Carne Asada Marinade

I don’t know about you but we absolutely love grilling when it’s hot outside so we don’t have to turn on the oven!!  It it took us a few tries to get it right but this carne asada seasoning mix is so perfect that we have grilled steak that has been marinated in it THREE TIMES in the past WEEK.  Yes, it really is THAT delicious and soooooooo easy!!

I love the citrusy notes of this marinade.  It adds a subtle sweetness without added sugar.  Mix that with the saltiness of the soy sauce and the deep warm spices and oh my goodness it is heavenly.

We like our meat grilled to medium and sliced thinly against the grain, then served on small flour tortillas with a simple garnish of cilantro or parsley, red or sweet vidalia onion and a squeeze of lime- it’s so mouthwateringly delicious.  But you do you with the toppings!! (We have also added rice or small roasted potatoes to the tortillas - pico and guacamole is amazing too.)

Marinade Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp cumin
• 1 Tbsp oregano
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp dried cilantro (or 2 Tbsp fresh)
• 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions:

1. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a gallon size Ziploc bag
2. Add in 1-1/2 to 2 lbs of steak, (we actually love petite sirloin done in this but of course flank, skirt or flat iron are wonderful too), seal the bag and squish everything around till the steak is well covered then let it sit in the bag for a minimum of an hour before grilling it. (Leave it on the counter for that hour - if it's going to be longer than an hour, put it in the refrigerator and remove an hour before grilling.)
3. Remove the meat from the marinade and throw on a hot grill.  (Discard the bag and remaining marinade.)
4. Grill the meat on each side until done to your liking - (make sure you don’t over grill- we like it a little pink on the inside so we grill to about 145 degrees!)  
5. Let the meat rest at least five minutes, tented with foil, before slicing against the grain thinly to serve.