Hot on the heels of its Al Pastor Diced Pork Shoulder, Trader Joe’s rolled out a new Carne Asada ready for the grill. So I’m gonna give you a tip to save you from my mistake. The most important thing is to read the package. Note that it says “thin sliced sirloin.”
Although the package says you can cook it in a pan, I knew I was for sure grilling it. Good carne asada has some char on here. And here’s where I went wrong. When I pulled it out of the package ready to slap it on the grill, I thought it was one piece, like a skirt steak. I didn’t realize it wasn’t until I’d grilled the first side and the little slices were falling off, ungrilled even on a first side. WHOOPS. So check to see what you’ve got before you put it down on the grates.
Here’s what the pieces looked like after grilling. I was aiming for 135-140F and ended up past that. And still, not nearly the amount of char I personally like. I was scrambling after I turned down the heat, so it is what it is. The package directions suggest 4 minutes per side, but obviously those thin slices won’t need that long on a grill. They may in a pan.
Once you dice it up, it’s all fine. The meat wasn’t too chewy, the marinade tastes good, and I like that it has soy sauce in the mix. You don’t taste it, but it always brings a nice umami kick to beef. I went with a similar set up to the Al Pastor Pork Shoulder using Trader Joe’s Corn Tortillas and Queso Fresco. Plus the usual onion and cilantro, and salsa (this time the Spicy Original from our local, Nino Blanco Salsa). I love a carne asada burrito (you can take the girl out of San Diego, but you can’t take away her carne asada burrito) so I made one taco with some avocado.
I liked it. Would I buy it again? Yeah, I would. I mean, yeah, if you have a carniceria near you, theirs is probably better. But if you don’t, this is good. At $11.99 / lb. the price is pretty decent, too. Trader Joe’s is on a run with these pre-marinated products. Gotta try the Pollo Asado Chicken Thighs next.