Dad's Legit Sirloin Tip Carne Asada

Growing up as a family completely removed from the cattle industry or raising beef, my dad always followed a flamboyant but also semi-traditional style of prepping family meals. Like many, it was a normal affair to go to the local supermarket to pick up groceries for the next few days and experiment with what cuts are best for what meals. So, we were confident that sirloin tip was the proper cut of beef for a slow-braised meal such as carne asada or stroganoff. After cooking it, a semi-tough cut of beef would become pretty tender and work well in a meal. However, Dad and I were blown out of the water at how incredibly tender our sirloin tip was after about a 3-hour slow cook for carne asada. Fall apart is not a tender enough phrase for our beef in this dish, we were amazed!

Now that we raise our own beef, the new adventure is creating recipes that respectfully complement the beef's natural flavor. When buying from the supermarket or other commercial beef suppliers, it is normal to over-season since the beef does not have its natural robust flavor due to changing diets, and watered-down genetics, among many other factors. With our family-raised beef, however, our animals are fed clean, cracked corn, barley, and a protein/mineral mix that gives our beef a sweet taste that you do not want to hide, but rather compliment it with your cooking style. I think my dad hit the nail on the head with this recipe, plenty of flavor while still getting that signature beef undertone shining throughout the dish.

My father has a knack for creating meals out of the blue or tweaking recipes he would find in cookbooks or magazines resulting in a dish that would rival multiple high-end restaurants due to the unique way he would twist recipes around and add his own flare to them. Occasionally he would come up with a recipe off the cuff and make some random dish that wowed the crowd, one downside is he never made enough notes and would rarely be able to create the same dish twice. This just added to the adventure, making every meal that much more special. Luckily, I grabbed a pen and paper and got to writing when he explained his recipe for carne asada to me the other day. It is super simple, nothing spectacular but sure to be a hard hitter when it comes to a family dinner or a meal to enjoy with friends. Dad’s carne asada recipe comfortably feeds 3 to 4 people as long as it is served with some sort of complementary dish such as quesadillas.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 lb bacon diced

  • 1.5-2lb sirloin tip

  • Medium onion finely chopped

  • 1 tablespoon cumin

  • 1.5 tablespoons chili powder

  • 1 teaspoon paprika

  • 2 three-finger pinches of oregano flakes

  • A couple of pinches salt

  • 3-4 crushed garlic cloves

  • 1.5-2 cups beef broth

  • 16 oz can of crushed tomatoes

  • **Can also add cayenne pepper or other hot stuff to add some spice (our recipe is semi-mild spice)

Instructions

  1. Cook diced bacon in a saucepan.

  2. Remove bacon and 1/2 bacon fat from the pan.

  3. Brown diced sirloin tip in the saucepan in remaining bacon grease, then remove beef.

  4. Add onions to saucepan and cook on medium heat until tender.

  5. Add beef, bacon, and onions, along with all other ingredients to a slow cooker.

  6. Cook on high heat in the slow cooker for 3-4 hours and then serve with chips, quesadillas, or other cool stuff!

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