Restaurant-Style Carne Asada Steak (For Two or a Crowd)

If you're looking for a really good fajita meat recipe or something last-minute for Taco night or Cinco de Mayo, we think you'll love this Carne Asada. It's just as good (or better) than your favorite Tex-Mex restaurant and less expensive. And as with simple (but really delicious) recipes, the devil is in the details.

We season and marinate flank steak before it gets a quick sear in the cast-iron skillet (if you have a grill, fire it up instead).

Right before it's finished and ready to be served, it gets a not-so-special (but important) ingredient drizzled into the hot skillet with the sliced meat, giving you that "restaurant sizzle" and extra beefy "fajita aroma" we all love. You know the one I'm talking about.

This carne asada recipe makes tasty fajitas, tacos, quesadillas, salads, nachos, burritos, and more. It also happens to make the best steak and eggs for breakfast (see photos) and makes family meals easy because everyone loves it.

The best part, reheated leftovers are just as delicious (maybe even more so?), which makes this a great MealPrep dish to get you through the week, or a dinner party without being stuck in the kitchen all night.

8 Tips for Restaurant-Quality Carne Asada at Home

Beef is a favorite in our house, even though we eat much less of it these days. So when it is on the menu, I want it treated right. These are the eight tips that consistently turn out the best carne asada in my kitchen.

1. Use a Heavy, Well-Seasoned Skillet

A heavy-bottomed pan distributes heat evenly, which is the foundation of a good sear. Cast-iron, carbon steel, 7-ply stainless (like All-Clad), or heavy-duty multi-layer aluminum all work beautifully. Avoid thin pans - they'll create hot spots and uneven browning.

2. Dry the Steak Thoroughly

Wet beef will not sear, it will steam. Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel before they hit the pan, even after marinating. A dry surface is what creates that deep golden crust the moment the meat touches hot oil.

Pro tip for premium cuts: If you're searing ribeye, NY strip, filet, or T-bone, pat them dry and rest them uncovered on a plate in the fridge overnight. The surface will be drier than you can get with a paper towel, and the crust will be unreal.

3. Marinate for at Least 1 Hour

Plan ahead so the meat has time to soak up the marinade. I usually start the night before, or the morning of, depending on what works for the day. One hour is the minimum. Overnight is best.

4. Use a Neutral Oil with a High Smoke Point

Reach for vegetable, grapeseed, or another neutral oil with a smoke point between 400-450°F (204-232°C). Skip extra-virgin olive oil here - its smoke point is around 350°F (176°C), so it'll burn before the steak sears properly.

There's a health argument too: the antioxidants and polyphenols that make EVOO so good for you oxidize and break down past their smoke point. Save the good olive oil for finishing, salads, and lower-heat cooking.

5. Get the Skillet Screaming Hot

When the steak hits the pan, it should sizzle loudly enough to sound like applause. That sound is the Maillard reaction kicking off, and it's the difference between a real crust and a sad gray exterior.

Don't crowd the pan either. Cook in batches if you need to. Crowded steaks steam each other.

6. Be Patient - Let the Sear Happen

For thinner cuts like flank, iron, skirt, or hanger:

• Place the steak in the pan and leave it alone
• Don't poke, slide, or flip it for at least 2 minutes
• After 2 minutes, lift one corner with tongs to check the underside color - that tells you when to flip
• Flank and skirt steak tend to curl as they cook, which lifts the center off the pan. A heavy weight or a firm press with a spatula keeps them flat for an even sear

For thicker bone-in cuts like ribeye, porterhouse, T-bone, or bistecca alla Fiorentina, you can flip more often once the first side is well-browned. Frequent flipping actually helps thicker cuts cook more evenly and develop a beautiful crust on all sides.

7. Set a Timer

The second your steak hits the pan, start a timer. It takes the mental load off and frees you up to prep sides without burning dinner.

That said, a timer alone isn't foolproof. Cooking time depends on the cut, thickness, bone-in vs. boneless, your stove, and your skillet. Stay close, check often, and adjust the heat as needed. I never walk away from a steak.

8. Use a Meat Thermometer (Especially for Bigger Cuts)

I don't usually pull a thermometer for pan-searing thinner steaks. Practice has taught me to read the meat by feel and color. But for thicker cuts, larger groups, or anytime you want certainty, a good instant-read thermometer is the best tool in your kitchen.

Restaurant-Style Carne Asada Steak Ingredients

This carne asada uses a short list of pantry-friendly ingredients, plus one secret weapon I picked up from Mely Martinez at Mexico in My Kitchen - the trick Mexican-American restaurants use for that extra-sizzling, deeply flavored beef. Her version is the foundation of this recipe, with a few small tweaks of my own. If you haven't read her blog, go bookmark it.

Flank steak is my go-to here, but flat iron, skirt, or hanger steak (my favorite cut) all work beautifully.

• Beef flank steak
• Freshly squeezed orange juice (or satsuma)
• Freshly squeezed lime juice (lemon works in a pinch)
• Regular soy sauce
• Grapeseed or vegetable oil
• Light beer
• White or yellow onions
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• Sweet or smoked paprika

Optional Aromatics + Spices

The steak is excellent as-is, but if you want to layer in extra depth, any of these work:

• Smashed garlic cloves
• Fresh cilantro, chopped
• Smoked paprika (in addition to the sweet)

See recipe card for quantities.

NOTE: If using low-sodium soy sauce, add ½ teaspoon (2g) kosher salt to the marinade. I don't add salt when I'm using regular soy sauce because it's salty enough.

How to Make Restaurant-Style Carne Asada Steak

1. Marinate the beef. In a medium bowl, whisk the orange juice, lime juice, soy sauce, beer, oil, smoked paprika (if using), and black pepper to combine. Add the beef directly to the bowl and massage the marinade into the meat, being sure to cover all the surfaces. Add the onions and gently massage them into the mix, ensuring full coverage. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour and up to 6 to 8 hours.
2. Pat the steaks dry. Remove the meat from the marinade and pat it dry on all sides until no moisture remains. 
3. Preheat the skillet. Heat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet or another heavy-gauge pan over high heat with a little oil. 
4. Sear the steaks. When the skillet is smoking hot, immediately and carefully add the flank steak, and do not move the pieces once they hit the pan.  Set a timer for 5 minutes. At this point, you may use a spatula or a weight to press down on the middle of the flank steak as it cooks. Cook steaks on the first side for 2 ½ minutes, or until nicely browned. Flip and continue cooking for another 2 ½ minutes for a total of 5 minutes or until medium doneness (about 140°F/60°C).
5. Rest the steak and add the extra sizzle before serving. Rest the steaks tented with foil for at least 5 minutes. Slice thinly across the grain while you heat up the skillet. Add the sliced meat, spread out, leaving a "hole" in the middle of the skillet. Add a spoonful of soy sauce to the hot pan and stir a little while it sizzles and serve immediately, Enjoy!

Note: If your flank steak is a lot thicker than the flank steak I've used (and is pictured in this post), you may set the timer for 8 minutes and cook steaks for approximately 4 minutes on each side for medium doneness.

What Temperature Should Steak Be Cooked To?

Use this helpful internal temperature guide for cooking all kinds of steak at home. All you need is a meat thermometer to avoid overcooking or undercooking meat at home. 

• Extra Rare or Blue (bleu) [80-100°F/28-36°C] Barely warm, deep red color, soft and squishy texture
• Rare [120-125°F/49-51°C] Bright pink center and pinkish around the exterior, texture is soft 
• Medium-Rare [130-135°F/55-57°C] Very pink center with slightly brown exterior, slightly hot, texture is starting to firm up and yields just slightly when touched
• Medium [140-145°F/60-63°C] Light pink center with brown exterior and hot throughout, texture is starting to firm up and yields just slightly when touched similar to Mid-Rare
• Well [150-155°F/65-69°C] Mostly grey-brown throughout with only the slightest hint of pink in the center, firm texture
• Well done [160°F+/71°C+] Consistently grey or brown throughout and hot, firm or hard texture
  

What to Serve With Style Carne Asada Steak

If you're putting together a full taco night, mix in a few other proteins so everyone at the table has options. Below are some of my favorite recipes to round out the spread, plus a few quick steak alternatives for nights when there's no time to marinate.

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