Beer Marinated Beef Fajitas
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.
I marinated the fajitas for 7 hours. I'm sure you can do it for less if you're running out of time.
The beef after 7 hours of marinating. Before putting it into the grill pan, I patted each piece of beef dry (as much as I could) with a paper towel.
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
Directions:
- 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.
from The Little Kitchen
Have you tried this recipe?
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.
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.
does is have to be shiner bock beer or can I use any beer?
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!
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!
[…] -Beer Marinated Beef Fajitas from The Little Kitchen […]
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
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!
This looks & sounds fantastic! Has anyone tried it with chicken or throwing the meat on the grill instead of on the stove?
[…] FRIDAY: Beer Marinated Fajitas […]
This looks DELICIOUS!
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.
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 🙂
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.
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.