[NA] Food: share your best fajita marinade

TangoWhiskey

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I'm trying to find "the best" fajita marinade. Have bought a lot of flank steak, and am going to make up several different marinades before grilling them.

We'll blind-taste-test them to see which one we like best.

I haven't selected any candidate marinade recipes yet--so if you have one that you think is "killer out of this world", please share!!
 
From a now passed internet friend... these are the gold standard. I up the garlic, the jalapenos, and I use a mix of chipotle and anaheim chiles, which I toast myself, and then grind. Use skirt steak.

1/2 Onion -- halved, slice thin
2 Teaspoons Ground Cumin
2 Teaspoons Powdered Red Chiles
3 Jalapenos -- (pickled) chopped
2 Cloves Garlic -- chopped
1/4 Cup Lime Juice
2 Tablespoons Jalapeno Pickling Liquid -- * see note
1 Tablespoon Corn Oil

*This is the liquid used to pickle and flavor the jalapenos. It is basically white vinegar with added spices, and there is always ample liquid in the jar or can to use in this recipe, without leaving the remaining jalapenos dry.

Place half of the onions in the bottom of a nonreactive dish.

Mix the cumin, powdered red chiles, chopped jalapenos and garlic together in a small bowl, then rub on all sides of the meat.

Put the skirt steak into the dish, on top of the onions. Pour the lime juice and the jalapeno liquid over all areas to coat. Sprinkle the remaining onions on top of the meat. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, but preferably overnight, turning once.

Preheat the grill until hot. Fajitas need to cook close to a very high heat source, in order to sear the outside but still leave the interior medium rare.

Brush or spoon the oil onto the meat surfaces. Grill or broil about 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until the outside is brown and slightly charred, and the inside is still slightly pink. Remove the meat to a cutting board. Let sit 5 minutes before slicing to rest.
 
From a now passed internet friend... these are the gold standard. I up the garlic, the jalapenos, and I use a mix of chipotle and anaheim chiles, which I toast myself, and then grind. Use skirt steak.

1/2 Onion -- halved, slice thin
2 Teaspoons Ground Cumin
2 Teaspoons Powdered Red Chiles
3 Jalapenos -- (pickled) chopped
2 Cloves Garlic -- chopped
1/4 Cup Lime Juice
2 Tablespoons Jalapeno Pickling Liquid -- * see note
1 Tablespoon Corn Oil

*This is the liquid used to pickle and flavor the jalapenos. It is basically white vinegar with added spices, and there is always ample liquid in the jar or can to use in this recipe, without leaving the remaining jalapenos dry.

Place half of the onions in the bottom of a nonreactive dish.

Mix the cumin, powdered red chiles, chopped jalapenos and garlic together in a small bowl, then rub on all sides of the meat.

Put the skirt steak into the dish, on top of the onions. Pour the lime juice and the jalapeno liquid over all areas to coat. Sprinkle the remaining onions on top of the meat. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, but preferably overnight, turning once.

Preheat the grill until hot. Fajitas need to cook close to a very high heat source, in order to sear the outside but still leave the interior medium rare.

Brush or spoon the oil onto the meat surfaces. Grill or broil about 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until the outside is brown and slightly charred, and the inside is still slightly pink. Remove the meat to a cutting board. Let sit 5 minutes before slicing to rest.

Same as above, but add a good tablespoon of Mexican oregano, and a shot of whatever tequila you have around.
 
Same as above, but add a good tablespoon of Mexican oregano, and a shot of whatever tequila you have around.

One of the recipes we tried tonight called for Mexican oregano; the store didn't have any. Hmmm.

What's funny is the "best" recipe (we tried three) had the tequila, fresh cilantro, lime juice, a bunch of other fresh and yummy ingredients--and it was the one everyone liked the least.

And yes, we had SKIRT steak, not FLANK steak.. I got it wrong in the original post.
 
Marinades must have an acid in them to work. Then you would add some flavor with the acid. This is jsut a general rule concerning marinade.

I try and keep the marinades simple.

For fajita meat I would use lime juice for my acid and then some cumin and spicy chile peppers. Make a simple marinade with all that stuff and let soak for two hours in the fridge.
 
Nick's New Mexican style fajitas (the only and best way to eat fajitas):

Ingredients: Green Chile (of course), lime juice, soy sauce, liquid smoke

Liquify the green chile. Grind it until it really is just acidic liquid.

Add 1/2 cup lime juice to the green chile, add 2-3 tablespoons of soy sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon of liquid smoke.

Stir up, and add salt (I dunno how much salt I use...I kind of eyeball it). If you want, add some black pepper as well. You could add chili powder, but the green chile has a much better flavor without it.

When you are finished, use a ziplock baggie and pour the mix inside. Take sliced chicken pieces and add to the bag. Mix the marinade over the chicken graciously, and then refrigerate for at least 24 hours. If the mix is too thick, add water as necessary.

Enjoy the best damn fajitas you've ever had.
 
Whatever they use at Mi Cocina in Highland Park Village.

I'm trying to find "the best" fajita marinade. Have bought a lot of flank steak, and am going to make up several different marinades before grilling them.

We'll blind-taste-test them to see which one we like best.

I haven't selected any candidate marinade recipes yet--so if you have one that you think is "killer out of this world", please share!!
 
I'm not a fajita guy but I do like marinated meat. I agree with Scott and Nick. You need a good amount of acid (lime in this case) and time, the longer it marinates the better. Ziploc bags work great, mix it up as often as you remember.

Also for meat like skirt steaks I suggest using one of those meat tenderizing hammers. Slice then pound the heck out of it with the end with the pointy things.

Joe
 
I'm not a fajita guy but I do like marinated meat. I agree with Scott and Nick. You need a good amount of acid (lime in this case) and time, the longer it marinates the better. Ziploc bags work great, mix it up as often as you remember.

Also for meat like skirt steaks I suggest using one of those meat tenderizing hammers. Slice then pound the heck out of it with the end with the pointy things.

Joe
Be careful with those meat mallets. In the end they mostly just mash the meat and really do not break apart the connective tissues. Blade tenderizers can do better but even then you are allowing openings in the meat that will assist with the internal juices from getting out.

A good way to make sure your fajita meat gets tender is to cook it on a hot pan, then close it up in tin foil for 30 minutes. Keeping it in their and tightly wrapped will allow the internal juices to help finish cooking the meat and break down the connective tissues.
 
That's what I've had a hard time attaining--that really good flavor that some restaurant fajitas have...
It is not the marinade, it is how they cook the meat. It HAS to be cooked on very hot coals. By on coals I mean literally lay the meat on the coals.

Get your coals nice and hot, then use a hair drier and blow the dust off of them, lay the meat right upon the hot coal for 1 to 2 minutes then turn. Remove the meat and place into Al foil, seal and let sit for 30 minutes!
 
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