Summer Grilling: Beef Fajitas

Updated 5/22/09

It’s summer! Wherever people are gathering around backyard grills, fajitas should be on the menu. Never fear, restaurant quality fajitas are one of the easiest grill meals you can make.

Beef Fajitas

• 2 lbs skirt steaks, trimmed of all possible fat and silver-skin
• 1 12oz beer, such as Corona
• 2 large limes
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 3 tbsp tequila (optional)

Serve with flour tortillas, pico de gallo, shredded cheese, guacamole, and sour cream.

1. Combine marinade ingredients (squeeze limes into marinade then add peels) and pour over trimmed skirt steaks in a plastic or glass container or a plastic sealable bag.
2. Marinade as long as possible, overnight or all day. You can also do several of these on the weekend when skirt steaks are on sale and throw them in the freezer. Just take them out in time to thaw.
3. Remove steaks from marinade and rinse and pat dry.
4. Grill over a hot flame for about 10 minutes until medium.
5. Allow to rest then slice thinly across the grain. VERY IMPORTANT! If your fajitas are tough and chewy you either did not get enough fat off or you did not slice across the grain. If you cut them correctly, the meat will be tender and tear easily.

To cut skirt steaks across the grain: lay them out horizontally on a cutting board. The grain is running vertically. You will probably have to cut the meat vertically into smaller slabs then slice each slab horizontally (opposite the grain) into thin strips.

Fajitas actually make a great weeknight meal too. Keep them in the freezer in the marinade and move the bag to the fridge to thaw a couple days in advance, they will marinade as they thaw.  Or just throw them in the marinade before bed the night before you want to grill them. With only 10-15 minutes of grill time they are a fancy schmancy alternative to tacos.

Cost Analysis:

• 2 lbs skirt steak: $4.98
• flour tortillas: $1.29
• mexican beer: $1.17
• Total Cost for 4 servings: $7.44 or $1.86 per serving