Slow Cooker Carne Asada

Name: Slow Cooker Carne Asada
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 360 min
Total time: 370 min
Ingredients: 2 ½ tsp Cumin; 1 tsp Salt; 1 tsp Onion powder; 1 tsp Garlic powder; 1 tsp Chili powder (or more if you want a spicy carne asada); 1 tsp Oregano; ¾ tsp Smoked Paprika; ½ tsp Black pepper; 2 lb Flank Steak; ¼ cup Orange Juice (about 2 freshly juiced oranges); ¼ cup lime juice (about 2 freshly juiced limes); ¼ cup soy sauce; ¼ cup apple cider vinegar; ½ cup olive oil; 3 garlic cloves (minced); ⅓ cup cilantro (chopped)

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This Slow Cooker Carne Asada can be done in 20 minutes or 6 hours, depending on your preference! It takes about 10 minutes of active work to put together, and you are left with a flavorful meat ready to enjoy at dinnertime!

Tacos with Slow Cooker Carne Asada in front of a slow cooker with an avocado next to them.

Hello Reader! I try my hardest to research recipes as best as I can before posting to ensure I am representing each culture correctly. If this recipe is from your country and I have made a mistake or you have suggestions for how to make it more authentic, I would love to hear! Please leave a comment below letting me know what should be different, and I will rework the recipe. It is always my intention to pay homage and respect to each cultural dish that I cook. Thanks for reading!

This post has been sponsored by Magnifique. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep The Foreign Fork running!

I have been having a BUSY couple of weeks, and this week I really just needed to not have to think too hard about dinner. I went through my treasure trove of hands-off dinner recipes and quickly knew that Slow Cooker Carne Asada would be on the blog for ya’ll this week!

There are days when I love the dishes that are labors of love, like this German Beef Rouladen and Gravy or this Khachapuri from Georgia… but most of the time I need to feed my family without thinking too much about it.

Slow Cooker Carne Asada is great, because all you need to do is season, make a marinade, and set the pot to cook!

The meat comes out tender and flavorful, especially when you dip it back in the delicious juice from the slow cooker right before serving! I know that this is going to go on my “Easy Dinner Favorites” spreadsheet for whenever we need a hands-off meal!

For other Mexican main courses, check out this Sopita Recipe, Picaditas, Sincronizadas, and Tacos de Pescado.

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Why Make this Recipe

Flavorful: The flavor of this beef really blows me away! The spice blend paired with the citrus juices and garlic/cilantro makes for a flavorful beef that is delicious with a variety of toppings.
Meal Prep: This Slow Cooker Carne Asada is a great protein to have on hand throughout the week. We like to keep it in a container in the fridge and then throw it into tacos or rice bowls whenever we don’t feel like making dinner!
FAST: This recipe can be fast or slow! If you want it done in under 30 minutes, use your Magnifique Clay Pot Oven to cook the recipe, which uses the Braise function to cook the meat in 15-20 minutes. If you want a fast prep-time but also want the recipe to cook while you’re at work, use a traditional slow cooker. Instructions for both are in the recipe card.

Ingredients for Slow Cooker Carne Asada

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.

Labeled ingredient shot with ingredients to make carne asada.

Chili Powder: With the listed amount of chili powder, this recipe is not spicy. If you would like a spicy carne asada, use more chili powder!
Other Spices: Cumin, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, smoked paprika, black pepper.
Flank Steak: Flank Steak is a long and flat cut of meat that is popular in fajitas, stir fries, and, most famously, Carne Asada! You can also use skirt steak!
Orange Juice: Use freshly juiced oranges, it usually uses 2 oranges. This helps to tenderize the meat.
Lime Juice: Use freshly juiced limes, it usually takes 2 limes. The citrus helps to tenderize the meat.
Soy Sauce: While soy sauce doesn’t sound like an ingredient that would be very common in Mexico, it actually has grown in popularity. Now most Mexican kitchens commonly have soy sauce and use it in their Carne Asada!
Apple Cider Vinegar: You can substitute white vinegar as well.
Olive Oil: This recipe uses a larger quantity of olive oil than other Carne Asada recipes, which I think contributes quite a bit to the flavor of the dish and the texture of the sauce that is left. I love it like this!
Garlic: Freshly chopped garlic gives the best results in this recipe! Use the jarred stuff if you must, but if you can cut fresh cloves, it contributes a lot to the taste.
Cilantro: The cilantro adds a bright, fresh flavor that compliments the smoky and savory notes of the meat!

How to Make this Recipe

Raw, seasoned flank stead in the bowl of a slow cooker.

Step 1: Mix all of the seasonings together in a small bowl. Place the flank steak in the pot of the slow cooker, then sprinkle both sides of the steak with the spice blend.

Step 2: In a small mixing bowl, combine all of the marinade ingredients and whisk until combined.

Marinated beef in the bowl of a slow cooker.

Step 3: Pour the marinade into the pot, over the flank steak. Place the lid on the pot and, if using the Magnifique Clay Pot Oven, set to BRAISE for 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature hits 135 degrees.

Cooked carne asada before being sliced, in the bowl of a slow cooker.

Step 4: Once cooked, rest the steak on a cutting board for 10 minutes while the sauce continues to cook.

Sliced carne asada on a cutting board with avocado and seasonings surrounding it.

Step 5: Cut the flank steak against the grain into thin pieces. Dip the pieces back in the juice before serving. Serve in rice bowls, on tacos or by itself!

Juicy shredded carne asada on a cutting board.

If using Slow Cook Option on Clay Pot Oven or Another Brand of Slow Cooker: Cook on low for 6 hours until tender. Remove the flank steak and use two forks to shred the beef into thin pieces. Then return the meat into the sauce to stay juicy until serving. Enjoy!

Why Magnifique?

3 tacos on a cutting board with a magnifique slow cooker next to them.

After making a few recipes in my Magnifique Clay Pot Oven, I can confidently say that I am hooked. The Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Meatballs with Gnocchi showed me how great the bowl of the pot is for serving, and the Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef showed me how fast you can get dinner on the table!

Now experimenting with this Slow Cooker Carne Asada, I’m even more in love with my new pot. Here’s why:

Braise Function: The braise function on the Magnifique Clay Pot Oven makes it so easy to braise this recipe! Simply season the meat, add the liquid to mostly cover the meat in the pot, and set the pot to Braise. If you want perfectly medium rare carne asada, the Braise function can do it!
Can Also Slow Cook: If, however, you are wanting to put dinner in the pot and not eat until you get home from work, you can simply set the pot to Slow Cook on LOW and the carne asada will be ready in 6-8 hours!
Dishwasher Safe: Don’t you love when the dishes are EASY? No more hand-washing your pots to keep them safe. The Magnifique Clay Pot Oven is dishwasher safe for easy clean up!

Whether you need dinner fast or a low and slow option, the Magnifique Clay Pot Oven can help!

Expert Tips

If using the Braise function you can opt to marinate the meat for a few hours ahead of cooking. Do not marinate it for longer than 10 hours or the beef will start to break down.
You can sear the meat in a hot pan first before cooking if desired. This will lock in the juices and give the carne asada a deeper flavor.
After cooking, make sure to let the meat rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing to allow the juices to settle.
Slicing against the grain is very important in flank steak as it allows the meat to become more tender. See which ways the lines of the beef run, then cut your slices perpendicular to them!
Make sure to soak the meat in the juices again before serving. It makes such a difference in both tenderness and flavor!

Recipe FAQs

Close up of a taco with beef, avocado cubes, sauce, and cheese.

How is Carne Asada Supposed to Be Cooked?

It is traditional to grill Carne Asada on a barbecue grill for about 7-10 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches between 130-140 degrees Fahrenheit. The steak is then cut into thin strips. Using the BRAISE function in this recipe mimics similar results.

It is not traditional to make Carne Asada in a slow cooker, but it is much more hands-off and equally as delicious! In this case, the beef is pulled and shredded.

What Does it Mean when Carne Asada is Chewy?

If your Carne Asada is chewy, it likely has been overcooked in the Braise phase. It is important to keep a watchful eye and a food thermometer near your Carne Asada if you are sticking with a 15-20 minute cook time.

If you choose the Slow Cook option, your Carne Asada should be nice and tender after the 6-8 hour cook time.

What Temperature Should I Look For In Cooked Steak?

Medium rare – 130°F
Rare – 130°F
Medium – 140°F

How to Eat Carne Asada

The first night we made tacos using the Carne Asada meat, and they were delicious! The next night, we made rice bowls using the meat alongside cubed avocado, pickled red onions, fajita veggies, spicy mayo, cotija cheese, and more. Truly so delicious!

You can also use your Slow Cooker Carne Asada in burritos, carne asada fries, on a salad, in quesadillas, on nachos, or more.

Did you enjoy this Slow Cooker Carne Asada Recipe? If so, make sure to check out these other recipes I picked out just for you:

If you tried this Slow Cooker Carne Asada Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!