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Tender, rich and juicy, this Sous Vide Carne Asada is slow cooked in a sous vide water bath and grilled to perfection before being sliced and served in tortillas!
This recipe is a twist on authentic carne asada (like this Instant Pot carne asada) but I promise the sous vide method is a game changer!
You still marinate your steak in amazing Mexican flavors and brown it on a grill before serving. The twist, however, involves cooking the beef in a water bath for 4 hours before searing it on a hot grill.
The controlled temperature of the water bath ensures your beef is cooked to a perfect medium-rare with a tender and juicy texture that’s ideal for carne asada!
You can serve this carne asada on its own with some Instant Pot Spanish rice or stuff it in burritos and tacos! And don't forget dessert - this instant pot flan is to die for!
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Why this recipe works
- Marinating is the key to amazing carne asada and this recipe includes an easy homemade marinade with intense Mexican flavor.
- Carne asada is best cooked to medium-rare and cooking your beef in a sous vide water bath helps you easily achieve this without overcooking.
- If the charred and smoky flavor is your favorite part of carne asada, no worries! The steak gets a quick sear on a hot grill before being sliced and served.
- Skirt steak is usually the meat of choice for carne asada and it’s typically inexpensive so this is a budget friendly meal.
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What is Sous Vide?
Sous vide is basically a method of cooking using what is called an immersion circulator (i.e. the sous vide machine). This immersion circulator circulates water in a temperature controlled water bath at a certain temperature to perfectly cook your food every time.
Because the temperature doesn't change, and it keeps your meat (or dessert, veggies, etc.) at the same temperature, your risk of overcooking becomes very minimal.
To learn even more about sous vide cooking, head over and read "what is sous vide cooking and the benefits of sous vide cooking."
What is the Water Displacement Method?
The displacement method is where you slowly submerge a ziplock bag in water pushing the air out of the top of the bag (the bag should be slightly open at the top to allow air to escape).
Use a clip (I use sous vide magnets) to clip the bag to the side to keep it from floating and getting air and/or water inside.
Tools Used
You will also want to check out these posts on the best sous vide containers and the best sous vide bags for more information!
What is carne asada?
Carne asada is a Mexican dish that involves marinated beef that is grilled and then thinly sliced into strips and served on its own or as a filling for burritos or tacos. The beef that is used is usually skirt steak or flank steak.
Ingredients
For the full list of ingredients and quantities, refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
You’ll need 1 pound of skirt steak for this carne asada recipe. Skirt steak is a long and flat cut of beef from the plate area of the cow. It has a coarse grain and marbling. You can also use flank steak if you prefer.
Some of the ingredients for the marinade include orange and lime juice, chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, toasted cumin seeds and brown sugar.
The orange and lime juice add some acid to the marinade which helps to tenderize the tough connective tissue of the beef. You'll want to use freshly squeezed juices instead of bottled juices.
To add a spicy kick to the marinade, you’ll need one chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. You can usually buy them in cans at your local grocery store.
For the best flavor, you’ll want to toast your cumin seeds. To do this, heat a skillet on medium heat and add the cumin seeds, tossing every few minutes until fragrant.
One tablespoon of brown sugar in the marinade adds a hint of sweetness and balances out the spicy and tangy flavors of the other ingredients.
Step by step instructions
Combine all the ingredients together and pour over the beef. Let marinate in the fridge overnight.
Heat a sous vide water bath to 131F degrees.
Remove the beef from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels.
Place the beef in a vacuum seal bag and cook for 4 hours in the sous vide water bath.
When done cooking, remove from the bag and pat dry.
Heat a grill or a skillet over high heat.
Sear the beef for 30-45 seconds a side, until browned, then remove and set aside.
Slice and serve on tortillas with Mexican crema, cilantro, limes, avocado, salsa, etc. This green salsa or tomato salsa would work perfect! Serve with a side of Instant Pot Spanish rice, Instant Pot cilantro rice or this Instant Pot black beans and rice.
You can also serve it in burritos or burrito bowls, by itself with a side of rice or on top of a salad.
Expert tips
- Removing air from the bag is an important step as it helps keep bacteria out of the bag and safely cooks your food in the water bath.
- If air gets in the bag and the bag starts to float, just open the bag, let the air out and reseal it.
- You can also use something heavy like a sous vide sinker weight to weigh down the bag and prevent it from floating.
- I recommend marinating the beef overnight for the best flavor.
- For the best sear, use a paper towel to dry the surface of the beef before browning it.
- The grill or skillet should be hot before adding the beef so it browns quickly without overcooking.
- Don’t brown the beef for more than 30-45 seconds per side as it will overcook.
- Make sure you cut the steak against the grain as thinly as possible.
Common questions
Carne asada is usually made with either skirt steak or flank steak. I prefer skirt steak as I find it’s a little more tender and juicy.
Yes, the marinade is key! Skirt steak is a tougher cut of beef so marinating it helps to tenderize it. It also adds amazing flavor, especially if you marinate it overnight.
Carne asada is best served medium-rare so I recommend setting the temperature of your sous vide water bath to 131F degrees. If you prefer your carne asada cooked to medium, set the water bath temperature anywhere between 133-140F degrees.
For medium-rare carne asada, it takes about 4 hours at 131F degrees.
While you can sous vide frozen skirt steak by adding another 2 hours to the water bath time, I recommend thawing the steak first and marinating it overnight.
Yes! Carne asada is grilled meat so browning it on the grill before serving it is essential for that smoky, charred flavor.
Carne asada is served in thinly sliced strips. To achieve tender strips of meat, you'll want to cut the steak against the grain. If you try to cut it with the grain, the steak strips will be tough and chewy.
We love to make tacos with it using corn or flour tortillas and topping them with chopped cilantro, diced red onion, Mexican crema or avocado crema, tomato salsa or tomatillo salsa and lime wedges. You can also enjoy it in burritos or burrito bowls or on its own with a side of Instant Pot cilantro lime rice.
More sous vide beef recipes
- Sous Vide Skirt Steak
- Sous Vide Chuck Roast
- Sous Vide Brisket
- Sous Vide Picanha
- Sous Vide Filet Mignon
- Sous Vide London Broil
If you love this recipe, leave a comment below and let us know your favorite thing about it. We'd also love to connect on Instagram! Follow us at @went_here_8_this for awesome recipes and all sorts of fun food stuff 🙂
Recipe
Sous Vide Carne Asada
Ingredients
- 1 pound skirt steak
- 1 garlic clove minced
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon toasted cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 corn or flour tortillas
- Chopped cilantro for serving
- Diced red onion for serving
- Mexican crema for serving
- Salsa for serving
- Limes for serving
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients together and pour over the beef. Let marinate in the fridge overnight.
- Heat a sous vide water bath to 131F degrees.
- Remove the beef from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels.
- Place the beef in a vacuum seal bag and cook for 4 hours in the sous vide water bath.
- When done cooking, remove from the bag and pat dry.
- Heat a grill or a skillet over high heat.
- Sear the beef for 30-45 seconds a side, until browned, then remove and set aside.
- Slice and serve on tortillas with Mexican crema, cilantro, limes, avocado, salsa, etc.
- You can also serve it in burritos or burrito bowls, by itself with a side of rice or on top of a salad.
Expert Tips:
- Removing air from the bag is an important step as it helps keep bacteria out of the bag and safely cooks your food in the water bath.
- If air gets in the bag and the bag starts to float, just open the bag, let the air out and reseal it.
- You can also use something heavy like a sous vide sinker weight to weigh down the bag and prevent it from floating.
- I recommend marinating the beef overnight for the best flavor.
- For the best sear, use a paper towel to dry the surface of the beef before browning it.
- The grill or skillet should be hot before adding the beef so it browns quickly without overcooking.
- Don’t brown the beef for more than 30-45 seconds per side as it will overcook.
- Make sure you cut the steak against the grain as thinly as possible.
Nutrition
Steve
Made this a few weeks ago and loved it. Steak turned e out amazing. I’m making it again this week. I was wondering if anyone has tried leaving it in the marinade while they Sous vide it.
Danielle
SO glad you liked it! You can certainly leave it in the marinade, however the beef may come out a little mushier due to the acid in the marinade. It should still work well though.
Gigi
While not the traditional way to make carne asada, the grill at the end made it pretty close. The meat was so tender, I don't think I'll ever cook it another way!
Danielle
I love the little charred bits when you grill it 🙂
heather
OMG this was amazing! It was super easy. I was concerned the meat would be tough, but it was so tender.
Danielle
I'm so glad you liked it!