I love steak fajitas. They are a great combination of spicy beef, hot sautéed vegetables, and cool flavors like tomatoes, cheese and avocado. Inside skirt steak is usually the meat of choice for fajitas and it takes just minutes to sear it on a hot grill or in a cast iron skillet. But, I’ve been experimenting with using a smoker to give them a totally different flavor profile. By marinating the skirt steak in my beef spice mix and slow smoking them for an hour with hickory wood, the meat is just so tender and flavorful. Sliced thin on top of my homemade corn tortillas and then loaded with all the other fixings, these smoked fajitas have become a new favorite at my house. In the YouTube video below, I only did a half version of the tortillas because I was just making the dish for me and I didn’t want anything to go to waste.
Smoked Skirt Steak Fajitas
makes 4-6 servings
Ingredients
2 lb Skirt Steak
1 tbl Beef Grilling Spice Mix (recipe below), plus 1 teaspoon
1 lg Red Pepper, cut into thin strips
1 lb Green Pepper, cut into thin strips
1 med Onion, cut into thin strips
1 Jalapeño seeded and cut into thin strips
1 Avocado, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cu Grape Tomoatoes, halved
1 cu finely shredded Jack Cheese
1 tbl Butter
1 tbl Olive Oil
10-12 Corn Tortillas (recipe below)
Method
Rinse and pat dry the skirt steak. Liberally spread the tablespoon of spice mix on both sides. Cover with plastic and marinated in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Preheat smoker or grill to 230˚F. If you’re using a charcoal grill, add a few hickory chips just before placing the meat on the grill. Remove the skirt steak from the refrigerator and let it rest for 15 minutes. Place in the smoker (or on a grill opposite the coals) and smoke for 50-60 minutes.
Just before taking the skirt steak from the grill, heat a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add red and green peppers, onion and jalapeño and sauté until the vegetables are just tender. Toss in 1 teaspoon of my grilling spice mix and then transfer to a serving bowl. Remove the skirt steak from the smoker and place it on a cutting board. Thinly slice the skirt steak against the grain. To serve, place strips of skirt steak on tortillas and top with sautéed vegetables, avocado slices, cheese, and grape tomatoes. Roll the tortilla around the filling and enjoy.
CATTLE DRIVE
Beef Grilling Spice Mix
Ingredients
2 tsp Paprika
2 tsp Black Pepper
2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Celery Seed
2 tsp Parsley
1 1/2 tsp Brown Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
2 tsp Sage
2 tsp Rosemary
1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 1/2 tsp Tarragon
Method
Mix ingredients together and either grind in spice grinder or in a mortar and pestle. Store in an airtight container.
TORTILLA RECIPE
makes 10-12 tortillas
note: this is the full recipe, I only made a half version in the YouTube video
Ingredients
2 cu Corn Masa
1 tsp Beef Grilling Spice Mix
1 1/2 cu Warm Water, plus 3 tablespoons
Method
Combine masa and grilling spice mix in a large bowl. Add water and mix together. Once dough comes together, roll it into a ball and wrap it in plastic. Let it rest for 30 minutes before making your tortillas. To make tortillas, divide dough into 10-12 equal portions. Roll each into a ball and then either flatten with a tortilla press or a rolling pin to about a 6″-7″ circle. Place on a preheated skillet or flat grill pan for 1 minute. Flip and cook the second side for about 1 minute longer. Transfer to a plate and cover cooked tortillas with a clean dish towel until ready to use.