Grill/Barbecue

Texas Proud Beef Fajitas

by:
April 11, 2011
4.3
3 Ratings
  • Serves 2 lbs fajita meat
Author Notes

Here in Texas we eat a lot of fajitas - they can be made with just about anything - chicken, shrimp, mushrooms, and of course BEEF. You can also use a variety of cuts - flank, tri-tip, etc - in this case I used a tenderized skirt steak. One of the great things about this cut besides great flavor is that the nooks and crannies created in the tenderizing process all trap and soak up the marinade. A word on chili powder - I am referring to ground chilis, not the kind that has the salt and the garlic and stuff added (that spice has it's place but it not what I use here). Another GREAT thing about Texas is that in our grocery stores we have bin after bin of all different types of dried chilis, so I make my own chili powder using these. I often just smell each one and decide what to use that way. For these fajitas I used equal parts cascabel, guajillo and ancho. If you don't have bulk bins and a grinder though, you can use the chili powder available - I think most folks can get their hands on ancho powder which will work just fine!! What you put ON your fajita is up to you, you can go straight meat and tortilla, or add avocado, sour cream, cheese, pico de gallo - you get the idea. I had mine on a fresh flour tortilla with chihuahua cheese, avocado and cilantro. —aargersi

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2 pounds tenderized beef skirt steak
  • 1/4 cup chili powder (I used guajillo, cascabel and ancho)
  • 3 large cloves garlic coarsely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 cup papaya juice
  • 1/2 cup gold tequila
  • zest and juice from 2 limes
  • TO SERVE: tortillas (corn, flour - your choice) cheese, sour cream, cilantro, salsa, pico de gallo, guacamole, chopped onion - the choices are endless!
Directions
  1. Put all ingredients except the beef (and toppings / tortillas of course) in a blender or food processer and whiz to combine.
  2. Toss the marinade with the beef and allow to sit for at least a couple of hours ... if you have more time, let them marinate longer
  3. Fire up the grill. You want the heat fairly high, Shake off excess marinade (some will stay in the nooks and crannies, this is a good thing) and grill your fajitas for several minutes on each side until they are nicely seared (alternately, you can cook them on a hot griddle or iron skillet)
  4. Allow them to rest for a few minutes, then slice and serve with your toppings of choice, and an ice cold beverage.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Lilismom
    Lilismom
  • J3_Dog
    J3_Dog
  • wssmom
    wssmom
  • aargersi
    aargersi
  • arielleclementine
    arielleclementine
aargersi

Recipe by: aargersi

Country living, garden to table cooking, recent beek, rescue all of the dogs, #adoptdontshop

11 Reviews

Lilismom October 23, 2012
I'm not a fan of papaya so could I just add more lime juice to the marinade?
 
aargersi October 23, 2012
Absolutely, you could also try a little orange or pineapple for a hint of sweetness (if you like either of those)
 
Lilismom October 23, 2012
Marinating now for tonight!! Can't wait.
 
J3_Dog February 13, 2012
I shall have to try Theeeeez One.... :o)
 
wssmom June 3, 2011
I am so down with this! Great!
 
aargersi April 11, 2011
Thanks DrBabs! Nothing better than a good fajita on a nice Texas night!!!
 
arielleclementine April 11, 2011
these sound totally rad! my kitchen is out of commission for two weeks for renovation, so i'm grilling fajitas tonight (skirt steak) with guacamole! nothing finer on a spring evening in the beautiful texas hill country! love your marinade, too :)
 
aargersi April 11, 2011
That sounds like a perfect evening! I should mention these freeze well too - we cooked half and froze the other half for later.
 
nannydeb April 11, 2011
Beautiful! Makes my mouth water.
 
aargersi April 11, 2011
That's what beer is for :-)
 
drbabs April 11, 2011
yum