Carne Asada Tacos

Got a craving for steak tacos, look no further than this Carne Asada Tacos recipe. It’s made with grass-fed steak, a super-easy wet rub and crowned with grilled avocados and tangy, crisp, tangy, pink pickled onions. This quick and easy carne asada recipe doesn’t take time to assemble (the steak taco marinade only takes 5 minutes), but the longer the marinade soaks into the beef, the better it will be. Best of all, you can find all the ingredients for tacos carne asada at your local Sprouts Farmers Market.

This post is sponsored by Sprouts Farmers Market. All opinions are my own.

Ever since Sprouts Farmers Market opened in my area, it’s been my go-to spot for fresh, natural and organic produce, quality meats and seafood, bulk items and an array of baked goods and grocery products at great prices. Sprouts’ unmatched produce selection is what gives the store its broad appeal. Their produce prices are on average 20 to 25 percent below traditional supermarkets. 

Sprouts Butcher Shop has a great selection of house-made sausages and Grass Fed Beef. With smart buying and high volume, Sprouts is able to deliver all-natural, never frozen, grass-fed and USDA Choice beef, chicken and pork at affordable prices.  It was their wide selection that prompted me to this carne asada tacos recipe in the first place.

What Is Tacos Carne Asada Made Of?

The short answer is “beef”. But traditionally, it would be a flap steak, skirt steak, hangar steak or even flank steak. That said, you can use anything from those humble cuts to as high falutin’ as you like. For this quick and easy carne asada recipe, I used a good quality grass fed sirloin steak from my local Sprouts Farmers Market.

We don’t eat beef all that often, so when we do, I want it to be GOOD! You know what I mean? This Carne Asada Tacos recipe IS. And the grass fed beef makes it better for us too.

Why Use Grass Fed Beef For Mexican Steak Tacos?

• It’s All Natural.  That means, minimally processed with NO artificial ingredients.
• It contains NO antibiotics or growth hormones. EVER.
• It’s higher in Omega-3 Fatty Acids than grain-fed beef.
• It’s always, fresh – never frozen… at least at Sprouts, it is.

In addition to the grass fed beef, they also had the rest of the ingredients needed for this quick and easy Carne Asada recipe. Start earlier on in the day or even the day before with the steak taco marinade.

Marinade Ingredients For Mexican Steak Tacos Recipe

• Grass Fed Steak (I used Sirloin)
• Lime Zest
• Garlic
• Cumin
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Kosher Salt
• Black Pepper
• Olive Oil

The wet rub for Mexican steak tacos is really easy to make and takes about 5 minutes, if you’re slow about it… Slather it over the grass fed beef and let those flavors really penetrate the meat.

Tacos Carne Asada Marinade

The marinade is a tangy, garlicky blend of lime zest (no juice), lots of garlic, cumin and a touch of red pepper flakes, plus salt and pepper. A little olive oil holds the marinade loosely together and coats the grass fed steak with amazing flavor.

Grilling  Mexican Steak Tacos

A charcoal grill would be the most authentic way to cook the grass fed steak and I certainly don’t want to dissuade you from that, however, to make this a quick and easy carne asada recipe, I opted for the gas grill AND enlisted my grill master for the task.  He used a good meat thermometer to grill the grass fed steak to our preferred doneness (medium rare) and the meat was resting on a cutting board in under 10 minutes. As the beef rested, he grilled the avocados and corn tortillas…

Grilled Avocados?

Yes! It’s so easy, takes even less time than the steak and grilling adds a smokiness and depth to the fruit (avocado are technically a fruit). Brushed with a little lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, grilled avocados take on a whole new dimension. The key to grilling them, is to cut them in halves or wedges and leave them in their skins to grill. It helps to maintain their shape and structure — and not mangle the wedges when flipping. When the  avocados have some good char marks, remove them and peel off the skins to slice them again into strips for garnishing the Mexican steak tacos.

Heating corn tortillas on the grill

Warming the tortillas on a hot grill makes them more pliable, and those bits of char on the masa shell add flavor.

It only takes a few minutes, so you don’t want to leave the fire while they’re toasting.

Now, let’s get back to that beef! Just look at perfectly grilled cut of grass fed steak. I give my grill master BIG props for this one! We sliced it thin and piled it into the corn tortillas with the grilled avocados and the rest of the fixin’s.

Favorite Toppings For Tacos Carne Asada

• Pink Pickled Onions
• Hatch Chile Salsa (From Sprouts Farmers Market)
• Queso Fresco Crumbled Cheese
•  Fresh Cilantro
• Wedges of Lime

Other Optional Garnishes:

• Charred Salsa Verde
• Fresh Tomatillo Salsa
• Pico De Gallo
• Creamy Avocado Tomatillo Salsa
• Mexican Crema
• Pineapple Mango Salsa

More Mexican taco and enchilada recipes:

• Tinga Style Pork Shoulder Tacos
• Mexican Style Taco Hash Brown Waffles
• Smoky Black Bean Tacos
• Pork Chile White Bean Enchiladas
• Crispy Baked Fish Tacos
• Chicken Soft Tacos with Fresh Tomatillo Salsa
• Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas
• Tangy Garlic Lime Shrimp Tacos
• Leftover Braised Pork Tacos

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