Sunday, February 24, 2008

Carne Asada

Flank steak is a very tough piece of meat that has to be cut against the grain in order for the meat to seem tender. If you do not know what I mean "against the grain" here is a bit of a long explaination.
When your meat has thawed or is fresh from the store remove the meat from its packaging and rinse to remove the blood. Next, tear off any piece of fat that remains on its surface and than place it on a cutting board. Now pick a side where you can visibly see the structure of the muscle. Position the meat to where you see the strands of muscle run from left to right. Ok, got? Good. If you cut this piece of meat with the grain (cutting a piece of meat from left to right along the lines of muscle) this is called cutting with the grain and what you get when you try to chew this piece it will seem tough and well, stringy. Now if you cut the meat in thin slices in the opposite direction (against the grain) the pieces will seem tender and not stringy. This is what is meant by cutting against the grain. When I get a chance I will drop some pictures here to show you the difference.

One of my favorite meats to cook on the bbq grill is a pice of flank steak. It is a tough piece of meat but when you marinade it with the below ingredients you will be in for a treat. At home (Texas and Alabama) I will have this with either flour or corn tortilla's a side of rice and beans and of course the table wine of the South, tea.
The recipe below is for Carne Asada, I hope you like it as much as I do and as much as those whom I have prepared if for have enjoyed.


Carne Asada

Ingredients:
3 pounds flank
2 Limes, (freshly squeezed) If you do not have any fresh limes you can get away and use the bottled variety.
1 large white onion, thinly sliced or 2 tbls onion powder
2 tbls Garlic-Pepper (use your best judgement)
2 tbsp finely ground oregano
2 tsp Ground Cumin
1 dozen each, corn and flour tortillas

Remove the flank steak from its packaging and rinse off the blood with cold water and set in side a glass container or use a gallon size ziploc bag.

Dust each side with the garlic-pepper, oregano, cumin and onion use the amount of spice to suit your taste.

If you place the meat in a glass dish make sure you flip the meat after a few hours to ensure the meat is covered. If using a ziplock bag you do not have to worry about it. Let it rest for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.

You can cook this in your kitchen in a skillet over medium high heat or outside on a grill (prefered) with hot coals. Cook the meat to your desired preference. Remove from heat and let it rest for five minutes before cutting.

Cut the meat against the grain and serve with either a flour or corn tortilla along with your side of rice and beans.

As a note I have had guacamole inside the tortilla and this tastes wonderful but just plain right off the grill is still quite delicious. I hope you enjoy this dish.

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