One of the most popular recipes on my blog is my Mexican Carne asada marinade. It's been shared over 86,000 times! So, how do I top that amazing recipe? Easy, by preparing smoked Traeger Carne asada and smoked corn on the cob at the same time!
Carne Asada makes a regular rotation around our house. We all love the delicious flavor. Recently it occurred to me that if I can make smoked mac and cheese and Traeger smoked potatoes, why not smoked Carne asada?"
At first, I tried smoking the Carne asada using the recipe on the Traeger website. I smoked the skirt steak for 1 hour at 225 degrees F and seared it at 500 degrees for 3 minutes on each side. Although the marinade was spot on, we all agreed that the meat was tough and overcooked.
We had missed the sweet spot (cooking the meat for a short time to maintain its juiciness or smoking it long and slow to break down the collagen).
We went back to the drawing boards and all agreed that the second method we came up with (which I'll share in detail below) yielded the most tender, juicy, and flavorful smoked Carne asada we'd ever had!
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- I consider this a smoker rookie-friendly recipe. If you're just starting to experiment with your smoker, this is a great recipe to try!
- The marinade has been approved by so many of my readers and although not all the ingredients are traditional, the flavor is!
- This is a great recipe when you don't have 16 hours to smoke meat using the low and slow method used in my Traeger Brisket recipe. It takes a little over 3 hours to smoke an incredibly flavorful Carne asada!
🛒 What You Need For This Recipe
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Meat: You will need 3 lbs of skirt steak for this recipe. Flank steak can also be used.
- Marinade: My Mexican Carne asada recipe consists of the following ingredients: Olive oil, soy sauce, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, onion, serrano pepper, cilantro, salt, black pepper, chili powder, and red pepper flakes. Actual amounts can be found in my carne asada marinade recipe.
- Dry Rub: Right before smoking the meat, you'll want to dab off the marinade and season it with a dry rub made with Tajin, chipotle pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and a touch of coriander powder.
- Other Liquid: A mixture of lime juice and orange juice to pour over the Carne asada then seal and smoke for one final hour.
🥩 How To Make Smoked Traeger Carne Asada
Step 1: Begin by marinating flank or skirt steak in my carne asada marinade for 4 or more hours.
Step 2: When you are ready to smoke the carne asada, set your Traeger to 165°F and select the smoke or super smoke setting if you have it. Allow the grill to preheat using your favorite flavor of wood pellets while you prep the steaks. Remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Mix dry rub ingredients and use to season both sides of the meat.
Step 3: Place the meat directly on the preheated grill and set a timer for 2 hours. After 2 hours of smoking remove the meat and turn off super smoke. Place the meat on two sheets of foil. Pour lime juice and orange juice over the meat. Seal the foil packages and place them back on the grill. Smoke the carne asada at the same temperature for one hour.
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Pro Tip: You may want to double up on the foil to avoid leaks!
Step 4: Remove the steak from the grill and turn the smoker's temperature up to 450°F. When the smoker is ready, unwrap the steaks and quickly add them to the grill. Sear for 3 minutes on each side.
Step 5: Take the Carne asada off the grill and cover with foil. Rest the Carne asada for 5 minutes before slicing it against the grain.
Looking for more steak recipes? Be sure to check out this best way to grill ribeyes post!
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
The length of time required to smoke a flank steak on a Traeger really depends on the recipe you are following and the temperature settings you are using. One way to smoke flank steak is to smoke it at 225°F for 40 minutes or so and then sear it on high heat (above 450°F) for another 6 to 10 minutes. 
Although you can smoke carne asada at 225°F, I've found that smoking it at a lower temperature (165°F) for a few hours and then wrapping it for an additional hour (at the same temperature) with some liquid in the package works much better and yields a very tender and tasty carne asada.
🥑 Serving Suggestions
Serve this delicious Traeger smoked Carne Asada with Mexican Rice, Mexican Pickled Carrots, and plenty of Salsa Ranchera and Creamy Guacamole. These yummy Mexican potatoes also make a wonderful side dish option. And for dessert, try these yummy Mexican cookies.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Marinating the beef overnight is even better!
- Not sure what wood flavor to use? Try hickory, pecan, and mesquite!
- Be sure to save some of the smoked Traeger carne asada to make this California burritos recipe, Mexican breakfast burritos, carne asada quesadillas, or carne asada tacos.
- Store leftover carne asada in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Reheat the smoked carne asada in a hot cast-iron skillet.
🍖 More Mexican Recipes
If you enjoy this smoked carne asada recipe, check out these other Mexican recipes!
📖 Recipe
Smoked Traeger Carne Asada
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 lbs flank or skirt steak
- carne asada marinade
Rub
- 1 teaspoon Tajín Clásico Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon chipotle pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Cooking Liquid
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ¼ cup orange juice
Instructions
- Begin by marinating flank or skirt steak in my carne asada marinade for 4 or more hours.
- When you are ready to smoke the carne asada, set your Traeger to 165°F and select the smoke or super smoke setting if you have it. Allow the grill to preheat using your favorite flavor of wood pellets while you prep the steaks. Remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Mix dry rub ingredients and use to season both sides of the meat.
- Place the meat directly on the preheated grill and set a timer for 2 hours. After 2 hours of smoking remove the meat and turn off super smoke. Place the meat on two sheets of foil. Pour lime juice and orange juice over the meat. Seal the foil packages and place them back on the grill. Smoke the carne asada at the same temperature for one hour.
- Remove the steak from the grill and turn the smoker's temperature up to 450°F. When the smoker is ready, unwrap the steaks and quickly add them to the grill. Sear for 3 minutes on each side.
- Take the carne asada off the grill and cover with foil. Rest the carne asada for 5 minutes before slicing it against the grain with a sharp knife.
Notes
- Marinating the beef overnight is even better!
- Not sure what wood flavor to use? Try hickory, pecan, and mesquite!
- Be sure to save some of the smoked Traeger carne asada to make California burritos, Mexican breakfast burritos, carne asada quesadillas, or carne asada tacos.
- Store leftover carne asada in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Reheat the smoked carne asada in a hot cast-iron skillet.
MP says
Looks great, but adjust the cook time listed on the recipe. It takes more than 1:05 to get there.
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, MP! You are correct, the times can vary greatly, it's always better to go by temperature than time!
Rebecca says
If I am using three, 1ish lb skirt steaks instead of one, 3lb skirt steak, how would you recommend adjusting cooking time?
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Rebecca,
I have made this with 2 steaks instead of one and used the same times and it was still excellent. I think you'll be fine with the same directions.
Joseph Kohn says
Cook time is 3:05, 2 hrs smoked, 1 hr wrapped, max grill temp reverse sear. Some of the best meat for sure! I get asked for this recipe all the time.
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, Joseph, I appreciate the review, enjoy!
Paul says
Which flavor pellets are used for this?
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Paul, I've used hickory and pecan with great results!
Kelly Methey says
I can’t imagine your carne asada could get any better but this sounds very interesting!
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, Kelly! It is pretty darn good!