4 jalapeno peppers -- pierced
3 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 8 oz bottl herb and garlic oil-based
-- salad dressing
1 can beer -- preferably lone
-- star
1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
4 small Mexican limes -- juiced
2 teaspoons cumin powder
1 large onion -- minced
2 tablespoon cilantro -- minced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
3 pounds skirt steak
Instructions:
About twelve to fifteen years ago, fajitas were "discovered." since
then, an awful lot of good meat has been wrecked, and skirt steak--once
a "grinder" item--has risen sharply in price. Because skirt doesn't
come from a "tender quadrant" of the carcass, some care is needed
to turn it into good food. First, it needs to be marinated to tenderize
and flavor it. Mix all the ingredients together, except the meat,
to make a marinade. Pour over the skirt steak, in a non-reactive container
(not metal), cover, and stir occasionally for six to eight hours.
Fajitas can be cooked in several ways. If you have the space, smoke
the fajitas for 30 minutes with pure mesquite smoke, and then cook
for 4-7 minutes per side over direct heat--mesquite coals being the
heat of choice. Baste with the marinade throughout the cooking process.
If you need to cook completely over direct heat, then use a fairly
slow fire, about like you should use when grilling chicken, and cook,
covered if possible, for about 10 - 15 minutes per side, basting with
the marinade. Figure about a half pound of meat and 3 to 4 tortillas
per person. When slicing fajitas, you'll notice that the grain of
the skirt steak all runs the same way. If you'll slice the skirt at
a forty-five degree angle to the grain, and hold your knife on a forty-five
degree angle as well, you'll find that the fajitas are much more tender!
Serve the fajitas with flour tortillas, pico de gallo salsa, guacamole,
and cold beer. You'll notice that I didn't say anything about chicken
fajitas--that's a contradiction in terms.
