Sous-Vide Carne Asada

I love carne asada. I am eating it as I slice it to serve. Seriously, one for me, one for the platter! I wouldn’t exactly call this recipe traditional, but it will certainly provide you with a flavor that reminds you of a great street taco. This version also uses a kitchen tool I have on my counter almost permanently – the sous-vide. You can set and forget it for a few hours as you go about your day.

This recipe starts with a relatively inexpensive cut of steak. You can feel fancy without spending a fortune. Throw that thing in the sous-vide for a few hours (at least 1.5) and you have this tender, melt-in-your mouth flavor bomb. The key though is cutting across the grain in the steak. With a flank steak it’s usually easy to tell what direction that is. Cut perpendicular to the natural lines in the meat.

What if I don’t have a Sous-Vide

No sweat if you don’t have a sous-vide, but you’ll want to marinate the steak for 6 hours or overnight to get the best flavor on it. The acid in the orange and lime juice will help to break down the fibers so the meat gets tender. You can then cook it on your BBQ, on a grill pan, or in a cast iron pan. That will give you the great sear you look for on the outside of a steak.

Taco Time

Once the steak is cooked to the temperature you prefer (we like medium rare) and sliced, it’s time to make a taco! We like these on a corn tortilla (recipe here) with some diced white onion and cilantro. It gives you that authentic taco truck feel. You can add pico, crema (or sour cream), jalapeños or anything you like. Just don’t drool too much!

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Sous-Vide Carne Asada

Marinated flank steak cooked in the sous-vide and finished on the grill. Sliced against the grain this tender meat makes the perfect taco.

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Servings :8

Calories: 157kcal

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time3 hours hrs

Equipment

• Sous-Vide

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb Flank Steak

Marinade

• ¼ cup Orange Juice
• 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
• ½ Lime zest & juice
• ½ Jalapeno diced
• 2 cloves Garlic
• ½ tsp Cumin
• ½ cup Cilantro chopped
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil

Instructions

• In a food-safe bag add all of the marinade ingredients
• Add the flank steak to the bag and carefully massage slightly to ensure the ingredients mix and coat the steak
• Let the steak sit at room temperature in the marinade while your sous-vide heats up
• Set sous-vide to 130°, or just below the final temperature you like your steak cooked
• Once the water is at temperature, carefully vacuum seal the bag or use the displacement method, putting the steak into the water
• Leave in the sous-vide for anywhere from 1.5 to 4 hours
• Just before you pull the steak out, heat a cast iron pan or grill pan on high, pull the steak out of the bag and put it in the pan searing both sides for approximately 45 seconds or until char marks form
• Place the steak on a cutting board and cover with foil, let rest for 5 – 8 minutes
• Slice the steak thinly against the grain

Notes

If you don’t have a sous-vide you can marinate the steak overnight and then grill on the BBQ or cook in a cast iron pan.   Cook the steak to your desired temperature.   We like it still pink, but if you sous-vide it it will still be moist even if you like it medium or medium well.

Nutrition

Calories: 157kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 298mg | Potassium: 320mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 92IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 2mg

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