Sunshine, hot days, margaritas, and my Traeger Grilled Carne Asada are all you need for a perfect summer night! Skip the taco mix with ground beef and try something new! This is amazing to make for your next cookout. Super quick, easy to cook, and SO delicious! There’s nothing like fresh food, great spices, and wood-fired flavor!
Traeger Grilled Carne Asada
If you’re planning a party and hate the rush and chaos that comes with getting the food ready, this easy grilled carne asada recipe is perfect for you! The steak marinates overnight to make sure all of that flavor gets packed in there, and you can prep your favorite toppings beforehand too.
Even if you aren’t cooking for a party, it’s a great way to take a break from the ground beef tacos you usually make during the week. They’re not any more effort than the weeknight classic, but it changes things up enough to make it seem new and different.
If you need a good side to have with these tacos, try my Grilled Mexican Street Corn or my Pressure Cooker Mexican Rice!
Oh, and we can’t forget toppings! My Pickled Red Onions, Blender Salsa, and Guacamole will make sure you get the perfect bite EVERY time.
Get our 75 ESSENTIAL Traeger Recipes here!
Carne Asada Grocery List
There’s a fair amount of ingredients here, but I bet you have a lot of them in your fridge or pantry already so don’t let that scare you off. Just bookmark this page and take a quick fridge-ventory, and off you go.
- Flank Steak or Skirt Steak
- Cilantro
- Margarita Mix (the good stuff)
- Tequila
- Orange Juice
- Soy Sauce
- Garlic
- Tortillas
- Sour Cream
- Salsa and/or hot sauce
- Lettuce
- Avocado
- Limes
Get all my Easy Traeger Recipes here!
How to make Traeger Carne Asada
This is just the overview so you can see what you’re actually getting into here. When you are cooking, you’ll want to use the full recipe at the bottom of the page.
Making Carne Asada is easy, but it does require some planning due to the marinating time required. I recommend throwing the meat in the marinade the evening before you want to cook it.
Turn your grill on and preheat to 450° following factory instructions. Place the dried and rubbed flank or skirt steak onto your hot grill, and cook for 6 minutes per side.
If you like flank steak, try this Reverse Seared Flank Steak next time. It is amazing!
Traeger Carne Asada FAQ
What’s in Carne Asada Marinade?
The marinade for the steak is seriously out of this world and SO simple to make.
Just some margarita mix, orange juice, soy sauce, tequila, cilantro, and garlic! Yes really – that’s all it takes to make this AMAZING marinade (that would totally work for chicken too).
If you want to add some spice to the dish, this is where you’d want to add it in. You can either splash some of your favorite hot sauce in or add some sliced jalapenos.
If you’re wondering about what margarita mix to use, you don’t want to use something that’s super cheap and complete sugar. You’ll want to get something that’s higher quality so you’re actually getting some flavor in the marinade. REAL LIME JUICE is key.
Whatever tequila you have on hand will work. You aren’t using a lot, so if you only have Patron in the cabinet, toss it in. If you have some rail-ish tequila, you can toss that in too.
Should I Use Skirt Steak Or Flank Steak For Carne Asada?
Traditionally, flank and skirt steak are both used for carne asada, so just buy whatever looks best to you or that your grocer has available.
Both cuts are pretty interchangeable, it just depends on if you care about tenderness and what you want to spend, what’s available, and what looks best, but choosing the cheaper option isn’t going to ruin the dish.
Do I Have To Use Alcohol In The Marinade?
Traditional carne asada marinades don’t use tequila or any alcohol, so if you don’t have tequila you don’t have to use it.
That being said, the end result will not have a strong tequila flavor, at all. The alcohol helps tenderize the meat.
You can also substitute the tequila with some beer like Corona or Modelo, or use your favorite non-alcoholic beer.
What If I Don’t Have Chili Margarita Rub?
If you don’t have any Spiceology Chili Margarita Rub on hand, you can substitute your favorite taco seasoning.
You can also do a little DIY spice rub by mixing together the following spices:
- Chili powder/chipotle powder/paprika
- Lime zest
- Cumin
- Cayenne pepper
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Coriander
- Salt
Mix it together and rub ALL over the meat! BOOM, a delicious and homemade chili-lime spice that you can use on whatever you want!
More Traeger Beef Recipes here!
Speaking of drinks. I’ve got tons of easy cocktail recipes here.
More great Mexican-inspired dishes to love
We love cooking dishes inspired by Latin cuisine! Whether it is tacos, enchiladas, burritos, fajitas, or quesadillas, we’ve got a bit of everything here!
- Traeger Carnitas Taquitos
- Smoked Chicken Enchiladas
- Shredded Beef Burritos
- Smoked Cider-Brined Pork Burritos
- Blackstone Pulled Pork Tacos
- Blackstone Brisket Tacos
- Griddle Shrimp Fajitas
- Blackstone Chicken Fajitas
- Simple Steak Fajitas
- Steak Quesadillas
