Beef Fajitas

Beef fajitas are the ultimate choose-your-own-adventure meal, thanks to their bold, smoky flavor and the bountiful array of tasty toppings. Mexico City native and PBS cooking show host Pati Jinich dials up her Tex-Mex take on beef fajitas with a powerful Mexican pantry staple—pickled jalapeños. She uses the brine from the jar to create a flavor-packed marinade that pulls double duty as a basting liquid for grilled onions, peppers, and fresh jalapeños.

There are two delicious paths to success with this easy recipe: For the most flavor, marinate the beef the night before, then when it's time to cook, you're just 30 minutes away from an amazing meal. If you're in a hurry, skip the overnight marinade, opt for a quick one-hour dip, and follow our instructions for "How to Make Fajitas Fast" below.

Learn how to make beef fajitas, and impress everyone at dinner with the best fajitas they've ever had.

Ingredients for Beef Fajitas

You'll need to call upon your pantry and spice drawer staples for this outstanding recipe. Here's what you should grab:

For the marinade:

• Olive oil: Forms the base of the brine for the beef.
• Pickled jalapeño brine: A secret ingredient, it creates a flavor-packed marinade that's also used to baste the peppers and onions.
• Lime juice: Tenderizes the beef.
• Soy sauce: Adds great umami and saltiness.
• Worcestershire sauce: Doubles down on the umami flavor for quick but intense flavor in a short period of time.
• Brown sugar: A hint of sweetness will take the sharp edge off the pickling liquid and sour sauces.
• Cumin: Slightly sweet and nutty with a great earthy flavor.
• Garlic: Press or finely mince the garlic to get the most flavor in a short period of time.

For the fajitas:

• Steak: Bavette, flap steak, or skirt steak will be a great cut for this dish. Ask our butcher with help trimming if needed.
• Red, yellow, and green bell peppers: The trio provides lots of color and crunch for the fajitas. You can use all of one if you want.
• White onion: Cooks up sweet and tender for scooping over the meat.
• Jalapeño chiles: Grilled, they develop a wonderful char, and the heat takes some of the punch out of them.
• Tortillas: Use corn or flour, whichever you prefer.
• Guacamole: For serving. Use your favorite, or try our favorite homemade guacamole.
• Salsa: Use your favorite.
  

3 Secrets to Beef Perfect Fajitas

These fajitas are a sure win thanks to their easy preparation, speedy cooking, and next-level flavor. Take a few cues from Pati to make the best fajitas you've ever tasted.

1. Make a bold marinade

Pati's recipe makes smart use of pantry staples to yield a richly flavored marinade that infuses the steak quickly. A mixture of pickled jalapeño brine (straight from the jar!) and tangy fresh lime juice brings acidity to the marinade, which helps tenderize the meat. Flavor comes to play with soy sauce, Worcestershire, cumin, and garlic, with a little brown sugar to balance the salt and heat.

2. Pick plenty of peppers

You can't serve a platter of sizzling fajitas without a pile of perfectly charred peppers! While any color will do, a festive mix of red, yellow, green, and orange bell peppers provides nice color and sweetness. If you're looking to save money, opt for all green bell peppers, which are less expensive because they are picked sooner than their more ripe yellow, orange, and red siblings.

3. Buy the right beef

Fajitas are a great budget-friendly meal because you can use less-expensive, less-tender cuts of beef, such as skirt steak, flap steak, or bavette, which is just a fancy name for flank steak. These cuts can get tough if cooked too long, so marinate them first (up to overnight) and cook them hot and fast. Finally, slice the steak against the grain to make sure every bite is delicious.

How To Make Fajitas—Fast

Don't worry if you're in a hurry! Follow these tips to bring these delicious fajitas to the table with a speedy marinating time and less than 20 minutes of active cooking.

1. Marinate for just 1 hour

Stir together the marinade, and be sure to reserve at least one-fourth of the mixture for basting. While the beef marinates, slice up all the peppers and onions, and gather all the toppings you'll need later, such as salsa, sour cream, guacamole, and pico de gallo.

2. Grill the meat in less than 10 minutes

Starting with a hot grill is crucial to perfect fajitas—thinner, tougher cuts like skirt or flank steak need to be cooked hot and fast, and not much past medium to keep them juicy. As soon as the steak hits your desired temperature (use an instant-read thermometer to be sure), pull it off the grill, cover it with foil, and let it rest for 10 minutes so all of the flavorful juices reabsorb into the meat. Not a big griller? Watch this video for some pro-tips and pointers.

3. Grill the vegetables for about 5 minutes

While the meat rests and the grill is still hot, fire up those peppers and onions! Remember that marinade you set aside? Be sure to use it to baste the peppers and onions while they grill—the sugars in the marinade will create some lovely caramelization that equals big flavor.

What To Serve With Beef Fajitas

The only thing left to do now is eat! Warm up the flour tortillas, heat up the queso, and get out the guacamole—dinner is ready to go! Pair these perfect fajitas with more recipes from Pati Jinich for the ultimate Tex-Mex Feast:

• Tejano Red Rice
• Charro Beans
• Chunky Guacamole with Jalapeño and Chile de Árbol