On The Grill: Pollo Asado & Carne Asada

Let’s taco bout how your Taco Tuesdays are about to tortilla-ly get a whole lot better with this recipe! Being in San Diego, I am extremely fortunate to be surrounded by some top-notch taquerias. As I have a massive appreciation for this amazing dish, I decided to make some at home, and as close to authenticity as I possibly could.

Doing research on this, I found two ingredients that are commonly used when making the marinades for the carne asada/pollo asado: freshly squeezed oranges and soy sauce. The soy sauce adds a nice, salty and savory flavor, while the oranges add the familiar citrusy and sweet taste. Not to mention that the citric acid from the oranges plays a nice role in unraveling meat protein and tenderizing it! This recipe is derived from Simply Mama Cooks super awesome recipe!

Ingredients
-4 lbs of beef chuck, sliced thinly -OR- 10 boneless, skinless chicken breasts/thighs
-1/4th cup of orange juice (freshly squeezed from orange)
-Juice from 1/2 a lime
-1/2 cup Maggi sauce/soy sauce
-1 tsp onion powder
-1 tsp garlic powder
-1 tsp smoked paprika
-1/2 tsp black pepper
-1.5 tsp sugar
-5 chopped garlic cloves

Useful Tools
-Weber Kettle Grill
-Kingsford Charcoal Briquettes

Procedure
1) Add orange juice, lime juice, Maggi sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, black pepper, sugar, and chopped garlic cloves into a mixing bowl, and stir to mix
2) Add the beef chuck or chicken breast to the bowl and mix around until all the meat of your choice is coated (If you are making both types of meat, please separate them into different bowls. Cross-contamination isn’t fun)
3) Allow to marinade at least 2 hours in advance but overnight is preferred.

4) On day of cooking, pre-heat grill. Configure your charcoal or gas burners to do direct heat (About 400°F).
5) Cooking The Meat
a) If cooking chicken breast/thigh, then place chicken on direct heat and close the lid. Allow to grill for about 16-18 minutes, or until internal temperature reads 165°F, flipping halfway through
b) If cooking thin beef cut, then place the beef on direct heat for about 2-3 minutes. After 2-3 minutes, flip the beef on the other side and cook for another 2-3 minutes to cook to medium

6) Cut the meat into small cubes and serve!

Observations/Tips
-Serve these pollo asado/carne asada up with your favorite toppings such as sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo, and hot sauce!
-For beef, any thin meat can serve as a nice alternative. Flank steak or skirt steak are great, more traditional cuts of meat that can be grilled the same way. Tri-tip is also a great alternative.
–No grill? No problem. Thin beef cuts can be pretty much seared on both sides on high heat for 2 minutes each side. I recommend using an oven for chicken breast, and letting it roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 450°F, or until internal temperature reads 165°F.

References
–Simply Mama Cook’s Youtube Channel