Got tired of my regular chicken breast seasoning, so I used a home made carne asada marinade. It was of the significant deliciousness...

4 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeņo chile pepper, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin seed (best to lightly toast the seeds first, then grind them)
1 large handful fresh cilantro, leaves and stems, finely chopped (great flavor in the stems)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 limes, juiced
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup olive oil

Marinate for 4-6 hours. Also works really well with flank/skirt steak.

Don't marinate for too long, as the lime juice will over-tenderize the meat and lead to a "squishy" texture. I had to wait an extra day to cook the chicken, and it is a little over marinated...

Also, if you have less time to marinate a particularly tough cut of meat, puree a Kiwi and add it to the marinade. It has an enzyme in it that rapidly breaks down the proteins and will tenderize tough meat quickly.

 

That sounds great. When I get the time, I'll try this out.

 

so just throw it in a skillet with the marinade and cook?

 

Nice. Going to give this a try, but never heard of fresh ground cumin - just preground. Also, how spicy is it with a whole jalapeno? I can handle some heat, but the wife can't take quite as much.

 

That sounds delicious!

 

Probably won't have a lot of heat because you are taking out the seeds. It also depends on where you buy your jalapenos. A few years ago a bunch of pussies began to cry and farmers started growing milder peppers. It is hard to find a really good jalapeno these days.

 

You could, but I did it on the grill. Charring plus the seasoning really makes it tasty. If you use the red meat, I wouldn't go over medium for the cook temp. Medium Rare is my preference....

Also, with the chicken, discard all marinade after you start the cook. No reusing the salmonella juice.

 

Home grown my friend, home grown. :wink:

 

Not hot enough here. I've tried growing them several times over the past few years...not enough heat

 

I used the cumin from a jar. Works just fine.

Also, There was NO heat. Just some peppery flavor. As Subinf said, I removed both the seeds and the membranes (where the capsaicin is stored) so there was only flavor, no real heat.

 

You could swap in a couple of habaneros if you really want heat. I would suggest wearing rubber gloves when cutting, though.

 

http://missvickie.com/howto/spices/p...ppersdict.html

There's a few good ones in the link.

 

I've always heard you need hot weather to grow good peppers. I've tried growing everything and nothing really works out where I live.

 

Sounds good. I may have to give this one a try.

 

Well then that explains why ours are almost always hot. The weather regularly hits high 90s to low 100s throughout the summer here in the valley.