Fajita Seasoning Dry Rub

If I could only have ONE food from the grill for the rest of my life and it couldn't be BBQ, I think I would have to chose fajitas. 

The flavor of the crisp charred veggies, pungent aroma of seasonings, the tender grilled meat, and wide array of condiments make it just about the perfect grilled food.  I love fajitas. 

Fajitas are a Summer time food to me.  However, after being snowed and iced in for two weeks (kids haven't been to school since Feb 13th), I needed a taste of Summer!  So I made fajitas on one of our kamado grills yesterday afternoon.

I have a favorite fajita marinade recipe that I have used for years and years.  But I have come up with this fajita seasoning that I like a little bit better because I can make it ahead to have on hand.  This dry rub also works great on tacos, grilled shrimp, and chicken.  You can apply it directly to meats as a dry rub or you can make a quick marinade with it for meats and vegetables.

Note:  The last 4 ingredients are adjustable and should be 1 teaspoon total of chile (not chili) powders in whatever combination you like.  If you like a mild rub, you can use just ancho.  If you want hotter, use more cayenne and chipotle for your 1 teaspoon.  If you like smoky, go with ancho and chipotle. 

NMT Fajita Seasoning and Dry Rub

makes 1/4 cup

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 tablespoon seasoned salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground corriander
• 1/2 teaspoon dried lemon peel
• 1/4 teaspoon ancho chile powder
• 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon green chile powder

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients in a small bowl.  
2. Store in an airtight container for up to six months.
3. Sprinkle directly on meats, seafood, and vegetables.  Make into a fajita marinade by adding 1.5 tablespoons to 1/2 cup oil, 1/4 cup beer, and 1/4 cup lime juice.

Grilled tortillas taste so much better than ones warmed up in a microwave.  Just about 10-15 seconds over a hot fire, just until they start to puff up slightly.  I do them first before the grates get all gunked up.

This time I used the seasoning in a marinade for a 1 1/4 lb skirt steak.  It was labeled as "outside" skirt steak but I'm pretty sure it was the usual inside skirt steak since outside is pretty hard to find.  How long did I marinade it?  Long enough to take "Ramsay the BBQ pit pup" to the park and to puppy training, so about 3-4 hours.  Then I put it and some marinated bell peppers and onions on a 450°F grill over direct heat.

Don't be alarmed when you get a lot of smoke from the marinade dripping onto the hot coals.  I shook off the excess but some is still going to come off.  Just shut the grill lid to avoid flare ups and it will calm down in a minute or so.

 

I used the Craycort vegetable wok that fits into the Craycort cast iron grate system pictured here.  You could also use a vegetable grill basket, a small skillet, or a griddle.

I cooked the skinny strip for about 3 minutes a side at 450°F and the thicker ends were more like 4 to 4 1/2 minutes per side.

Now that is a "winter funk buster"!

The most important part of serving skirt steak is slicing it against the grain.  The grain runs perpendicular lengthwise to the meat.  The yellow line shows how the grain of the meat runs so you would slice it in the direction shown by the red arrowed line.

Sliced and served with the grilled vegetables and our "homemade instant Tex-Mex rice", such a Summery plate.

What is your favorite dish to bust you out of the Winter blahs?

[Standard FTC Disclaimer]  Craycort is an equipment sponsor of Nibble Me This.  In fact, they were the FIRST sponsor of my blog from way back when I first started 6 years ago. It is great being sponsored by a product that you 100% believe in. Thanks, Rolf (owner)!