Grilled Steak Fajitas Recipe

The waning days of summer are perfect for grilling. This grilled steak fajita recipe takes a little bit of prep but, it’s worth it (at least if you are to believe my Texas born & raised wife). There is something primordial about man & grill maybe that’s why I don’t mind getting out there and grilling?

Where Did Fajitas Come From?

Like most any recipe, there is fair amount of mis-information about the origins of the fajita. One of the only studies on the subject found “… anecdotal evidence describing the cut of meat, the cooking style (directly on a campfire or on a grill), and the Spanish nickname going back as far as the 1930s in the ranch lands of South and West Texas.”¹

Whatever the origin, fajitas are among my favorite grilled dish. So, I went about developing a recipe.

The Meat & the Marinade

You can’t have fajitas without meat or, marinade. So, let’s dig into what we can use for each.

For the meat the traditional skirt steak is ideal but, it has become expensive and/or hard to come by in some areas. You can substitute any of the following for skirt steak: sirloin, thin cut bottom round/top round, first cut sirloin, or hangar steak. If none of these are available, check with the local grocery store/meat market and see what they suggest. Pierce the meat with a fork gives the marinade more places to go. Not a bad idea… really.

The Marinade

For a beef fajita marinade we want a combination of flavors mostly spices like cumin, garlic, chili powder, citrus, and some liquid to suspend it in.  I started piercing the meat with a fork to help tenderize it and let the marinade do its thing. Marinade in a sealed plastic bag or, container with a lid for anywhere from four to 24 hours. Recipe at the end of the post.

Grilling

Charcoal or, gas it doesn’t really matter. I like to cook at medium heat. That’s the setting the middle of the dial on your gas grill. On a charcoal grill, you may have to cook to the side of  your pile of hot coals.

After the grill has come up to temp, get that beef on there!

Things start coming together in ~15 minutes.

Ah, there we go. Grill marks and the marinade has cooked off leaving behind some seasoning. Excellent!

Let’s bring it inside…

What is Tex Mex without some music? How about some Kenny Wayne Shepherd? Love some blues based guitar! Yes, thanks.

A close up of the beef… yummy!

The beef has cooled a little… time to slice!

Peppers & Onions – Heck Yeah!

While the beef was cooking my wife got the peppers and onions going.

A little oil in the pan, add a sprinkle of cumin and chili powder.

Then, add in the steak. Bring it all up to serving temp. I am weird, I like my food served VERY hot.

With the fajitas ready it’s time to eat.

 Recommended Side Dishes

• Refried beans
• Tex-Mex rice

Grilled Steak Fajita Recipe

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Grilled Steak Fajitas

Beef fajitas are delicious on the grill. A little planning ahead will make for a quick weekday or, weekend meal.

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

• 2 lbs thin cut beef bottom round or equivalent
• 1/4 C lime juice
• 2 tsp oil canola or, olive
• 4 cloves garlic crushed
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 Tbs chili powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 pkg flour tortillas
• Sour cream
• Shredded colby jack cheese
• Salsa

Instructions

1. In a large resealable bag or, plastic container, mix together lime juice, oil, soy sauce.
   
2. Stir in cayenne, chili powder, black pepper, paprika, cumin
3. Place meat in marinade, and refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight.
4. Grill on preheated grill at medium heat until desired level of doneness.
   
5. For some extra flavor cook with some mesquite wood chips or, chucks.

Have you made steak fajitas, what’s been your experience? Share in the comments below.