Fajitas from Mexico

from the Rio Grande Valley and Matamorous, Mexico

The Marinade:

1 or 2 Bottles of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce (the ingredients are for 1 bottle and mix)
2 Sections of crushed "fresh" (Mexican if you got it) garlic
2 or 3 "fresh" cut lime 1/4's
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon cumin (optional if you like it or have none in the beans)
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1 sprig of "fresh" cilantro

Meat:

2 or 3 sections (3 or 4 pounds) Fresh cured (preferably NOT pre-frozen) lean Beef skirt steaks.

Instructions:

Prep skirts by cross cutting the striated membrane. Remove the "excess" parts as much as possible or the meat will be rubbery and tough.

Set meat aside in large bowl and let come to "room" temperature while you make the marinade.

In 2 quart bowl combine crushed garlic (you can save 1 crushed section and "smear" it over the steaks if you like it "more" garlicky or you cook your Fajitas well done). Pour in the Lea & Perrins, add brown sugar, thyme, and cumin (if you are using it) squeeze in the limes (thoroughly inc. some of the rind oils) and throw the sections in the liquid, crush a few sprigs of the cilantro (less the stems) on the edge of the bowl and grind the rest of the leaves 2 tsp. total into the liquid through your fingers to get the "taste" in.

Pour the liquid over the skirts and make sure the meat is all covered; you can add some water if needed. Cover with Saran wrap and let chill overnight if possible. 1 hr or 2 before you cook the Fajitas let the meat in the marinade come up to room temperature.

Soak some 1/2" dry mesquite wood strips 6" long in warm water for 20 minutes before cooking.

Start charcoal fire and wait till glowing (use mesquite charcoal if you can get it; try real wood charcoal not briquettes. When fire is hottest, place 3 or 4 mesquite strips on fire and begin grilling the Fajitas, keep covered to "smoke" them good and keep spraying the mesquite strips to keep them from burning and to keep them smoking.

Baste the Fajitas once on each side before turning in the marinade to keep up the flavor. Fajitas are best medium with a good "char" on the surface. If you smoke them right they'll be bleu 1/8" into the surface of the meat. When the Fajitas are done quickly chop them up with a chef's knife (across grain) in 1/2 " sections and serve with salsa and beans in tortillas (recipes below).

Recipe for Salsa

tomatoes, (oval "Italian" ones or regular) ripe but FIRM.
green peppers (the 1 1/2 in. "short" hot ones Note: Remove seeds or salsa will be very hot.
sweet yellow onions "fresh"
cilantro, "fresh"
limes
Mexican or excellent Italian olive oil

Chop onions, tomatoes, peppers, in equal amounts and 1 Tbsp. cilantro

Mix together without mashing or bruising tomatoes, make as much as needed but to every Pint add 2 tbsp. olive oil and then squeeze 1 lime "over" the top and as the lime "fractures" the oil (it works like a "salad dressing") carefully stir, cover and immediately refrigerate until used. Let come near room temperature before eating.

Recipe for Beans:

Use Pinto Beans (if dry soak, if canned DON'T)
Use garlic, onion & sauté in PORK FAT in sauce pan until tender, add cumin powder & "fresh" cilantro leaves (to taste) with water and simmer ALL day adding water as needed. You can add a smidgin' of chili powder or fresh chopped green pepper after the sauté but don't make chili kids.

The Dish

Mix them all, FRESH steamed flour tortillas, or ones expertly made by a sweet lady who knows how to do it by frying them in an iron skillet and steam em' when ready. By laying out the tortilla flat and putting in 1/2 cup of Fajitas, 2 Tbspns. Beans, & 1/2 Tbspn. salsa and roll it up and pig out bigtime. Tres Equis Beer w/ lime squeezed in goes great with em' And though I'm a WASP from Denver & Boulder, Colorado I owe it all to the Mexican and Mexican American Folks who patiently walked me through it dish by dish.

Source: Barbecue'n On The Internet's Weekly Recipe section. Special thanks go to Ron Vallery of Lakewood. Not only a fantastic recipe for preparing beef Fajitas but Ron includes all the necessary steps to make this event an entire meal.

http://www.barbecuen.com/recipes/fajitas.htm 3/28/07
from Barbecuen' on the Net contributed by Ron Vallery

Fresh Flour Tortillas

1/2 cup whole yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or White Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 cup barley flour or oat flour
1/2 cup Hi-maize® Natural Fiber
2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or butter
1/3 cup Baker's Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons salsa seasoning, optional
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

Place the cornmeal in a heatproof bowl or the bucket of a bread machine. Pour the boiling water over it, stirring well. Set aside for about 10 minutes to cool.

Mix in the remaining ingredients, then knead until the mixture becomes elastic. This may take awhile if you're kneading by hand, as the mixture starts out quite sticky. The dough should become elastic, but stay quite soft. Add more flour only if needed to make the dough come together into a ball that just holds its shape. Cover and allow the dough to rise for 1 to 2 hours, until it's puffy.

Divide the dough into 10 balls, then flatten each ball to a 3" disk, keeping covered to retain moistness. Let rest a few minutes while you preheat your tortilla maker or griddle. Roll disks into thin 6" to 7" circles.

Use a tortilla maker to cook tortillas according to the manufacturer's directions. Or dry-fry on a hot griddle until tortillas puff and dark spots appear on the underside, before turning to cook the other side.

Cool for several minutes on a rack, then stack breads to keep them pliable. Wrap well if not eating soon. Yield: 10 tortillas.

Fill with fajitas.

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