a few fajita questions....

deepsouth

i'm planning on doing fajitas for the first time tonight and i have a few questions....

i'm going to be doing chicken breasts and thin sliced rib eye/delmonico steaks....

1. what kind of seasonings should i use? (i have DP stuff plus some mexican seasonings (cumin, cayenne, "mexican seasoning", etc....)

2. should i slice the meat thin prior to cooking?

3. the steaks are only about a 1/2 inch or so thick, so what would be the cook time or target temp on that?

4. should i cook on the grill itself or in a lodge cast iron skillet or on the "half moon" cast iron from BGE?

5. i have a sweet onion, assorted bell peppers, & tomatoes as well. am i missing anything essential? (i do have cheese and sour cream as well.)


thanks in advance!

cheers
jason

FlaPoolman

I would do the steaks 500 direct on a raised grid for only a few minutes a side until 125 internal then slice after the rest. That thin you have to watch close so they don't overcook. I like raising the steaks but swamp venom puts a nice kick even on the beef.

Gunnar

Fancy beef fajitas...perhaps salsa, jalapeños (pickled slices or fresh cooked with onions & bell pepper), and avocado slices are a nice addition.

Fidel

Here is what I do.

Marinate the beef for at least 2 hours in a mixture of EVOO, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, cumin, onion, and jalapeno.

Sear the steak for 2 minutes per side.




The cook the onions and peppers in the skillet.





When they are just about done, slice the steak and add it back to the onions and peppers, cooking until done.







I make a homemade pico to add on the top but do not cook the tomatoes in with the fajitas.

Jeffersonian

I do mine a little different from Rod's, but his look dang good, too. I'm lazy, so I marinate my meat in a mix of packaged fajita seasoning and olive oil - beef for 8 hours or so, chicken about half that. I generally cook the meat whole, then slice after pulling, though I like the more intense flavor of stir-fried meat better.

I also sprinkle olive oil and fajita seasoning over the veggies just before roasting them.

We may have been having an earthquake when I took this :P :

Jeffersonian

Dang, Rod, the fajitas look yummy, but your pico is fantastic.

Hot Stuff

WOW ..... best looking fajitas I've ever seen !

Unknown

Here's Todd Wilbur's take on the marinade on the Chili's fajita. This is for 2 chicken breast but you can play around with measurements to get what you need.

1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large garlic, pressed
3 teaspoons vingar
2 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon grounded black pepper
dash of onion powder

I used this as a starting point but have since changed the marinade to suit my taste. Now I just use the lime juice, garlic, soy sauce, salt, pepper, lots of cayenne powder, and onion powder.

I would grill whole then cut up. It is easier to watch.

For the vegetables, it depends if you want them roasted or saute. If I roast, I use a vegetable wok and use the iron skillet to saute.

I would include pico de gallo which is diced tomoteos, onions, jalapenos, and fresh cilantro. With that include guacamole and shredded luttuce and homemade tortillas. Yummmy. Tortillas from the store are good just heat them up on a clean iron skillet before serving. Hope this helps.

Andres
Zuni, NM

Grandpas Grub

Don't forget to toast the shell on the egg - gives a great flavor and really does the fajita's good.

Heating/toasting makes the flour shell's stiff, rather than roll we fold. It also makes the shells great for dipping in salsa.

GG

NibbleMeThis

Those are some of the best looking fajita's I've seen! Damn, you've made me hungry!