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Carne Asada Tacos

Name: Carne Asada Tacos
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 800 g Beef para asar (arrachera o diezmillo); 3 Lime (Lime), su Juice; 2 tbsp Olive oil; 4 cloves Garlic picado; 1 tsp Ground cumin; 0.5 tsp Ground black pepper; 0.5 tsp Dried oregano; 1 tsp Salt; 12 Corn tortillas; 6 Spring onion (cebolleta); 2 Avocado para guacamole; 4 Radish en rodajas

35 min (20 prep + 15 cook) Easy 6 servings Norte

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 24 Mar 2026 · Updated: 30 Mar 2026

Charcoal-grilled beef tacos northern style, with spring onions and guacamole.

About this recipe

Carne asada tacos are an absolute classic from northern Mexico, especially from Sonora, Chihuahua, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas. The beef is briefly marinated with lime, garlic and spices, then grilled over charcoal until the exterior is caramelised and the inside is juicy, before being finely chopped and served in corn or flour tortillas with grilled spring onions, guacamole, salsa and lime.

History & Origin

Carne asada tacos are the most representative dish of northern Mexican culture, a tradition dating back to the cowboys and ranchers of the nineteenth century who traversed the vast desert expanses of Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila and Nuevo Leon. In these cattle-rearing lands, grilling meat over direct flame was not a luxury but an everyday necessity, and over time it became a social ritual that defines the identity of northern Mexico. The northern carne asada is much more than a way of cooking: it is a family gathering, a social event, almost a ceremony. The charcoal is lit on the patio grill, the accompaniments are prepared, spring onions, radishes, blistered chillies, guacamole, charro beans, and everything is enjoyed outdoors with cold beer. The preferred cut varies by region: in Sonora they use chuck or skirt steak, in Nuevo Leon the northern rib cut, and in Tamaulipas the butterfly cut. The key lies in the quality of the meat and the cooking point: seared on the outside, pink within, with that smoky flavour that only real charcoal provides. The tacos are assembled on small corn or wheat flour tortillas, with freshly chopped meat straight from the grill, charred spring onions, a little guacamole and salsa. It is the most democratic food of the north: enjoyed equally at an elegant dinner in Monterrey or at a street stall in Hermosillo.

Estimated cost

£12.00

Total cost

£2.00

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

380

Calories

28g

Protein

30g

Carbohydrates

18g

Fat

Fibre

580mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Prepare the marinada: mixture the lime juice, the olive oil, the garlic chopped, the cumin, the pepper, the oregano and the salt in a bowl. Drizzle the beef (arrachera or diezmillo) with the marinada and leave to rest minimum 30 minutes at room temperature or 2 hours in the fridge.
💡 No marinar more of 4 hours, the lime can endurecer the meat.
2
Enciende the grill or the carbón over high heat. If using frying pan or plancha, caliéntala until humee slightly.
3
Remove the meat of the marinada and dry slightly with papel. Roast over high heat for 4-5 minutes for lado for arrachera (or 3-4 minutes for bistec delgado), until you get a exterior well sellado and caramelizado. Al mismo tiempo, asa the onions cambray enteras until they are marcadas and soft.
4
Leave to rest the meat 5 minutes on a tabla and then pícala into small pieces with a knife well afilado. No the deshebre: the meat roasted chop.
💡 El reposo permite that the jugos redistribuyan.
5
Heat thes corn tortillas in the comal (flat griddle) or directamente on the llama. Serve the meat chopped in the tortillas and serve with cebollitas asadas, guacamole, red sauce, radishes into rounds and lime.