What do you do when you get a “jones” for a carne asada burrito? You can go out and buy one someplace or you can make your own, right? Most of the time it’s easier to just go out and pick one up—but not at a chain taco joint like “Taco Bell”.
Here in Southern California, you would typically go to a “mom and pop” Mexican place that’s a “hole in the wall”. We had a place we’d go to occasionally called “Juanitas”. The owner was there all the time—a hard working man originally from Sonora. The carne asada burritos were big and inexpensive. Best of all it was all of 2 blocks from our apartment. And then one night it burned down. No more Juanitas. Damn.
So, lately I’ve been getting this “jones” for carne asada (which in Spanish translates to “grilled beef” but is more commonly connected to marinated grilled beef using a cheaper cut).
I can’t afford cuts like flank steak anymore—it’s $7 or $8 a pound now. And bottom round is just a bit too chewy—although it will do. So when a local grocery store recently had boneless chuck steak on special for $2.38 a pound I checked it out and bought a package. It was chuck roast which had been thinly sliced (rather than 2 or 3 inches thick it was about ¼ inch thick). As soon as I saw it I started thinking carne asada.
The results? Pretty good and it definitely met the “Cheap Bastid” criteria. So, here’s my recipe for it. Bear in mind that if you want to use some other cut of beef like flank steak or skirt steak or flap meat or sirloin go ahead.
By the way, I topped these with fresh Pico de Gallo. Here’s a link to my post with the recipe: http://www.cheap-bastid-cooks.com/super-fresh-super-tasty-pico-de-gallo-fresh-homemade-salsa/
Recipe: Carne Asada Burritos
Summary: A classic Mexican style burrito with Carne Asada marinaded beef and fresh salsa
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs thinly sliced steak (flank, chuck, sirloin, skirt)
- 8 burrito tortillas (12-14 inches)
- Carne Asada Marinade:
- 4 Cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 Cup fresh cilantro leaves and stems, chopped finely
- 1 fresh jalapeno or 2 tbsp diced jarred jalapeno
- ¾ cup chopped onion
- 2 limes—juice only
- 1 orange—juice only (or 1/3 cup orange juice)
- 1/3 Cup canola or olive oil
- 1 Teaspoon cumi
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Salt
- 1 batch of “Pico de Gallo”
Instructions
- Get out your cutting board, chef’s knife, a 1 gallon freezer bag, medium bowl and juicer.
- Chop the onion and jalapeno and mince the garlic (unless you’re like me and use jarred, minced garlic) and put into the bowl.
- Rinse the cilantro and drain. Then chop and put into the bowl.
- Add the lime juice and orange juice. Add the oil.
- Add salt and cumin—be generous with both, about a tsp.
- Taste it. It should have some heat. If it doesn’t, add a bit of chipotle or cayenne. How much heat? Hot enough to taste but not to set your tongue on fire—to YOUR taste.
- Rinse off cutting board and put meat on it. Cut the meat (if you’re using chuck) into cooking size pieces—about 6 inches by 3 inches (approximately—something easy to handle on the grill).
- Pour the marinade into the freezer bag. Add the meat. Squeeze out the air and close the
bag. Squish the meat around the marinade with your hands so it’s coated. Put in the fridge for 4-8 hours. - Stoke up your grill. When it’s ready lay the meat on the grate. This is thin so it’s only going to take about 2 minutes per side. If you’re using a thicker cut like flank figure on about 3-4 minutes a side.
- Remove meat from grill. Let rest for a couple of minutes then slice it into thin strips.
- Heat up a tortilla in the microwave or by heating up a big skillet and tossing the tortilla in it for a few seconds then flipping it over.
- Load a generous amount of the meat into the tortilla, spoon Pico de Gallo over and then roll up your burrito.
- If you want to spoon some sour cream or put some shredded cheese or avocado on it, that’s fine—do it how you like to eat it.
Preparation time: 20 minute(s)
Cooking time: 10 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 4
Culinary tradition: Mexican
My rating 5 stars: ★★★★★ 1 review(s)
These were pretty good. One thing I would do a bit differently is to chop the chuck steak a bit more—like into about half inch bites to help it be more tender. But this is cooking. It’s both trial and error and all about personal preference. Most carne asada that you get in a “Mom and Pop” place or a food truck is cut into those size bits and if there’s anything else inside the tortilla it would be avocado.
But I really love these with fresh Pico de Gallo (also known as Salsa Fresca). The absolutely fresh tomato, cilantro, jalapeno and onion macerated in their own juices is a tremendous marriage of flavors and colors.
The Cheap Bastid Test: I used a pound of meat at $2.38/lb. The marinade cost about $1 to make and the tortillas were $2.99 for a dozen and we used 6 for $1.50 worth. Plus, the Pico de Gallo cost about $2 to make. Total meal cost for 3 of us: $6.88 or about $2.30 per person. A carne asada burrito at a “Mom & Pop” Mexican place costs at $5.
That’s the Cheap Bastid Way: Eat Good. Eat Cheap. Be Grateful!
