When people think of food and Guatemala they probably think of tamales, but in actuality they should be thinking carne asada. Yes tamales are popular in Guatemala, but due to their labor intensive preparation, we eat more carne asada than anything else both in Guatemala and here in the US.
When in Guatemala and we go to someones house for lunch or dinner the odds are pretty good that we are going to be served carne asada. Considering that a good majority of the population doesn’t have an indoor kitchen like we are used to in the US, most of the cooking is done over a grill outside. By the end of our stay in Guatemala we have probably eaten enough carne asada to equal a whole cow and when we get home we do not eat beef for a few weeks.
Dita manning the parilla while Mama Neca supervises.
I have so many great memories of eating carne asada in Guatemala that it is hard to choose which one to tell. My first time eating carne asada in Guatemala was more a memory of eating the chiltepe sauce that was served with it. All my carne asada memories involve visiting family way out in the country and sitting around a hot parilla of some sort eating carne asada with our dirty hands. My favorite memory is when we were visiting family or maybe they are close friends outside of Zacapa. It was one of the hottest days I remember experiencing in Guatemala. As we sat outside in the shade thankfully with the parilla blazing away only a few feet from us we all began to melt. You have to realize that we travel in a large pack of 12-15 people, so when we visit someone for lunch or dinner, the hosts pull out all the stops. On this day there were a couple of hens already on the parilla, a big pot of beans to be joined shortly by some carne asada. On this trip we were joined by Carlos’ grandmother who was great at explaining everything to me. You have to realize that this is a society where the women take care of the men, cooking and cleaning, no feminists allowed here. So around the parilla was the matriarch of the family we were visiting, Carlos’ abuelita and assorted other woman. Carlos’ abuelita knows what I do and took me under her wing this afternoon and explained everything to me. She explained how the hens we were about to eat were running around the yard this morning (I think the hens that were running around our feet knew we were about to eat their friends), and that the cow was a communal cow and had been slaughtered earlier in the week and shared amongst friends and family in the area. After a lot sweating and inhaling of smoke we all sat down to eat. There is one thing you need to get used to when eating with the locals in Guatemala and that is eating with your bare unwashed hands and luckily (knock on wood) I have never gotten sick. Your hands and the tortillas are your utensils. At first this used to freak me out and now I don’t think twice about it. The carne asada we were eating was some of the best I had ever had, but the hen was probably THE worst thing I have ever eaten. A hen is an old chicken and boy was this hen old and tough! I could not eat it and tried to hide it under my used napkins so as not to offend the hosts.
Closer to home, Carlos’ family serves carne asada on any occasion when the entire family gets together, especially birthdays. When this happens, there is about 30 pounds of sirloin steak purchased and marinated, a gallon of chirmol made, and dozens of green onions grilled. We (they) will be doing this on Sunday for my godsons birthday. My mouth is watering already!
After many years (literally) of trying to reproduce the carne asada we eat in both countries, I think I finally have it! Of course no one is about to give me the complete recipe, I am just given a list of ingredients that may be in the marinade and of course no quantities. So after many many pounds of different cuts of beef, ingredients, quantities and marinate times, I have a very close to the original carne asada recipe that is popular in our family.
The marinating carne asada.
No matter where you go in Guatemala, carne asada is served well done, no choices. If you like your steak any other way, you are out of luck. If you are making this at home, feel free to cook it a little less although since this sirloin steak is so thin, it will cook very fast. To me, the best part is the charred bits of fat and meat anyways and I am a medium rare guy when it comes to other steaks. So after a lot of marinating and a lot of grilling the highly anticipated Carne Asada recipe is here. Like I have said before, this is the way our family makes carne asada, I am sure there are as many ways to make it as there are stars. In fact I know one other way that we had in Guatemala and loved. Let me work on that one next. Remember for best flavor and tenderness marinate this overnight, so plan ahead. Provecho.
Recipe: Carne Asada
Summary: The most popular way to prepare steak in Guatemala
Ingredients
- 3 pounds bone in sirloin steaks, cut 1/4 inch thick
- 1 medium onion, sliced thin
- 1/3 cup packed chopped cilantro
- 1 cup fresh lime juice (about 8 limes)
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 4 teaspoons Goya adobo
Instructions
- Place steak in a large shallow container, top with onion and cilantro.
- In a small bowl mix lime juice, vegetable oil and adobo together and pour over the steak.
- Flip steaks over a few times so that they are evenly coated in the liquid marinade and the onions and cilantro.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight (24 hours).
- Remove steaks from the refrigerator an hour before grilling to let them come to room temperature.
- Preheat grill on high for at least 10 minutes.
- Place steaks on the hottest part of the grill and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side.
- Serve with rice, grilled corn tortillas, chirmol and grilled green onions.
Quick notes
The sirloin steak is a T-bone with the filet cut off. Carne asada is traditionally served well done in Guatemala. Your butcher may try to talk you out of getting the sirloin steak cut so thin, but stand your ground. You could use another cut of beef, but it wouldn’t be the same.
Preparation time:
Cooking time: 10 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 4
My rating 4 stars: ★★★★☆ 1 review(s)
Buen Provecho
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