The Best Tex-Mex Arrachera Fajitas

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Arrachera.

Have you ever heard of this? It’s huge in Mexico, the Southwest, and Texas (BTW, is Texas the Southwest or the South? Inquiring minds want to know).

Want to sample some of the best Tex-Mex Arrachera Fajitas? If so, you've got to sample this easy to make recipe now. It's perfect for tailgating and home grilling! https://foodal.com/recipes/beef/the-best-arrachera-fajitas/

Anyhoo, arrachera is basically a skirt or hanger steak (the belly muscle on beef) that has been marinated and cut into strips to make fajitas and tacos.

Are you looking for the perfect fall game day recipe? One that is also suitable for tailgating and grilling? Look no further than this tasty fajita recipe made with a traditional marinade and skirt steak! https://foodal.com/recipes/beef/the-best-arrachera-fajitas/

It may have originated in the borderlands between Mexico and south Texas during cattle drives in the 1930s.

Learn how to make your own traditional arrachera fajita now. It taste as good as it looks! https://foodal.com/recipes/beef/the-best-arrachera-fajitas/

Historically, the marinade has been made with garlic, chilies, onions, and various citrus juices. The meat is normally grilled directly on a bed of hot coals with no grate.

The Best Homemade Arrachera Fajitas Recipe | Foodal.com

This variation is somewhat true to the original, except it has been adapted for charcoal and gas grill use to better facilitate tailgating and game day feeds at the house.

The Recipe

This recipe was adapted from version as posted on Food.com.

The Best Tex-Mex Arrachera Fajitas Recipe
Grilled Arrachera Fajitas
Votes: 7
Rating: 4.43
You:
Rate this recipe!
Print Recipe
Servings
8 People
Servings
8 People
The Best Tex-Mex Arrachera Fajitas Recipe
Grilled Arrachera Fajitas
Votes: 7
Rating: 4.43
You:
Rate this recipe!
Print Recipe
Servings
8 People
Servings
8 People
Ingredients
The Fajitas
  • 2 lbs skirt steak
  • corn or flour tortillas
  • vegetables for grilling (like onions, bell peppers, and jalapeños)
  • fajita toppings (like salsa, sour cream, shredded cheese, etc.)
The Marinade
  • 1 large onion quartered
  • 4 large garlic cloves minced
  • 2 limes juiced
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup grapeseed oil (any vegetable-based oil will do)
  • 2 guajillo dried chilies
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/4 cup unbleached cane sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon beef bouillon powder
Servings: People
Units:
Instructions
  1. First, prep the produce - cut the onion into quarters, mince or press the garlic, and juice the limes.
  2. Next, make the marinade. Add the onions, garlic, lime juice, soy sauce, oil, chilies, cumin, paprika, sugar, and salt to a blender and emulsify.
  3. Add the skirt steak and the marinade to gallon zip-top bags or a glass-lock type of container, and refrigerate for at leaster 12 hours. Longer is better.
  4. Remove the meat from the marinade, and grill the steak over high heat for about 3-5 minutes per side, longer if you like your meat well done. While the meat is grilling, roast some vegetables if you like, such as bell pepper and onions.
  5. Let your steak rest for 10-15 minutes, then slice thinly across the grain. Serve on flour or corn tortillas with vegetables and your favorite toppings.

 

Cooking by the Numbers…

Step One – Prep Your Ingredients

Gather all of your ingredients, minus the steak itself. Quarter your onions.

Step 1 of Grilled Arrachera Fajitas Recipe - Gather Your Ingredients

Step Two – Making the Marinade

Add all of the ingredients to a high-speed blender and emulsify. Note that I used grapeseed oil as it was what I had on hand. The original recipe called for olive oil. Any vegetable-based oil should work.

I included a bit of powdered beef bouillon. Why? One of the main components is MSG.

Now, MSG has a bad rap, but a little on occasion is not a bad thing. And it does wonders to enhance flavor. Meat actually develops its own natural MSG as it ages.

If you want a natural source for MSG, then you can substitute a bit of laver (dried seaweed).

For blending, I pulled out my trusty and battle-hardened Vitamix 5200, as I’m making a triple batch of the fajitas and this machine will power through anything.

Step 2a of Grilled Arrachera Fajitas Recipe - Preparing the Marinade
Remember, I’m making a triple batch. For a single batch, the blender container would not be nearly as full.

I’m pretty sure that Elon Musk is using a step down from the motor in the Vitamix for the Tesla Roadster (I jest, but not by much).

For a single batch, any blender will work.

Step 2b of Grilled Arrachera Fajitas Recipe - Preparing the Marinade

You’ll see in the photos that I’m using whole limes whereas the original recipe called for lime juice. I thought to myself, “Self, we paid for organic limes… why not use the whole thing? Including the zest.”

Yeah, not a good idea. The lime peel left a slightly bitter taste in the prepared meat. It was unnoticeable when the completed fajita taco was put together with all of the fixings, but you could definitely taste the pith when sampling the meat by itself.

Note to Self: “Self, don’t try to improvise or improve recipes while under a deadline.”

Step Three – Marinate the Meat

Layer in the meat and the marinade in either large glass containers or a gallon-sized zip-top bag.

Step 3 of Grilled Arrachera Fajitas Recipe - Marinate the meat

For this kind of thing, I much prefer glass-lock type as it allows me to retrieve the meat without getting the marinade everywhere. Plus, the glass doesn’t stain, and there is no risk of plastic leaching chemicals into the food.

Stick the container in the refrigerator and allow it to soak up the marinade goodness for at least 12 hours.

Step Four – Grilling

The traditional way to prepare arrachera is directly on top of blazing hot coals. Yeah, well, that doesn’t work too well in a stadium parking lot, or many other places. I’m pretty sure this might actually lead to a fine, arrest, and/or a nice repair bill for some asphalt or concrete work.

Anyway, I’m digressing, rambling, and otherwise not getting to the point… Ok, here we go:

I’m using a gas grill, but feel free to use a charcoal grill for this. If you’re on gas, turn the burners on high and close the lid to let the heat build up to about 450-500°F. You’ll want a hot grill to get a good sear.

You have the option of removing the bulk of the stuck-on marinade with a spatula or paper towel. I chose to leave the excess marinade on my steak, so that the sugar would caramelize.

Looking for a simple and grill friendly Arrachera taco or fajita recipe? Look no further than this one! https://foodal.com/recipes/beef/the-best-arrachera-fajitas/

The original recipe that I based mine on calls for 2 minutes of grilling on each side over coals. I went significantly longer for several reasons:

First, a gas grill is not going to get as hot – especially a portable model. Secondly, I don’t go for rare or even medium rare anymore.

I once gave myself food poisoning from pan-searing a ribeye. If you’ve had food poisoning before, you’ll know what I mean when I say, “you wonder when you’ll die and wish that you could.”

Dante had it wrong. There aren’t nine circles of hell – there are ten, with the tenth being food poisoning.

The Best Texas Arrachera Grilled Steak Fajitas | Foodal.com

Anyhow, I’m off on another tangent.

Focus, Mike, focus!

So I let my steaks sear for 3 1/2 minutes. I then flipped them over and closed the lid on the grill to let it cook on high for an additional six minutes.

The steaks came out about medium to medium rare, with some nice pink in the center but no blood.

Slicing Arrachera Steak | Foodal.com

Remove from the grill and let the steak rest on a cutting board for 10 to 15 minutes. Slice across the grain into thin strips.

Step Five – Roast Some Veggies (Optional)

While your steak is resting, you can prepare any number of vegetables for roasting over the grill.

Step 5a of Grilled Arrachera Fajitas Recipe - Roasting the Veggies

I used bell pepper, onions, and jalapenos. Various types of summer squash and even tomatillos would work great as well (and maybe you’ll even want to whip up a batch of these tomatillo mojitos while you’re at it).

Slice your veggies into thin strips, wrap several times in aluminum foil, and place on the grill with the lid shut for about 15 minutes on low heat.

Step 5b of Grilled Arrachera Fajitas Recipe - Roasting the Veggies

Remove and let rest for about five minutes.

Step Six – Add on the Goodies

Now for the fun stuff. It’s time to make your fajita or taco. Use a flour or corn tortilla (I prefer flour, but corn is the more traditional choice) and add your meat and veggies, then layer on your toppings of choice.

Pico de gallo, other types of salsa, and guacamole are all great options.

Looking for a great fajita recipe for game day? If so, try out these [nearly] authentic Arrachera Fajitas now! They are great for the backyard or tailgating. https://foodal.com/recipes/beef/the-best-arrachera-fajitas/

Another great suggestion: if you are tailgating, consider pre-making your fajita wraps with the tortilla, veggies, and meat, and wrapping them in aluminum foil to keep warm.

The Best Recipe for Arrachera Fajitas and Tacos | Foodal.com

Place them on a very low temp spot on your grill (like in the rack) until they are ready to be served. Add any additional goodies just prior to eating.

Want a superway to celebrate gameday? If so, try grilling your own Tex-Mex Arrechera Fajitas. Get the recipe now! https://foodal.com/recipes/beef/the-best-arrachera-fajitas/

This is also a great “make ahead” recipe. I made a big batch so that I could mix the meat and veggies together and used a vacuum sealer to prepare some packets for freezing.

Vacuum Sealing the Leftovers | Foodal.com

Have a stressful day? Just dig out a bag, dump it in a microwave safe bowl, and nuke it. Wa la! Dinner is served. And a heck of lot tastier than those frozen, pre made, one-pan dinners in a bag for “two” from the supermarket.

What about you? Do you have any tips for creating great fajitas? Does this sound like a good tailgating recipe? Let us know in the comments below!

And if you want another delicious Tex-Mex experience, make sure to cook up some more recipes:

Photos by Mike Quinn, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details.

About Mike Quinn

Mike Quinn spent 20 years in the US Army and traveled extensively all over the world. As part of his military service, Mike sampled coffee and tea from all virtually every geographic region, from the beans from the plantation of an El Salvadorian Army Colonel to "Chi" in Iraq to Turkish Coffee in the Turkish Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. He spent nearly a decade in the Republic of Korea where he was exposed to all forms of traditional teas. Mike formerly owned and operated Cup And Brew, an online espresso and coffee equipment retail operation.

12 thoughts on “The Best Tex-Mex Arrachera Fajitas”

  1. Well I love a good fajita, and it is really something that I do not make too often but probably should, so thank you for sharing. Just that picture of the meat above is alone to really capture and keep my attention, but of course tracing through the ingredients I cannot help but think of all the flavors in here. This sounds like a home run for my house, so thanks again for sharing.

    Reply
  2. As someone who ends up cooking for young siblings at home who love their Mexican food , this recipe does definitely give ideas on how to make a delicious fajita. The pictures are mouthwatering! Can’t wait to try this recipe and will sure to share it with you.

    Reply
  3. As good as it looks, I can’t help but feel some substitutions are necessary. While I would personally never hesitate to put a good piece of beef in my mouth, personally I don’t like the flavor profile of jalapenos. Would you recommend using chipotles instead and compliment the heat with some cayenne?

    Reply
  4. This sounds like a good recipe, and that’s coming from a vegetarian. 😉 The marinade itself sounds great, and it seems like a pretty versatile mix. I wonder if it can be converted into a salad dressing?
    Mike, I have to say you’re not alone in the “I paid for it so let’s use the whole thing” school. 😉 I fall into that trap all the time. Thanks for pointing out the problems with this maneuver!

    Reply
  5. Being completely honest, I have never even heard of “arrachera fajitas”. My fiance and I were talking earlier, and we are sick of having the same meals all the time, we never try new things it seems. He loves Mexican food though, and these look amazing. I might make this in 3 days, since it’s our anniversary.

    Reply
  6. These look delicious! I love the idea of vacuum sealing the ingredients together. What a great way to save time!

    Reply
  7. This is yet another recipe that doesn’t make an appearance on the family dinner table in my country. As we’re rice eaters, tacos and fajitas are usually just eaten at restaurants. But since I’ve first tasted them, I’ve grown to love consuming them each time I find myself in rare Mexican-like restaurants in my town. I tried to make one of these in the past, but the tortilla that I bought from the supermarket just wasn’t as good. So never tried to make one on my own again. Nevertheless, I can’t get of this kind of food. Something similar to this is served at my favorite Greek restaurant. Not quite Mexican-style, but still tastes as good with some kind of white sauce.

    Reply
  8. I love fajitas and this sounds so good! I also kinda want to get a cutting board for my home state (Washington) now 🙂

    Reply
  9. It definitely looks like Dominican flag, however, it’s Texas’. I really love Mexican food, as I’ve mentioned before and this dish looks really fantastic, I defintiely would try this a thousand times, for sure. Thank you for sharingthis.

    Reply
  10. That marinade sounds amazing! And I cannot resist a fajita – yum! Also, as someone from the South, we definitely do NOT consider Texas part of the South. Just saying 😉

    Reply

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