May 5

Grilled Steak Fajitas

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• Chipotle Orange Steak Fajitas [View Recipe]

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  Ingredients

  • 2 pounds steak (trimmed of fat and scored on both sides 1/8 inch in a diagonal pattern)
  • 2 medium limes
  • 2 medium oranges
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • kosher salt
  • 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • onion (cut into wedges)
  • 4 ounces mushrooms (wiped with a damp cloth)
  • tortillas
  • 1 jar bell peppers
  • lettuce (washed and dried, torn into small pieces)
  • 1 tomato (seeded and chopped)
  • cilantro (rinsed and dried)
  • cheese (grated)
  • salsa
  • sour cream

  Instructions

  We begin by using our microplane zester to grate 1 lime and 1 orange for their zest. We then place the 2 limes in the microwave for 20 seconds to soften them a bit. We cut them open and juice them into a measuring cup. The limes yield 1/4 cup of juice. Next, we cut the oranges in half and squeeze them into the measuring cup. The oranges yield an additional 1/2 cup of juice. In a resealable storage bag, we combine the juices, garlic, ancho chili powder, cumin, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and vegetable oil. We put the scored (shallow slices in a criss-cross pattern) steak in the marinade and turn it several times to coat. We place the entire bag in refrigerator for about 7 hours (anywhere between 4 and 24 hours is good, but much longer and the acid in the lime juice will change the texture of the meat).

  We remove the bag from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking it on the grill. When we are ready to slap it on the grill, we pat it dry with paper towels.

  We heat the grill for a few minutes on medium heat. Prior to putting the steak on the grill, we put some of the Vidalia onion wedges and the mushrooms on the grill. We grill the veggies until just softened.

  We cook the steak for about 10 minutes on each side. It is a very thick steak, over 2 inches. After that, we remove the steak from the grill and check the temperature with our digital meat thermometer. It reads 130 degrees F, which corresponds to medium-rare, when allowed to rest - perfect for fajitas.

  We let the steak rest for a few minutes to seal in the juices. While we wait, we cut up the vegetables into good sized pieces. Too small and the texture of the veggies will be lost. Too big and we'll pull out large chunks when we bite into our fajitas.

  Rather than cutting the steak vertically, we make the cuts on a diagonal (closer to horizontal than straight up and down). This makes the strips fuller and really adds to the experience of fajitas.

  The steak is served on the cutting board with the hot and cold sides also on the table. When we are ready to eat, we heat the tortillas in the microwave on a dinner plate between dampened paper towels. Everyone helps themselves, placing steak, cheese, and veggies on the tortillas. Wonderful!

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