Name: Larry Delgado's Winning Carne asada
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Cuisine: Mexican/Latin
Ingredients: 2 lbs skirt steak, cut against the grain into ¼-inch thick strips; 6 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded; 3 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded; ½ cup fresh lime juice; ¼ cup fresh orange juice; 6 garlic cloves, minced; 3 tbsp olive oil; 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar; 1 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground; 2 tsp dried Mexican oregano; 1 tsp smoked paprika; ½ tsp ground clove; Sea salt and fresh black pepper to taste; Fresh cilantro and lime wedges for serving

McAllen sits ninety miles from the border, and the carne asada they cook there is not a facsimile — it is the source material. Larry Delgado runs two rooms in that city: House. Wine. & Bistro for the date-night crowd, and SALT – New American Table for when he wants to remind people he can do both.

His carne asada win came down to the marinade window and the cut. Delgado uses skirt, not flank — more intramuscular fat, more surface area for char. The marinade is citrus-forward with a four-hour window, not overnight; any longer and the acid denatures the exterior proteins before the grill can char them. He pulls at 130°F internal and rests under foil for five minutes.

Bobby's carne asada, for the record, was described by judges as 'a little tough.' Skirt steak does not forgive impatience, and that day, neither did Delgado.