Name: Mexican-Style Grilled Steak (Carne Asada)
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Cuisine: MexicanLatin America & Caribbean
Ingredients: 2 teaspoons kosher salt; 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 (2-pound) skirt steak , trimmed, pounded 1/4 inch thick and cut with grain into 4 equal steaks; 1 (13 by 9-inch) disposable aluminum roasting pan (if using charcoal); 1 garlic clove , peeled and smashed; Lime wedge

Why This Recipe Works

To create a recipe for a carne asada platter that satisfies like the original, we started with skirt steak. Since it’s most tender and juicy when cooked to medium, it allowed us to create plenty of char on its exterior without overcooking it. We eschewed the standard lime juice marinade in favor of a dry salting to promote faster browning on the grill and then gave the steak a squeeze of fresh lime before serving. To speed up charring even more and create a large enough area of concentrated heat to cook all four steaks at once, we cut the bottom from a disposable aluminum roasting pan and used it to corral the coals. For heady garlic flavor, we treated the cooked steaks like bruschetta, rubbing their rough crusts with a smashed garlic clove.

Before You Begin

Two pounds of sirloin steak tips, also sold as flap meat, may be substituted for the skirt steak. In addition to Red Chile Salsa and Simple Refried Beans, another nice accompaniment is our Folded Enchiladas.

Instructions

Combine salt and cumin in small bowl. Sprinkle salt mixture evenly over both sides of steaks. Transfer steaks to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 45 minutes or up to 24 hours. Meanwhile, if using charcoal, use kitchen shears to remove bottom of disposable pan and discard, reserving pan collar.

FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, place disposable pan collar in center of grill over bottom vent and pour coals into even layer in collar. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave all burners on high.

Clean and oil cooking grate. Place steaks on grill (if using charcoal, arrange steaks over coals in collar) and cook, uncovered, until well browned on first side, 2 to 4 minutes. Flip steaks and continue to cook until well browned on second side and meat registers 130 degrees, 2 to 4 minutes longer. Transfer steaks to carving board, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 minutes.

Rub garlic thoroughly over 1 side of steaks. Slice steaks against grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices and serve with lime wedges.