How to Host a Good Carne Asada 

As a Scandinavian man with no interest in hosting a carne asada, I must still always watch when the CEO of hairline blesses the world with a video 🙏

Just incase you don't hear it enough. I love the way you do ads. I love the fact you are honest and don't say that you use the product, it is just super tasteful.

It's late evening and the sun is about to roll behind the horizon. Juices from the meat are dripping down on the charcoal, causing pale ashes to raise in the fresh, yet still warm, summer air. Soft chatter gently flows to you, drowning in the sound of crickets, as people are filling up their glasses in the summer house. You take a slow sip from the slightly warm, yet still refreshing beer can as you gaze at the first, slightly trembling, star in the sky, thinking that you'll never feel this good in your entire life.

traditional vegetarian options to be found on a carne asada are nopales, corn, chilaca peppers, mushrooms, calabacitas, and potatoes and onions down on the coals in reynold's wrap... these are all grill friendly so they can coexist in the grill if that's ok with your vegetarian guests but if not, you can have a separate small charcoal grill for veggies or grill veggies first and then the meat

Mexican here who hosts many carne asadas. You nailed it on the dot. Cook in ABUNDANCE. There should be leftovers for every guest to take for themselves AND for their family members at home who couldn’t make it. Skirt steak, beef finger ribs, and sausage cooked over Mesquite charcoal or wood are the staples of any carne asada! A great addition is molleja(beef sweet breads) or some English cut ribs. The beef is typically marinated with beer, lime juice, and seasoned with orange pepper, then cooked to medium well to well done for the crispy edges of meat. And don’t forget to wrap some whole onions in foil and throw them right in the fire throughout the cook to add with the tacos. It’s the best! Those that are inside usually handle the tortillas, guacamole, rice, beans, and salsas. Guests will usually never come empty handed, whether it’s beer, dessert, or sides, you can expect people to contribute. Carne asadas are my favorite thing about my culture.

Fun cultural difference: in the US, people invite you from X to Y hour. In México (unless they are extremely explicit about it), when you get invited to a house, it means you are invited from X to infinity, and unless the host's are not enjoying your company, it really means you can stay as much time as you want. My friend's parents (mexican) living in the US live in a country club where the neighbors are slowly mexicanizing. While I visited, they were invited for lunch at around 3 p.m. They left at 2 a.m. The wife was angry and upset, but the husband was SO happy because we just kept serving him one tequila after the other and the grill kept being turned back on for late night munchies. That is mexican bonding. Long and steady. If you drink hard and fall early, you'll miss out and leave a bad impression.

You're the pinnacle of a new age of content creating. Concise with no fuzz, straight to the point and wonderful with a touch of humor. Keep at it man!!

Not this man giving you (actual) helpful tips, and throwing in a whole PLAYLIST! Give this man an award. The playlist is a vibe.

Some money saving tips from an Asada Vet and fellow Poe-Cho: Desmillo (beef chuck) sliced thin is a cheaper and, in some ways, a better cut than arrachera. It's fattier which means it holds on to that marinade flavor better. Boneless (sin hueso) is usually a better buy, but sometimes you can find the bony version cheap. Don't forget the chicken. You can get dark meant cheap. Boneless legs and thights are best, but hard to find with skin on. If you're okay removing the bone yourself, you can load up on $1/lb meat otherwise bneless/skinless is a solid option. It's better than bony since it cooks much faster and is easier to slice for tacos. Cook chicken at lower heat since it's thicker and fattier. For vegetarians try mushrooms. I usually load up on buttons/crimini, try to get bigger ones for grilling ease, or but you can put smaller ones on a skewer. The quality of marinade varies wildly by carnicería. It's not hard to make yourself. The essentials are acid (lime juice or vinegar), orange juice, salt, and garlic (fresh or powder, I use both). I also throw in guajillo chili powder and Mexican oregano, a little oil for browning (extra for the mushrooms, since they don't have much of their own fat), and sugar if the oranges aren't very sweet. For chicken I like cumin too. For chicken and mushrooms this works well as a slurry so it clings to the meat, not so much for the beef since the higher heat tends to scorch the marinade and obscures the nice beef flavor.

My best friends in high school were Mexican. One girl's family owned a restaurant and would host soooo many giant parties just like the one you described so often with sooooo many friends and family. She'd always invite us and we got to spend the ENTIRE day together because that's basically how long the party lasted for us, even though the Mexican family/guests would come like 2 - 3 hours later than the "party time" LOL. And they lived out more in the countryside and owned goats and so we'd have tons of space to run around the woods :D This video brings back sooooo many memories. Their food was always SO goddamn good!!! They were always so generous with serving everyone even with expensive and labor intensive foods like tamales. I love Mexican people's generosity and food so much 😭💔💔

Hopefully I can attend one your cook outs one day!!

FYI the carne asada playlist can also double as a mopping playlist 🔥

Gotta say I've never personally broken enough bean to fill an entire plastic bag with beef juice but, you do you

Looking positively sun-kissed, my man

A very wonderful vegetarian substitute is nopales! just putting some thick slices of queso fresco on the grill for a bit so they can get charred. Scallions can't also be missing (cebollines) let them soften wrapped in aluminum paper and they're the perfect match for your arrachera tacos. Besides salsas you can't forget some pico de gallo to add some added freshness to your food Overall it was a wonderful guide as always c:

That Spotify playlist is wild. My wife and I are moving to the suburbs, so I was hoping to host a large housewarming, getting-to-know-you food party. But I cannot imagine their first impressions when I, a pasty white boy, bust out that tecnobanda et al.

Here in Brazil we do this exact same thing, but we call it "Churrasco" (instead of Carne Assada) which literally means barbecue in English

Dang lots of excellent tips in here, like in general for hosting any kinda of grilling party. Glad you gave out tips for catering to veggies / vegans too! Well done!

Gotta say, was not expected to be catered to as a vegetarian in a video about carne asada. That cauliflower al pastor sounds fantastic though 👀

This is maybe the Mexican version of a Passover Seder, minus the religion? Everything looks delicious and I think you've inspired me to have a taco Shabbat. Thanks for sharing.

I'm not Mexican, but my fiancée is and boy was it a culture shock. 3 hours in I asked her when is this over and when should we start heading out, she looked at me and laughed. Parties do be like that. Whenever I agree to go I now always have a pocket excuse ready so I can leave after a mere handful of hours without it being rude.

now i wanna invite everyone i know and have a god damn FEAST.

I've heard of jackfruit used as a meat substitute but I've never tried it myself. I too also remember going to many family gatherings with cousins-of-cousins-of-cousins-twice-removed and never seeing them again until the next big gathering.

This was actually a video about how to make your BBQ a tax write off. Good job. 👍🏻

“There will be a few vegetarians here” makes 8 Jamaica flowers haha

The excitement i feel when i see a new netshaq

ngl i was ready to hate on that playlist but i saw that aguita de melon was on there and that immediately sold me, nothing but pure good sweet vibes, al 💯 y pasadito ... felíz día de la batalla de puebla, fight your local french person in celebration 🇲🇽

I recommend a bag of totopos to eat with the beans and salsa too, guests will love them

Lol I have arguments with fellow Mexicans trying to explain: if I wanted to, I could tell the buddies "hey come over, I'm doing Carne asada" only for them to show up and see that I'm grilling burgers. That's because "technically" I'm grilling meat, but they know that's not what we universally know is "Carne asada"

"But how in-tune with my ancestors am I truly being as I load compressed mesquite sawdust into my electronic grill?" 🤣🤣 That line bought my like!

As someone who doesn't have any real interest in cooking and which 70% of your tips are lost on I must say : I stay subscribed for the wit.

para los veganos puedes poner un guiso de flores de palma, cabuches, quelite, nopales e incluso totopos con salsa pico de gallo, ahi tienes algo facil

Queso Poblano tacos are also a good vegetarian option. Stick some cheese in a poblano, roast it, chop it up in a pan to get it crispy. Ethan Cheblownski has a great video on it.

it's giving chicano alison roman with the hosting tips, 10/10 and now i'm gonna make carne asada on my apartment building's roof

Carne asada with friends and family is everything!

I'll always drop what I'm doing when I see that netshaq notification

LMAO opening that playlist with El Sondito was a bold choice that I very much respect

probably too late for this event, but hibiscus al pastor with some pineapple bits works very well!

3:31 I'm sure if you invite the auditor from the IRS you'll have nothing to worry about XD

As always, right on the spot! Awesome video Shaq

I consistently tell myself that its impossible for a man to maintain this channel's high standards of video sign offs. and this guy consistently proves me WRONG!

I so enjoy your videos! I always learn something new and know I can trust your advice/techniques. Thank you!

I’m just here for the playlist straight lumbre

this is a great video full of so much concise and useful information that I'm still digesting (haha) it even after having watched it multiple times.

was expecting a 12 hour long video my man

you're the only channel I don't watch at 1.5 speed on

Seeing the Fortaleza next to the Squirt as a mixing tequila hurts my very soul.

Just the thought of being around people for 12 hours makes me exhausted...you are truly a saint.

Skirt steak is awesome, unfortunately in TX it used to be cheap and once it became popular the price went up (along with the volume of pre-seasoned packages). Fortunately I no longer live in TX 🤘

1:53 When he said Squirt I felt that

I always check to make sure I’m subscribed after these Vids cause they’re just that good

Always love your videos. While I'd love to follow this advice, I've lived in New England long enough to know there' no way I'm finding the meat for this. Great video!

This sounds delicious and almost impossibly fun

Nopal! Tacos de nopal are a great meat substitute.

el sonidito at the #1 spot in the playlist? my boy shaq knows how to gets down

2:40 "social lubricatiom" is now part of my pretentiously-down-to-earth-modern vocabulary describing good vibes via music yo. ty

Note: if you're specifically trying to feed celiacs carne asada (the meat) make sure that it's not marinated with soy sauce! Alternatively, if you're a celiac, perhaps avoid the carne asada if you don't know what it was marinated with! I'm so grateful you touched on dietary restrictions bc one of the things I love so much about this cuisine is how accommodating it is for me. As a newly lactose intolerant and picky celiac, I will always eat mexican (tex mex) food. Meaning, I will always eat a corn tortilla with rice and beans and cheese etc. something about it is so comforting. Unfortunately I learned a few years ago that carne asada is often marinated with soy sauce! Which explains why I was puking, but is unfortunate bc it was my favorite. Now I will choose carnitas, pastor, or pollo depending on the dish. Unfortunately I've also had to give up (flour) quesadillas and burritos. 😭 carnitas tacos w onion and cilantro are usually where I'm at, or even just rice and beans if necessary.

Man I forget how blessed I am to have in-laws that host authentic carne asada cookouts on the regular. That playlist looks very similar to the one we play during our cookouts and we usually bust out the karaoke machine to sing along (especially later on in the night and after some drinks we sound just like "Chente"). Completely agree on going to the local Mexican meat market and grabbing some of their house marinated skirt steak. I cannot replicate the flavor and level of tenderness that they achieve so I just leave that part to them. I'm pretty spoiled cause my in-laws live less than 20 miles from the border, so the meat there is top notch. One spice that we have really become obsessed with is orange pepper and I highly recommend it. Specifically the brand Don Juan. We throw a little of that on everything and something about that citrus really takes it up a notch. We'll take thin cut spare ribs and just put that on there and it's delicious. Great content as always and such a great guide to share such a fun aspect of the culture. Salud hermano!

Shaq: I know Misen is not your sponsor for today, but I wanted to tell you that the pan I ordered kicks major ass! I told you I'd update you, but I couldn't find a company email or anything to send you my thoughts. So here I am!

1:15 it looks like you guys are having a genuinely good time here

I was already planning on making carnitas weekend, but I guess I'll add a slab of skirt while I'm at the carniceria

Your really one of the -best- most affordable on youtube!

the playlist is lit AF

I always enjoy your videos. Great tips.

Tip number…7: get some of those cheap spinning fans they use on the table to keep the flies away from the food.

soy muy fan de este pinche pocho

Hi NetShaq. Love your videos. Can you please put your invideo texts somewhere besides the bottom? I use captions/subtitles and it is difficult to read both when they're in the same spot! Thanks!

fantastic video and all Mr Shaq but when is the 12-day cookout with all your subscribers?

Elaborate way to share that Spotify playlist

Awesome as always. Gracias! 🎉

That Fortaleza and Squirt should be nowhere near eachother.

so ive actually tried eating jamaica flowers (calyxes?) and the ones you get bulk from the winco, while great for the infusion, are weirdly gritty??? would not feed guests those, maybe you really gotta rinse em

>the first song on the playlist is El Sonidito based shaq

Missed the opportunity to end the video by saying “And now (those of you who are Mexican) are all ready to become your parents”.

I love my home. I love this planet

Brazilian here. Churrasco is the same but we don't marinate the meat and we tend to use different cuts, but everything else is pretty similar. Make sure there's leftovers, drink a fuckton of beer, and party into the night. Maravilha, né parça kkk

So I'm not vegan/vegetarian but try to eat more vegan and have a lot of vegan friends. I appreciate the tip of having vegetarian stuff ready cause it is always an immense shock to my Latino family when I bring a friend who doesn't eat meat and we go through theatrics of "you don't eat meat?", "We have fish is that okay?" And they have to eat chips and salsa for the whole night lmao

......is that my local carniceria? That....it looks SO similar.

That jamaica taco idea is brilliant

Once again god bless for you for making the most unrelatable but entertaining videos. I'm British and can't buy any of this stuff lol

“Business expense” oh you 😊 good job

Lol “break bean” love it

wait is your wife your lawyer because thats the cutest thing ever

How did the jamaica flowers turn out??

Now I want to host a Carne asada

Every good mexican cookout lasts more than 12 hours 😉 we better have cafe con pan for the evening!!

Shoutout tequila fortaleza / Los abuelos! Best stuff on earth.

Shaq a true legend in the game 😎😎😎🔥🔥🔥🌵🌵🌵

Love the open! “Baby step”. 😆😂🤣🤪😉

One of the men to turn to for Cinco de Mayo

Two vids in ten days? It's a Cinco de Mayo miracle.

"Pinchay pocho" 🤣🤣

I appreciate the inclusion of the word lubrication

Look at you, businessing all over the place and keeping receipts. *sniff* Our little channel is growing up.

man's hairline is crazy it goes until your eyebrows goddamn you're allowed to make fun of all of us now

beautiful beautiful

If only Shaq would do a video on how to have a proceeding hairline, he’d hit a million subs the next day.

Pinche Poncho 😂 I’m on the same boat lmfao For those who don’t know , Poncho is a bit of a slur to Chicanos (Mexican-American). Love your videos and the sophistication to you bring to them. One day when I’m back home in Dallas Tx , hopefully you can invite me to your cookouts.

I will never do this, but your videos are always interesting.

i love you internet shaquille