Simple is Better

Simple is better. At least in my opinion, everything is better when it's kept simple. Except for sex. Sex should be adventurous. But I digress.

I wanted to be a chef when I was eight-years-old. I enjoyed cooking. My mom was going through a rough pregnancy at the time, so I took it upon myself to make food for her and my brother. They were simple meals, such as peanut butter and banana sandwiches, fruit smoothies, quesadillas, grilled cheese sandwiches, English muffin pizzas, etc. Basically, I made meals you'd find in children's cookbooks. Because that's were I literally got the recipes from: children's cookbooks.

I also made (or heated) packaged meals, like macaroni and cheese, ramen noodle soup, Chef Boyardee, SpaghettiOs, etc.

Later, I started experimenting with food. I would dump a can of Veg-All in the ramen soup. I would chop up weenies and add them to my mac and cheese. Eventually, I started adding more and more to my meals, trying to be creative and make the most delicious food in the world. But it didn't work. The more creative I tried to be, the worse my food seemed to taste.

I thought it was me. I thought I just wasn't a very good cook. One day when I was a teenager in high school, while visiting my cousins in Mexicali, Mexico (which was just across the border from where I lived), we went to a taco stand. I had the most delicious carne asada tacos that day. I was hooked. I started crossing the border just to go to that taco stand. After going there for awhile I decided I needed to find out what their secret was.

From what I could see food safety in Mexico wasn't as strict as it was in the United States. This taco stand kept their raw meat in a plastic bag in an ice chest with what appeared to be dry ice, keeping it cold. Every once in awhile one of the taco guys would grab some meat from the bag and put it in a plastic container. They added some beer. Squeezed some lemons onto the meat and threw the squeezed lemons into the container. They added some Tampico (which is sort of like Sunny D), closed the container, shook it around, and placed it into the ice chest.

They pulled the marinated meat out of the ice chest about 40 minutes later. (Yes, I stayed there a long time. It didn't feel that long. In the early 90s you could get away with drinking beer when you were sixteen.) They put the marinated meat on the grill. They didn't bother spreading the meat flat, they just piled it on the grill. They added some salt and pepper. They flipped the meat once in awhile. They then took it off the grill about 12 minutes later. The meat still had some pink in the middle. They chopped it up, put it on some tortillas and served it. Delicious.

It was then that I realized that simple is better. I decided to start grilling my own carne asada using what I learned that day. I grill almost every weekend now. I grill carne asada most of the time, but I also grill other things, such as chicken, tri-tip, ribs, spicy sweet and sour sausages, etc, but I'll tell you how to make the carne asada, since that was the first thing I mastered on the grill.

The Marinade

First you want to buy at least half-a-pound of chuck steak per person. Make sure that it is not frozen when you decide to marinade it. (Tip: Don't start the grill before marinating the meat.) Place up to 2 lbs. of chuck steak in a gallon sized freezer or storage ziplock bag. Squeeze 4-6 lemons onto the steak. Make sure to toss the squeezed lemon rinds into the bag. Add 12-16 oz. of your favorite beer. (Tip: Extremely cheap beer or strong beer can leave a nasty taste on the meat.)

The Grill

I prefer using mesquite logs. I start by using 3 logs, crisscrossed over each other. I use Royal Oak Tumbleweeds to start the fire.

The Salsa

After lighting the fire starter, I go back into the kitchen to prepare the salsa. The basic salsa consists of 3-4 tomatoes, 1 Anaheim pepper, 4 serrano peppers, 2 jalapenos, and 2 yellow peppers, but you can switch it up. Once the logs are completely lit and the fire is raging I place the tomatoes and peppers on the grill.

Once the tomatoes and peppers are soft and the skin peeling off take them off the grill and set aside to let it cool a bit. Once it is some what cool, take the stems off the peppers and place everything in a blender. Pulse. Add lemon and garlic pepper to taste and stir.

The Grilling

After you have set the salsa aside, grab the chuck steaks out of the fridge. Place the chuck steaks on the grill. Spread the pieces out flat. Add some Chef Merito Carne Asada & Bistec seasoning. Wait until the meat is sweating light red, almost pinkish juices to flip. Flip. I only add the seasoning to one side, but feel free to add to the other side if you like. When the meat starts sweating almost clear on the other side, flip it again. If the meat on both sides look cooked, remove from the flame and place in a container. Repeat until all the meat is done. Enjoy!