Mexican Food Recipes
Marinades for Beef Fajitas
Many people think that Texans invented fajitas but it was in fact the south of the border Vaqueros who learnt the best way of cooking the tough skirt steak originally used in the beef fajita recipe. Authentic fajitas always begin with the marinade because the marinades for beef fajitas make use of acidic ingredients such as limejuice to tenderize the meat.
In a recipe fajitas marinade will take up to twenty-four hours in order for the meat to be fully tenderized. Some marinades for beef fajitas contain chili as a heat source but there is no fixed rule as to ingredients and cooks like to experiment widely with all types of flavors.
This beef fajitas marinade combines tequila, lime, garlic, oregano, cumin, cilantro and black pepper, all of which are popular ingredients found in authentic Mexican food recipes. You can make fajitas without marinating the meat at all but using a fajitas marinade does give the beef an amazing flavor and tenderizes it too. You do not have to use a very tough cut of meat like skirt steak or flank steak but do not use a top quality cut because it will go mushy unless you really shorten the marinating time.
Recipe Fajitas Marinade
Ingredients -
¼ cup tequila
⅓ cup fresh lime juice
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon crushed, dried oregano leaves
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
Preparation:
Combine everything and mix well.
Pour this marinade over the meat in a shallow plastic, glass or other non-reactive container.
A 1 gallon zip top bag also works well.
Refrigerate overnight or for up to 24 hours.
You will have enough marinade for 1 to 1 ½ lbs of flank steak, which will serve 4 people.
(Serves 4)
