Grilled Skirt Steak (a la Fajita's)

A couple of my ladies at work and I have started having a cooking night every six weeks or so. We've had loads of fun so far and made a couple of really good dishes along the way. Our last gathering happened to be on Cinco De Mayo, so of course we made fajita's! This recipe turned out amazingly flavorful and super easy. It does not taste overly Mexican, so you could really use this marinade for many applications. It would be great on a London broil with some potato salad for a weekend BBQ! The directions included are for grilling the meat, but it is also good broiled or pan fried.

Lets talk about cuts of meat for a minute. Most people don't realize just how important cuts of meat are for the dish you plan to prepare. In some cases, the marinade you use is too strong or weak for a cut of meat. For instance, if you plan to use a large roast, whatever you marinade it in is really only going to permeate the outer crust of the roast, so imparting lots of flavor into large cuts of meat is easier done either via braising, stewing or roasting, where the meat has a lengthy time to cook in a flavored liquid. It is also beneficial to cook larger cuts of meat for a long time in order to allow the meat to get tender and properly cooked through. In this case, I choose to use a sturdier, but thin cut piece of meat, with more of a pronounced grain to it. For one, I am using a highly acidic marinade that could easily break down the meat and end up making it "mushy" textured. I've never in my life desired a "mushy" piece of meat, how about you? I also want this meat to cook quickly, so I've chosen a thinner cut steak. Traditionally, skirt steak has been a more cost effective choice as well, but due to is rise in popularity, it's far more expensive than it used to be. Regardless, skirt steak is a perfect choice for fajitas!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Soy Sauce

• 1/2 cup lime juice from 6-8 limes

• Juice of one orange

• 1/2 cup oil, such as canola or vegetable

• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

• 3 teaspoons ground cumin seed (1 tsp set aside)

• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder (Penzy's "Chili 9000" is my ultimate favorite....go to www.penzys.com to purchase)

• 5 medium cloves garlic, finely minced (about 1 tablespoon)

• 2 pounds trimmed skirt steak (about 1 whole steak)

• 1 large red bell pepper, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips

• 1 large yellow bell pepper, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips

• 1 white or yellow onion, cut into 1/2-inch slices

• 12 to 16 fresh flour or corn tortillas, hot

Directions:

1. Combine soy sauce, lime juice, orange juice, canola oil, brown sugar, 2 tsp's of cumin, black pepper, chili powder, and garlic in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Transfer 1/2 cup of marinade to a large bowl and set aside. Place steak in a gallon-sized zipper-lock bag and add remaining marinade. Seal bag, squeezing out as much air as possible. Massage bag until meat is fully coated in marinade. Lay flat in the refrigerator, turning every couple of hours for at least 3 hours and up to 10.

2. While steak marinates, toss peppers and onions in bowl with reserved 1/2 cup marinade. Refrigerate until ready to use.

3. When ready to cook, remove steaks from marinade, wipe off excess, and transfer to a large plate. Preheat your gas or charcoal bbq.

4. Once grill is nice and hot, place a large cast iron skillet over one side of it and reduce heat to medium. Transfer steaks to hot side of grill. Cover and cook for 1 minute. Flip steaks, cover and cook for another minute. Continue cooking in this manner—flipping and covering—until steaks are well-charred and an instant-read thermometer inserted into their center registers 115 to 120°F for medium-rare or 125 to 130°F for medium. Transfer steaks to a large plate, sprinkle with remaining teaspoon of cumin, tent with foil, and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, transfer cast iron skillet to hot side of grill and allow to preheat for 2 minutes. Add pepper and onion mix and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and beginning to char in spots, about 10 minutes. When vegetables are cooked, transfer steaks to a cutting board and pour any accumulated juices from the plate into the skillet with the vegetables. Toss to coat.

6. Transfer vegetables to a warm serving platter. Thinly slice meat against the grain and transfer to platter with vegetables. Serve immediately with hot tortillas, guacamole, pico de gallo, and other condiments as desired.