Best Carne Asada Marinade recipe ever!

A recent culinary challenge I faced was cooking the mountain goat my husband bagged in September. We had our local game processor make the meat into German, Italian and chorizo sausage – all of which have been fantastic. However, I was concerned with the steaks and chops. Would they be gamey?

I tentatively grilled up a few and found the mountain goat meat was very mild tasting – and extremely chewy. So much so that it was practically inedible. Flummoxed, I decided to marinate and tenderize the heck out the mountain goat meat by making carne asada.

It’s all about the vinegar

We love authentic Mexican carne asada and have learned to make it at home using a recipe my husband found on the Internet. (There are so many similar versions online that I’m not sure who to credit as the author.)

Traditionally, a carne asada marinade uses red wine vinegar. Instead, I decided to do things differently and use Holland House® Malt Vinegar. Both Holland House Malt Vinegar and Holland House Red Wine Vinegar have 5% acidity, which makes both perfect for breaking down and tenderizing tough meat. However, the malt vinegar has a wonderful, strong zingy taste that goes well with the lime and orange juices.

My Carne Asada Marinade recipe will marinade five to six pounds of meat and can be easily halved for a small dinner with no leftover or doubled for a big party or tail gating. If you’re using beef, use skirt steak or a similar thin cut, as show above, and marinate 24 to 48 hours. (The tougher the meat, the longer you should marinate it.)

Slow cooker pulled carne asada

Traditionally, you grill carne asada meat. I tried that on half the mountain goat meat I prepared. While it was extremely delicious, it was still chewy even after marinating the mountain goat for over two days!

Instead, I decided to cook the other half of the meat in the slow cooker. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as sweet and tangy as the grilled carne asada. It was still tasty and tender, more like “pulled” meat, which is what I was shooting for. From now on, all mountain goat meat will be slow cooked. Lesson learned.

Carne Asada Marinade

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup Holland House® Malt Vinegar
• 1/3 cup lime juice or lemon juice
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons peeled fresh garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon white pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 orange, sliced
• 1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
2. Place meat in gallon sized freezer bag, in the bottom of a shallow baking dish, or a non-reactive (plastic or glass) storage container with a lid.
3. Pour carne asada marinade on top of meat, cover dish or close bag, and marinate overnight up to 48 hours in the refrigerator.

Grilling the marinated carne asada:

1. Take meat out of container and grill until just cooked through. (Rare to medium rare.)
2. Cut cooked meat into strips.
3. Place meat and favorite toppings (salsa, cheese, guacamole, avocado slices, tomatoes, shredded cabbage, grilled sweet peppers, etc.) in a tortilla to make into tacos or burritos. You can also serve meat over rice for a carne asada bowl.

Slow cooking the marinated carne asada:

1. After marinating for one or two days, place meat and marinade in a slow cooker.
2. Slow cook for 10 to 12 hours on low.
3. Meat should be extra tender and can be shredded with a fork.
4. Place meat and favorite toppings (salsa, cheese, guacamole, avocado slices, tomatoes, shredded cabbage, grilled sweet peppers, etc.) in a tortilla to make into tacos or burritos. You can also serve meat over rice for a carne asada bowl.

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Disclosure: Mizkan, the parent company of Holland House, provided compensation for this post. All opinions are my own.

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Posted on October 27, 2011 in Crock Pot and Slow Cooker,Recipes,Venison and tagged as Holland House, Mizkan

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