Carne Asada with Homemade Flour Tortillas

As Memorial Day and summer approach, try this easy recipe for Mexican-style carne asada on the grill. Soak thin slices of beef in a citrus-based marinade, grill it over a charcoal fire, and serve it alongside grilled green onions and hot homemade tortillas. Carne asada is often the centerpiece of a festive occasion, so it's the perfect thing to make for your next backyard BBQ.

This time, we made our own homemade flour tortillas, which are customary in northern Mexico and the American Southwest. They're surprisingly easy to make, and are far more delicious than any store-bought ones we've tried.

Ingredients

For the carne asada

• 1 1/2 pounds sirloin tips or skirt steak
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 4 to 6 limes)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup beer
• 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 8 green onions, trimmed
• Kosher salt to taste

For the flour tortillas

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup hot water
• 1/4 cup lard, shortening, or vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Place all marinade ingredients except salt and green onions in a non-reactive bowl and whisk to combine. Pour into a 1-gallon locking storage bag along with meat and let marinade for two hours. (Don't let it marinade much longer than this because the citrus will "cook" the meat partially.)

While meat is marinating, prepare tortillas. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder. If using lard or shortening, add it to the flour and mix with your fingertips until fat disappears and flour looks like coarse meal.

Add hot water (and oil, if you're using it instead of lard or shortening) and mix together with a fork until a rough dough is formed. Turn out onto a floured board and briefly knead until dough forms a ball. You can add more flour if dough is too sticky.

Divide dough into 12 balls and let rest for 30 minutes. You can skip this part if you're in a hurry, but resting the dough helps the dough's texture and makes it easier to roll out.

When ready to cook, heat a cast iron pan or griddle over medium heat. Roll dough out on a floured surface with a rolling pin until you have very thin circle about 9 or 10 inches in diameter. Flip tortilla into the hot pan and bake until dough bubbles and edges brown. Flip with a spatula and cook for a minute or two on the other side and repeat with the rest of the dough balls. Wrap tortillas in a clean kitchen towl and keep warm in a 250º oven until you're ready to eat.

To grill the carne asada, make a charcoal fire on your grill or pre-heat your gas grill. You can also cook this inside on a grill pan or cast iron skillet. Remove meat from marinade and season on both sides with kosher salt. Grill meat over a very hot fire about 3 to 5 minutes each side, depending on how you like it cooked. Grill green onions alongside until lightly charred and soft.

Let meat rest under foil for at least 5 minutes, then thinly slice across the grain. Serve sliced carne asada with warm flour tortillas, beans, and salsa of your choice.