the kind of dish to make in large quantities.

If you can, get a large piece of meat and make enough to freeze. This is the kind of dish that tastes better the next day, and freezes well for very quick meals.

Make sure the meat is fully cooled before freezing. I used a food saver to freeze. The food saver compresses out the air, vacuum seals, and prevents freezer burn. This is the first thing we bought together as a married couple eighteen years ago and we’re on our second saver.

How is Ropa Vieja Served?

Ropa Vieja is served with rice and beans.

I wasn’t sure how I wanted to serve Ropa Vieja so I asked people on instagram. Rice or Tortillas?

What I didn’t realize is that Cuban do not eat tortillas. This doesn’t mean you can’t do that; just know that’s not the authentic way this dish is served. Ropa Vieja is served with rice and beans.

I used fresh oregano out of my garden with a squeeze of lime. The meat is so flavorful, so enjoy it just as is without adding any extra toppings, but perhaps herbs and little extra chopped onion.

More Flank or Skirt Steak Recipes from Spinach Tiger

• Flank Steak in Honey Marinade
• Carne Asada Citrus Marinade
• Skirt Steak with Chimichurri

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Ropa Vieja

How to Cook Ropa Vieja, a cuban beef, in a crock pot.

Course Entree

Cuisine Cuban

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 6 hours hours

Total Time 6 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• 1 flank steak
• 1 large onion chopped
• 3 bell peppers can use red, yellow, orange
• 6 cloves garlic peeled
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 16 ounce cans diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons vinegar wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 10 spanish olives

Instructions

• Season flank steak with salt and pepper.
• Brown flank steak five minutes on each side on medium high heat. Remove from pot.
• You can brown the flank steak in separate pan and then remove to a slow cooker.
• In same pot you browned the flank steak In, sauté onion and peppers for about 5 minutes, stirring on low heat. Add In garlic cloves and saute for one minute.
• At this point proceed either with slow cooker method or dutch oven method,

Slow Cooker Method

• Add onions, peppers, garlic, one can diced tomato.
• Add in flank steak. You may need to cut flank steak into two pieces.
• Add about one cup beef broth or water, vinegar or enough liquid to just cover the flank steak.
• Add cumin and oregano.
• Cook for six on high, 10 hours on low.
• In last hour, add olives, second can of tomatoes.
• Once done, use a fork to shred beef. Serve with rice and beans

Dutch Oven Method

• Add flank steak back to dutch oven with the onions, peppers, garlic.
• Add one can of tomatoes, broth, vinegar. You need enough broth to cover beef.
• Add cumin and oregano. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cook on top of stove, very low for 4 hours. You can also put dutch oven inside oven at 300 degrees f. Make sure you have enough liquid and check frequently about every 30 minutes.
• In last hour, add olives, and second can of tomatoes.
• Once done, use a fork to shred beef.
• Serve with Rice and beans.

Notes

If making in a dutch oven, you can reduce the cooking time, but cook on a very low heat on to of stove for about 4 hours, or put in an oven no higher than 300 degrees. Make sure you have enough liquid in the pot.

Green Bell Pepper: It’s not necessary, but will add in another layer of flavor.

The post How to Make Ropa Vieja (Cuban Shredded Beef) appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

There was a time, it was a given that if I was going to order a steak in a restaurant, it would be filet mignon and it would cost $29, ala carte. I was so sure I was getting the best of the best and who can argue with tender and lean?

That’s until I changed my view of food and went for taste, even if the texture is a bit more chewy. And, I question this word “chewy” now because my standard for steak was perhaps wrong. If I want something to melt in my mouth, maybe I should eat an m&m, and realize that flavor is what I value.

Flank steak is a very affordable cut of meat, because of it’s chewy texture, but don’t think it’s a “less than” cut. The right preparation will turn you into a flank steak lover in no time.

A blackberry honey marinade, a hot grill a medium rare to rare temperature and a cut across the grain, and your summer will bask in flavor.

There are a lot of marinade suggestions for flank steak, most calling for soy sauce, but soy sauce was not the flavor I was dreaming of.

A friend gave us a jar of blackberry honey for our anniversary became my inspiration along with herbs from the garden and a fresh lime.

Blackberry honey is made from the sweet nectar of blackberry blossoms. It’s fruity, floral delivering a robust and distinct flavor that is good on everything.

I still have a thing for rib eyes and t-bones, and expensive fillets, but I’ve made room for the flank steak.

Tell me, Is there a food you now embrace that you didn’t care for in the past?

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Flank Steak in Blackberry Honey Marinade

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 2 pounds flank steak
• 2 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup honey I used blackberry honey, but any honey will do
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary plus extra sprigs
• 6 sprigs thyme taken off stems
• 2 clove garlic smashed, chopped
• sea salt
• black pepper

Instructions

• Score meat diagonally both ways no more than 1/4 inch.
• Whisk honey and mustard together. Whisk in lime and then olive oil.
• Add in herbs, garlic, salt, pepper. Divide in half.
• Marinade meat in half of the marinade for 4-12 hours. A plastic bag works well. Set aside the remaining marinade for using later.
• Take steak out 30 minutes prior to grilling. When grill is very hot, place steak on grill.
• Turn in 6 minutes, cook for 4-6 minutes longer, applying the second marinade to both sides. I use a steak button and cook to medium rare/rare. Allow to rest for 10 minutes.
• Slice thinly across the grain.

The post Flank Steak in Blackberry Honey Marinade appeared first on Spinach Tiger.