The pros: Tasty, good flavor, very tender meat off of high heat. Be sure to cut Trader Joe's Carne Asada across the grain for the most tender texture.
The cons: Cooking directions could be elaborated a bit and should be easier to see. There is a distinct acidic taste to the meat which not everyone will find pleasing. Also if you have someone in your household who does not like cilantro, this is not a good product to try.
The verdict: Â For $8.49 per pound (mine came out to $14.09) you aren't getting a log of meat, which you might expect when you look at the packaging here. What you actually get is a bunch of thinly sliced sirloin steaks that will grill up relatively quickly. They were well seasoned and marinated, so if you don't have that type of time to prepare, then this is something good to reach for so as long as you don't mine an acidic tasting meat or the flavor of cilantro.
Here is the visual rundown of what you can expect if you purchase this item.
The bag of Trader Joe's Carne Asada in the refrigerated aisle:
The nutritional information:
The ingredients and how to prepare:
Out of the package you get:
It's 20F out. I'm not grilling it. I'll do the next best thing:
After being cooked you get (sorry I won't cook my beef to 160F, that's too well done for my liking):
Would I buy this again? For me Trader Joe's Carne Asada is only a maybe. It was very tasty right off of the pan. When it cooled down, I too cooled down on liking it. Served cold on a salad I found myself avoiding some of the meat. The acidity here grew when it cooled down. If you are serving a bunch of people right away (who embrace the flavor of lime and cilantro), this is a good choice to reach for. If you are cooking for one or two, do yourself the favor and break down the package into separate bags and only prepare what you need. Fresh off the grill is best on this one.
Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe’s for a searchable list.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
Really wish we had a TJ closer. It's over an hour away. The last time we purchased a bunch of shelf stable whipping cream, NONE of it whipped and their customer service was less than helpful. Sad. Anyway, hope you have a wonderful New year!!
Sorry to hear that. I bought that product too. I wonder if I'll have the same problem. I would absolutely leave them feedback here. They should know if there is a problem with their products: http://www.traderjoes.com/contact-us/product-feedback
I used to get this a lot at one point when I really needed something quick. I agree that there isn't as much meat as one would expect, but I never noticed the acidity. The salad looks great! I really like the meat with some rice and avocado!
Great suggestion!
So you cooked it in the skillet.. for how long?
I kept it short, I believe it was 3-4 minutes for the thinner pieces, but 3-4 minutes each side for anything that was thicker. I was aiming for a medium cook. I hope that helps!
I love it! I have tried making my own but this is much better. I have not noticed the acidity nor the cilantro taste, but I happen to like both. Sometimes I cur it up and put it into flour tortillas, but I usually just eat on its own.
Thanks so much for sharing!
I noticed the acidity too, I even thought the meat may have gone bad but impossible since I put it in the freezer as soon as I got home and defrosted a day prior to cooking. I honestly did not like it, found the taste weird which is why I came online to see if it was only me. Thank you for your input.
Thanks for sharing Jerry!
I cooked this on a very hot grill. It came out perfectly cooked. I do like cilantro, which I did not really notice, and I did not notice acidity either, however I thought it was VERY salty! I know a lot of pro chefs insist on heavy salting but this product was, to me, over the top salt wise and is now off my shopping list. This says more about me than it does about the product. If you like salty beef I think you will like this product.
Thanks for sharing PaulP!
Just a thought, take it or leave it, I wonder if you cooked on the grill if that acidity taste would have been less. As the meat cooks on a grill you would get more caramelization as well as excessive marinade would be dripped away.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts on this!