Steak Fajitas

After we moved to Houston, we jumped on the BBQ and Tex-Mex bandwagon. There are SOOOO many Tex Mex restaurants that serve wonderful Fajitas and they're absolutely addicting. So, I decided to try making them at home ourselves and they turned out AMAZING. The Fajitas were restaurant quality good. Definitely a keeper for us. I'm not posting any pictures with this recipe again because our stuff haven't been delivered to our new home yet. Yes, we're eating off paper plates for the time being.

Steak Fajitas

(Source: Serious Eats)

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup lime juice from 6 to 8 limes

1/2 cup canola oil

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground cumin seed

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon chili powder

3 medium cloves garlic, finely minced (about 1 tablespoon)

2 pounds trimmed skirt steak

1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips

1 large yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips

1 large green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips

1 white or yellow onion, cut into 1/2-inch slices

12 to 16 fresh flour or corn tortillas, hot

Sour cream, shredded cheese, and salsa, for serving, if desired

Combine soy sauce, lime juice, canola oil, brown sugar, cumin, black pepper, chili powder, and garlic in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Transfer 1/2 cup of marinade to a large bowl and set aside. Place steaks in a gallon-sized zipper-lock bag and add remaining marinade. Seal bag, squeezing out as much air as possible. Massage bag until meat is fully coated in marinade. Lay flat in the refrigerator, turning every couple of hours for at least 3 hours and up to 10.

While steak marinates, toss peppers and onions in bowl with reserved 1/2 cup marinade. Refrigerate until ready to use.

When ready to cook, remove steaks from marinade, wipe off excess, and transfer to a large plate. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange the coals on one side of the charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate.

Place a large cast iron skillet over cooler side of grill. Transfer steaks to hot side of grill. Cover and cook for 1 minute. Flip steaks, cover and cook for another minute. Continue cooking in this manner—flipping and covering—until steaks are well-charred and an instant-read thermometer inserted into their center registers 115 to 120°F for medium-rare or 125 to 130°F for medium. Transfer steaks to a large plate, tent with foil, and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, transfer cast iron skillet to hot side of grill and allow to preheat for 2 minutes. Add pepper and onion mix and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and beginning to char in spots, about 10 minutes. When vegetables are cooked, transfer steaks to a cutting board and pour any accumulated juices from the plate into the skillet with the vegetables. Toss to coat.

Transfer vegetables to a warm serving platter. Thinly slice meat against the grain and transfer to platter with vegetables. Serve immediately with hot tortillas, guacamole, pico de gallo, and other condiments as desired.

The Very Best Fajitas

I usually try to have a picture with every recipe that I post on my little blog but by the time I wanted to take some pictures, we all all of the fajitas. One of the things I usually order at a Mexican restaurant is Steak Fajitas. I absolutely love the juicy pieces of meat mixed with bell peppers and onions. I have tried many fajita recipes at home to recreate the kind that I have eaten at restaurants but didn't have much luck until I found Emeril's recipe. The meat is perfectly marinated and cooking it on a cast iron skillet is key to making this restaurant quality.

Steak Fajitas
(Source: Emeril)

Marinade:

1 (2 to 3)pound flank steak

1/2 cup dry Sherry wine

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons garlic, minced

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano (my addition)

1 teaspoon chili powder (my addition)

1 lime, juiced (my addition)

Vegetables:

2-3 red bell peppers, sliced

1 large onion, sliced

Slice the meat in 1/2 inch thick slices.  In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Pour the marinade mixture into the bag with the steak, seal and marinate in the refrigerator at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours in advance.

Pour about a tablespoon of vegetable oil onto a cast iron skillet. Let it get really hot before adding the marinated meat into the skillet. Let the meat get nice and brown on all sides and move the cooked meat to a plate. Toss in the sliced red bell peppers and onion into the cast iron skillet you used to cook the meat. Let the vegetables cook for about 5 minutes before tossing the meat back into the skillet. Warm up some tortillas and serve with some guacamole and sour cream :o)