Breaking Lenten: Carne Asada, Latin American Style

By: Brian Garrido

In Latin America, many people give up meat for Lent and rely solely on seafood for the next forty days and nights. On Easter Sunday, the time comes to “break Lent” and it becomes a carne asada moment. Familias, from Mexico to Guatemala to Cuba, grill up cuts of arrachera, bistec, or puerco depending on their Latin country of origin.

Food City, the Arizona-based grocery chain with 47 stores in the Grand Canyon State, caters to the local Hispanic market. The Basha’s owned stores are all about making sure the diversity of the Spanish-speaking people are served. Although the markets seem to be focused solely on our “South of the Border” cousin, they have comidas típicas devoted to many Latin American regions such as Cuba (plantains), Mexico (masa), and Central America (bitter oranges) to fulfill many of our community’s varied eating needs.

We asked three Food City employees from different Spanish-speaking backgrounds how their families prepare carne asada to break Lenten. Or you can go to any Food City butcher and purchase the beef already marinated (Mexican-style) and ready for the grill.

Carne Asada, Tex-Mex-Style

Veronica Padilla, Bakery Manager (father is from Spain, mother is Native American)

2-3 lbs skirt steak (arrachera)
½ cup orange juice
½ cup fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon garlic liquid (a.k.a. mojo)
1 fresh onion, roughly chopped
2 sliced jalapeños
¼ cup chopped cilantro
2 oranges sliced oranges
2 limes slices
1 teaspoon Sea Salt

Combine meat and all of the above ingredients into a plastic bag. Marinate for at least 24 hours before placing the steaks on the grill.
Carne Asada, Guatemalan-Style

Marcos Lopez, Produce Clerk (Guatemala)

3-4 lbs. minute or round steak, pounded thin
2 cups bitter orange juice (freshly squeezed bitter oranges)
2 bunches of green onion, roughly chopped.

3 green chiles, roughly chopped.
1 bunch of parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic salt.

Combine all the ingredients and place in a deep dish. Add the steaks. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for several hours, or overnight. The more the steaks marinate, the richer the taste will be when grilled.
Lechon Asado o Carne Asada

Michael Justo, Meat Cutter (Cuba)

3-4 lbs. pork or beef roast or steaks. (Cubans tend to cook with pork mostly, since beef is still heavily rationed in the former communist nation.)
2 heads of garlic, cloves crushed

3 oranges, juiced

2 limes, juiced
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons kosher salt

Marinate all ingredients for a couple hours, preferably overnight. Remove steaks from the marinade.  Using a wood-smoker, follow manufacturer instructions and place inside as directed. Wrap the meat in foil on top of grates. Cook until done, approximately one hour.