A couple of years ago, I went to Austin, Texas and had some amazing food from Chuy's. I still think about the beef fajitas I had and have always been on the hunt for a recipe. Unable to find one, I looked up their menu and it states that they marinate their skirt steak in beer. My husband was all for it so I gave it a try…beef marinated in beer can't be a bad thing!
It's obviously not exactly like Chuy's but it's my favorite recipe so far for homemade beef fajitas. I actually marinated the beef in the beer mixture for seven hours. Next time, I'm going to go for 24 hours! 24 hour marinating is key! I used my Le Creuset cast iron grill pan and it worked wonderfully. Serve it with your favorite condiments, such as sour cream and guacamole. We always serve fajitas with toppings of cheddar cheese, lettuce and tomato, sometimes I will make pico de gallo (diced tomatoes & diced jalapenos mixed with lime juice and salt.
Recipe
Beer Marinated Beef Fajitas
Ingredients
- 1.5-2 lb skirt steak, if one full piece, cut into smaller pieces
- 1 green pepper, sliced into strips
- 1 onion, sliced
- flour tortillas, cheese, lettuce, diced tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole
Beer Marinade
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed, peeled & then chopped
- 1 jalapeno, halved & then sliced
- 1 1/2 limes, juiced
- 1 cup of beer, Shiner Bock beer
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
Instructions
- Add all marinade ingredients into a casserole dish and incorporate well. Add all skirt steak pieces and be sure that all pieces are covered in marinade. Marinate for 7+ hours in the refrigerator covered (if you're short on time, I'm sure you can go for 30-60 minutes). 24 hours is optimum time.
- Remove from refrigerator at least 20 minutes before you're going to grill the steak. Remove from casserole dish and allow to sit on a plate.
- Heat grill pan on low for 5-8 minutes. Then, turn heat up to medium. Pat pieces of skirt steak dry with paper towels and place onto grill pan. You may need to do this in batches in order not to crowd the beef in the grill pan. Cook 4-8 minutes on each side depending on thickness.
- Allow beef to rest on a clean plate with tented foil for at least 5 minutes before slicing the beef against the grain.
- While the beef is resting, add onions and peppers to the grill pan and allow to cook until onions and peppers are soft, be sure to mix with tongs or wooden spoon frequently.
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The beer definitely helped tenderize the beef and the flavor of the marinade lended well to fajitas. So what do you think? Will you give a try? Do you have a favorite beef fajitas recipe you want to share or do you have a favorite from a restaurant? I want to hear about it.
Saul says
Wow!! This recipe is A M A Z I N G!! pretty darn close to Chuys if not better! However be forwarned that limes are powerful tiny punches of flavor, so either follow the recipe or use less than the amount of lime the recipe asks for. I am a lime lover and decided to add one more for love’s sake and well it was a bit too powerful, so follow the lime recipe to a T or use less than as lime’s as quite powerful.
Anyways, it was my fault for that mistake but other than that A M A Z I N G recipe thanks! I wish when I worked at Chuys I had taken the recipe for their exact marine mix, the only thing I took was a copy of the Cremy Jalapeno sauce lol.
Chen says
does is have to be shiner bock beer or can I use any beer?
Julie Deily says
Hi Chen,
We have used other brands like Dos Equis and they work great but the best tasting and the most similar ones to Chuy’s fajitas is when you use Shiner Bock. Hope that help!
Laura (GotChocolate) says
Oh yum! I’m not a beer drinker at all, but I agree that it does make an awesome marinade. My husband makes a great beer batter for dipping clams in. They fry up really well.
I’m going to try this since I’m looking for more recipes to try for my husband and daughter, who are picky eaters. They will LOVE this one!
Jane Cooley says
Hi..I discovered your blog from the Cheesesteak pin on Pinterest and just had to comment. If you ever go back to Chueys , you have to try their green sauce. I am not by definition an avocado fan , but I will make an exception for Chueys …or Los Cucos green sauce.
Shiner boch is the preferred beer in our house and if you ever get a chance and have access to a grill , try ” Beer Can Chicken.” It’s simple..stand a whole chicken up over about a half a can of Shiner with what ever seasonings float your boat and slap it on the grill and close the cover…it’s very moist and yummy.
May I post the fajita photo and link on my blog with proper credit ? I am working on a post about one of my favorite things..food. My blog is just a personal small one and sometimes it is a platform for my personal po’d rants so if you would rather I didn’t post/link..thats perfectly okay too. I jsut believe in asking permission.
Waving from Houston
Jane aka Aunty Pol
Julie Deily says
Hi Jane! Thanks for the tips…I will definitely try the green sauce! And you can definitely post a picture and link to my post. Thanks for asking beforehand! Have a good day!
Val says
This looks & sounds fantastic! Has anyone tried it with chicken or throwing the meat on the grill instead of on the stove?
Christi says
This looks DELICIOUS!
Heather H. says
Okay yummy! I have family that lives in Austin and we get out there once a year at least but I’ve never heard of Chuy’s-I know where I’ll be eating next time. Thanks for the recipe.
Jen says
I made these the other night and they were fantastic! I ending up cooking the meat for about 8-9 minutes since I had a thicker cut of meat. I also substituted the limes with lime juice. Thanks for the great recipe, I’ll definitely make it again 🙂
Julie Deily says
Hi Jen,
So glad you tried it and enjoyed it! Did you mean you used lime juice from a bottle instead of fresh limes? If so, that’s good to know that that works as well.
Jen says
Yes, I used 2 tablespoons of lime juice instead of the limes. I could still taste the lime but it was very subtle and just perfect! Not sure if you know but Dos Equis comes in “Amber” and “Special Lager” where I’m at, I assumed it was the “Special Lager” and used that. “Amber” seems like it would have been too dark.
evelyn goettner says
These look really delicious and look easy to make too.
hairstyles for girls says
This looks like something my husband would love!
Maria says
I’m going to try this recipe. My daughter just loves fajitas.
Gina R says
This looks really good and pretty easy, can definitely please a crowd
Bobbi says
I have been looking for a good fajita recipe! Will try this weekend. Have to go shopping first!
jen says
mmm that looks so good!
Jen says
I echo everyone’s thoughts on this dish…YUM!! I would love to make this for a get together I’m having this weekend! I do have one question though. Hubby and I aren’t alcohol drinkers and so is it worth it to buy a bottle of beer for this marinade? Perhaps I can give the rest of the bottle to one of the guests coming over? Thanks for this great recipe and awesome review on it!
Julie Deily says
Hi Jen,
Thanks for stopping by. I would say other than the beef, the beer is definitely the other main ingredient in this dish. It would definitely be worth it to buy a six-pack and offer the rest to your guests. They also sell cans separately at some stores and you can buy beers by the bottle for about $2 at stores like World Market where they let you create a six-pack out different beers. Hope this helps and let me know how it turns out!
Jen says
Thanks for your advice! I think I’ll just have to suck it up and try the beer marinade! My guests will sure be happy to finish off the rest of the beer 🙂 One more question though, you recommended one brand in your blog, are there any other brands you might suggest?
Thanks again for all your help and I will definitely let you know how it turns out!
Jen
Julie Deily says
Hi again, Jen.
I don’t think it really matters, you could probably use just about any brand. I wouldn’t get the cheapest one though. 🙂 Good luck and have fun with it. Your friends will enjoy it and the beer. 🙂
Dee@Cocktails with Mom says
Now that sounds and looks simply delish!
Christi says
This sounds SO good! I love Chuy’s and eat there any time we’re in Austin or Dallas. But now I’ll have to try making this – thanks for sharing!
nicóle says
Hello yummy!!! That looks positively divine!
Julie M. says
Oooh… I love Chuys! Man, the piece of Texas that I miss the most is the Texmex food. They had some seriously delicious restaurants. I love your beer marinade; that sounds like heaven to this wisconsin girl Sign me up for some fajitas please!
Gina says
That looks soooooo good! I’m going to have to try out this recipe!
Janessa T. says
Yummy, that looks great!!
Robin @ Yankee Kitchen says
Beer & Beef… hubby would be in heaven.
Paula says
Looks wonderful Julie. Wonder what chicken would turn out like if marinated in the beer?
Julie Deily says
Good question, Paula. I have never tried that before. I wonder now too! 🙂
monique says
I’ve never made my own fajitas. Thanks for the recipe.
Tricia says
Those look delicious… I’ll have two please
MOMS BEST BETS says
Julie,
These look so good
TerriAnn says
That sounds delish AND easy! I want to try it! Hmm, I wonder if Belgian beer will work as well or will it then taste like a beef-marinated schnitzel? Haha, wrong country. I think I should get some good ‘ol Dos Equis as well.
Shop with Me Mama says
Oh that looks sooo good!!!
Angela@RecipesFromMyMom says
Wow, that sounds and looks so good. Fabulous choice on the beer too. I have done beef with peppers and onions in the crock pot for fajitas but next time I’m making them your way.
Melinda says
they sound wonderful
Kelly says
I LOVE Chuy’s and am definitely going to try this recipe! I might just go check out Chuy’s fajitas too – never had those there if you can believe it!
Julie Deily says
Kelly,
Please think of me when you when have them at Chuy’s! I’m so jealous. I wish I had their exact recipe!
melissa @IWasBornToCook says
This looks great. The beer definitely keeps it tender and adds lots of flavor!
Penelope says
Awesome! I’ve never cooked anything with beer, but if it will make the meat tender, I should try it.
lisa says
i’m so coming over to YOUR place for dinner. YUM-O
Crystal @ Simply Being Mommy says
Yummy!
blueviolet @ A Nut in a Nutshell says
I’ll bet the flavor was magnificent!
Cat Davis says
I’m usually more of a chicken fajita kinda girl but that steak looks delicious!
Q says
omg that looks so yummy, Julie! I’m going to have to try out your recipe really soon…I also want that cast iron skillet!
Jordan says
I didn’t realize it was possible for my mouth to water over beef fajitas at 6:20 in the morning. Looks delish!
JenniferA says
It’s funny, I’m not a big beer drinker but I do like the flavor beer imparts to food!! I’d definitely give this a try, although I can never find skirt steak in my area. Is it like flank steak?
Julie Deily says
Hi Jennifer,
I am actually not a beer drinker either, I’m a lot like you! I have actually used flank steak for fajitas before, it is very similar in the way you slice it but flank steak is a lot wider than skirt steak. The skirt steak was one piece and if I put it end to end, it does look like a skirt. Hope that makes sense.