Grilled Marinated Flank Steak Fajitas Recipe

[Photographs: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

While fajitas are more commonly made with skirt steak, flank steak makes a fantastic filling as well. It may seem out of place in a Mexican (or Meximerican) recipe, but soy sauce is actually quite a common fajita marinade ingredient. I mix mine with oregano, ground ancho chile (or if I’m lazy, chili powder), cumin, garlic, and sugar, oil, and lime juice. You can go all out and serve it restaurant-style with grilled peppers and onions, but that’s just gilding the lily—well-cooked meat doesn’t need much more than a squeeze of lime, some chopped onions and cilantro, and s bit of fresh salsa.

  • Yield:serves 6 to 8
  • Active time:30 minutes
  • Total time:at least 1 1/2 hours
  • Rated:4.6666666666667
  • Ingredients

    • 1/4 cup soy sauce
    • 1 tablespoon dried ground ancho chile (or 1 tablespoon chili powder)
    • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
    • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
    • 1/4 cup lime juice
    • 2 tablespoons sugar
    • four cloves garlic
    • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
    • 2 1/2 pounds flank steak (about 1 whole flank steak)
    • 1/3 cup oil
    • 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
    • 12 to 16 flour tortillas, warmed
    • 2 whole limes, cut into wedges
    • Salsa, sour cream, and/or guacamole for serving

    Directions

    1. 1.

      Combine soy sauce, ground chile, cumin, oregano, lime juice, sugar, garlic, cayenne, and 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves in a medium bowl. Whisk until sugar is dissolved. Slowly add oil, whisking constantly. Place flank steak inside a gallon-sized zipper-lock bag with marinade. Press out air, seal bag, and allow meat to marinate, turning occasionally, for at least 1 hour and up to 12.

    2. 2.

      Remove steak from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Ignite a large chimney full of coals and wait until they’re covered in grey ash. Spread evenly over 1/2 of grate, leaving the other half empty. Put the cooking grate in place, cover, and allow grill to preheat for 5 minutes. Scrape cooking grates clean, then place flank steak over hot side of grill. cook until well charred, about 3 minutes. Flip steak and continue to cook until second side is well charred, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer steak to cooler side of grill, cover, and cook until the center of the steak registers 125°F on an intant-read thermometer for medium-rare, or 135° for medium, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer to a cutting board, tent with foil, and allow steak to rest for at least 5 minutes.

    3. 3.

      Slice steak thinly across the grain, then cut each slice into 1/2-inch pieces. Serve immediately with warm tortillas, diced onions, chopped cilantro, lemon wedges, and salsa as desired.

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