Friday, May 6, 2011

Five Tips: Steak Fajitas

We make steak fajitas often around here.

steak fajitas


But instead of rehashing another steak fajita recipe, I'm just going to do something different.  Usually when someone catches you off guard and asks, "How would you cook [insert item here]", then you have about 30 seconds to give them a crash course answer.  That's what I'm doing here, five quick tips for steak fajitas.

1) What's your beef?  Skirt steak is most traditional, but I prefer flank steak or flat iron steak. 

2) Use a bold marinade - The key "notes" in a flank steak marinade are lime juice, cumin, garlic, chili powder and your signature spices.  The marinade should be strong since the marinating times are usually shorter (just a few hours) for fajitas.  (SEE 5 before your put the beef in the marinade.)

3) Cook temps/times - Grill direct at 450f for 4 minutes a side or until it hits 125f internal.  Don't overcook these, they should be medium rare.  Let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing very thin.
flank steak cast iron grate
Seared on my Craycort Cast Iron Grates.

4) Grill 'em all - Almost anything that goes into a fajita should be grilled first, just my opinion.  Grill the onions, peppers, or whatever veggies while you grill the steak.  Grill the tortillas for 20-30 seconds a side.  You don't have to grill the cheese, ha ha.
grilled onions and corn

5) Power boost - This is one of my trademark secrets...oops, I done let it slip.  Save 1-2 Tablespoons of uncontaminated marinade and whisk it into 1/2 cup of sour cream.  Add some of this to your assembled fajitas  

Here's the marinade I made up last night....
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 ea jalapeno, seeded and diced
1/2 ea habanero, seeded and diced
2 ea roasted red pepper, diced (jarred variety, use 1 fresh roasted)
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp turbinado sugar
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 tsp dried minced garlic
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp oregano, dried
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp dried chipotle powder

Run it all through a processor until somewhat smooth and then marinate your meat for 2-4 hours.

Ain't No Thing But A Bean Thing
My favorite local news station WBIR did their "Homegrown" feature on Bush's Beans this week.  


The timing could not have been better.  Because to kick off the grilling season (for you heathens that don't grill all year 'round), Bush's Beans is sponsoring the cook outs of 10 food bloggers this month to get the word out about their Grillin' Beans.  

I was thrilled to be picked because I have been using Bush's Beans for 15+ years and Bush's Beans is a local company, employing a LOT of people in the Knoxville area.  Their Grillin' Beans flavors are relatively new (3 years, I think) compared to their 100+ year history.  


This isn't a "sponsored" picture.  These are actually SOME of the Grillin' Beans we already have in our pantry, not free samples that they have sent me.  I was smoking two chickens today and was going to serve the Smokehouse Traditions Grillin' Beans with them.  I have always used Bush's Beans if I have the choice so I'm proud to get to help represent them.  

So stay tuned in the next few weeks for the cookout and a Grillin' giveaway of a cookout kit of assorted cookware, grilling tools and a supply of Bush's Grillin' Beans.

[Standard Disclaimer] but I loves me some Bush's Beans.