Fajita help needed!

[TxQGuy]

Hi y’all. I have an embarrassing admission that I am going to share: I can’t make fajitas. As an avid griller/smoker, this is unfortunate. As a born-and-raised Texan, it is downright shameful. I come before you today to seek your help and advice on how to remedy this situation.

My problem is that I do not understand the cut of meat. I just don’t get beef skirt steak. Sometimes it comes out somewhat ok (but never delicious or awesome). Other times, it is like chewing on a tire, with a weird, gamey flavor. My results are so random that I’ve struggled to find a pattern or correlation. With most meats, there are certain steps you follow, and things you look for that indicate how you should cook that particular meat (i.e. trimming the flap on the back of a rack of ribs, or wiggling the drumstick on a whole chicken to see if it’s tender). I have NO dang idea how to do fajitas. I guess I’ll start by sharing my usual process.

1) Buy skirt steak that is neither too thin nor too thick.
2) Try and trim as much of the fat/silver skin as possible
3) Pound it with a meat tenderizing hammer
4) Marinate overnight in a mixture of beer/Italian dressing/Fiesta Brand Mesquite Fajita Seasoning
5) Sear it quickly direct over a blazing hot mesquite coal bed
6) Move it to indirect and let it come up to roughly medium/medium rare (this is dang hard for me to guess on a thin cut of meat but I usually at least get this part right)
7) Let it sit for 20-30 minutes then slice against the grain

What do I need to be doing differently? Does anyone else have difficulty with fajitas? Help please!

[16Adams]

Ribeyes or new York strip plus bone in chicken thigh meat

[Radrob]

Don't pound it, don't marinate it overnight either. It's so thin already that it might be getting tough from the vinegar in the dressing.

Just sear it about 3 minutes a side and let it rest a few minutes.

Are you slicing across the grain? That makes all the difference.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcUsLqgFlDQ

[sudsandswine]

Originally Posted by 16Adams

Ribeyes or new York strip plus bone in chicken thigh meat

Yeah, I'm with him. Skirt has approached or exceeded the cost of actual steak cuts here in many cases...don't get me wrong I like skirt steak but ribeyes make for much better fajitas IMO, all else being equal.

[SmokinJohn]

You're doing too much.

1) Buy skirt steak that is neither too thin nor too thick. Nope. Just buy a piece.
2) Try and trim as much of the fat/silver skin as possible OK, but there shouldn't be any silver skin.
3) Pound it with a meat tenderizing hammer. NO NO NO NO leave it alone.
4) Marinate overnight in a mixture of beer/Italian dressing/Fiesta Brand Mesquite Fajita Seasoning Use TonyBel's carne asada recipe. This should only marinate for a few hours. Overnight will rubberize the meat.
5) Sear it quickly direct over a blazing hot mesquite coal bed
6) Move it to indirect and let it come up to roughly medium/medium rare (this is dang hard for me to guess on a thin cut of meat but I usually at least get this part right)
7) Let it sit for 20-30 minutes then slice against the grain. It's a piece of beef. 5 minutes.

Here is a piece of skirt, non-pounded, 3 hour marinated, cooked on a Blackstone (I went a little over):



Not only should you cut across the grain, but your should cut it an an angle. Hope this helps.

[ShadowDriver]

I saw SmokinJohn mention TonyBel's Carne Asada Recipe. Here's a link for quick reference.

Highly recommended. It's absolutely delicious.

[Radrob]

Originally Posted by ShadowDriver

I saw SmokinJohn mention TonyBel's Carne Asada Recipe. Here's a link for quick reference.

Highly recommended. It's absolutely delicious.

Thanks for posting that recipe, I'll try that soon.

On another note, I saw some members on that old thread that are still here=George.

[rexster314]

1) Buy skirt steak that is neither too thin nor too thick. Don't go to that much trouble.
2) Try and trim as much of the fat/silver skin as possible There's no silver skin, just the hard fat and the stringy tissue
3) Pound it with a meat tenderizing hammer NO NO NO
4) Marinate overnight in a mixture of beer/Italian dressing/Fiesta Brand Mesquite Fajita Seasoning Get rid of the Italian dressing Whoever thought that a sour Italian flavor makes beef taste good should be shot. No beer. Bolner's stuff is good. Shake enough to your taste, let it marinate in a ziplock for about 4 hours
5) Sear it quickly direct over a blazing hot mesquite coal bed
6) Move it to indirect and let it come up to roughly medium/medium rare (this is dang hard for me to guess on a thin cut of meat but I usually at least get this part right)
7) Let it sit for 20-30 minutes then slice against the grain Nope it's ready to eat without resting. Agree that sometimes the meat is more tender if you slice it at a 45 degree angle to the grain

[Springram]

I gave up long ago. If I want fajitas, I go to Pappasito's here in the Houston area.

[16Adams]

Do they still have that giant arse taco?

[TxQGuy]

Thanks, y'all. Wow, I had no idea how horribly wrong I was going about my preparation.

I'm going to give them another go soon with that recipe y'all linked to.

Edit: I also realized that I call pretty much every connective-tissue like substance "silver skin", haha.

[Bacchus2b]

Originally Posted by SmokinJohn

You're doing too much.

1) Buy skirt steak that is neither too thin nor too thick. Nope. Just buy a piece.
2) Try and trim as much of the fat/silver skin as possible OK, but there shouldn't be any silver skin.
3) Pound it with a meat tenderizing hammer. NO NO NO NO leave it alone.
4) Marinate overnight in a mixture of beer/Italian dressing/Fiesta Brand Mesquite Fajita Seasoning Use TonyBel's carne asada recipe. This should only marinate for a few hours. Overnight will rubberize the meat.
5) Sear it quickly direct over a blazing hot mesquite coal bed
6) Move it to indirect and let it come up to roughly medium/medium rare (this is dang hard for me to guess on a thin cut of meat but I usually at least get this part right)
7) Let it sit for 20-30 minutes then slice against the grain. It's a piece of beef. 5 minutes.

Here is a piece of skirt, non-pounded, 3 hour marinated, cooked on a Blackstone (I went a little over):



Not only should you cut across the grain, but your should cut it an an angle. Hope this helps.

Not to contradict, but that my friend looks like Flank Steak, not Skirt Steak.

[mcyork28]

I thought so as well.

Originally Posted by Bacchus2b

Not to contradict, but that my friend looks like Flank Steak, not Skirt Steak.

[ShadowDriver]

So, you gents "have a beef" with the previous post? It was a gross mis-steak?

[LYU370]

Originally Posted by SmokinJohn

Here is a piece of skirt, non-pounded, 3 hour marinated, cooked on a Blackstone (I went a little over):

Ain't never seen a skirt that looks like that? The ones I get are about 2 feet long. Maybe a different cut? Flank maybe?