Open Fire Carne Asada

Ingredients

• 2 lb skirt steak or flank steak (outside skirt is best if you can find it)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 2 tbsp fresh orange juice
• 1 tbsp soy sauce (adds depth and a little salt)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeño, minced (seeds in for heat, seeds out for mild)
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• salt and black pepper
• warm corn or flour tortillas (for serving)
• white onion, cilantro, lime (for topping)

Instructions

1. 1

   Whisk together all marinade ingredients. Put the steak in a glass dish or zip bag and pour the marinade over it, coating every surface. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. No longer than 8 — the acid will start to break down the meat.

2. 2

   Pull the steak from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Let it come up toward room temperature while you build your fire.

3. 3

   Build a two-zone charcoal fire — all the coals on one side. You want the hot side screaming hot. Grill the steak directly over the coals, flipping every 30 to 60 seconds to build an even char without burning the marinade. Cook to 130 degrees internal for medium-rare.

4. 4

   Rest the steak for 5 full minutes. Do not skip this.

5. 5

   Slice thin against the grain. This is critical — skirt steak is tough if you slice with the grain and impossibly tender if you slice against it.

6. 6

   Serve on warm tortillas with white onion, cilantro, and a hard squeeze of fresh lime. Salsa verde on the side if you have it.