I’ve made this steak fajita marinade for Eva Longoria, Lyle Lovett, Andy Dalton, Tony Parker, Tyler Seguin, and Bobby Flay, so you might say this recipe has been well-tested.
As a private chef you learn what your best recipes are because they end up being everyone’s favorite recipes, requested time and time again, no matter who they are or how exciting their life is. This steak fajita marinade recipe is my masterpiece, the perfect blend of mouth watering flavor and medium rare tenderness—let’s make it tonight for your family.
What Meat Should I Buy For Fajitas:
If you’re in the south and southwest you should experiment with skirt steak and flank steak until you know the difference, and develop a preference.
I’ve gone back and forth my entire career as a chef and I have learned that some grocery stores just carry really crappy skirt steak. I’m no butcher, but my experience has been that certain grocery stores will hide the fat side down and sell you WAY MORE FAT than is reasonable on that cut of meat, and that’s why they package it fat side down. Crappy huh?
Don’t judge skirt steak on those offerings though. Find a place where you feel has consistently lean and meaty (though speckled with fat) skirt steak and compare it to flank steak with the same preparation. Flank steak is consistently meaty and there is no way the grocery store can sell you a bad piece, but it’s missing some delicious flavor from not having any fat at all like skirt steak. With fat comes flavor! So, if these are your two choices you must try them both, preferably with this steak fajita marinade, and choose for yourself. Then you’ll be a real expert anyways.
In case you can’t tell, my favorite meat to make beef fajitas with, when choosing between flank and skirt steak, is skirt steak. When you get a well marbled piece of skirt steak, combined with this beef fajita marinade, you’d better be ready to answer all of your guests’ questions on how you made your fajitas so tender and flavorful!
Now, if you’re in California, you’ll have your choice of skirt, flank, and tri-tip. Tri-tip is really cool because it’s beautifully marbled with fat and can be butterflied for thinner slices, which means more exposure to the marinade!
No matter where you are, check to see if you have a Mexican grocery store or butcher shop nearby. They have expertly sliced fajita meat specifically butterflied and butchered thin in order to soak up marinades, and sear hot and fast. That’s where I got this beautiful skirt steak to complement the best beef fajita marinade recipe, in my opinion of course…
Steak Fajita Marinade Ingredients:
Here is the Texas secret to making the best steak fajita marinade recipe. You’ve got to use pineapple juice.
This gives the beef fajitas a truly authentic Tex-Mex flavor and it works for several reasons. First, pineapple juice is what powdered meat tenderizer is usually made from (pineapples or papayas). Enzymes in pineapple juice break down the steak, and although you will still get plenty of chew, you will get that juicy-pull-apart-restaurant-quality tenderness that you’re searching for in a home fajita meat recipe.
This fajita marinade recipe also includes soy sauce, garlic, and fresh lime juice. Garlic for interest, soy sauce for salt, and lime juice to balance the sweetness of the pineapple and provide a little Mexican flair.
This is a classic combination that I suspect everyone from Pappasito’s Cantina to Uncle Julio’s, is using for either their chicken or steak fajitas.
Pouring the ingredients for the recipe over your steak fajita meat is easy, then just give it a little mix around. I use a glass casserole dish with a tupperware lid and I will rotate the meat with tongs over the course of several hours.
We have soaked the steak in the fajita marinade for as little as 6 hours, all the way up to 2-3 days. The flavor and tenderness peaks at 1-2 days in the marinade, but still provides excellent flavor if you can get the meat submerged in the morning before work, and cook it that evening when you get home.
The garlic is pressed through a garlic press, or smashed well and sprinkled all around the steak fajita meat.
CHEF TIP:
We eat with our eyes. I’m a private chef and 80% of my job is making ordinary food look breathtaking. I’ve learned a couple tricks along the way and I thought I would share this one. I sprinkle cilantro on the beef during the marinade because the green flecks look beautiful on the final grilled steak fajitas. They don’t really add any flavor at all so don’t go running to the store if you haven’t got any fresh cilantro in your kitchen.
Cilantro is best used fresh on the fajitas after cooking, but if I didn’t tell you what the green was I knew someone would ask. 😛
Marinade as long as possible for maximum flavor. Then follow me to the next post for complete step by step instructions on seasoning and grilling the fajita meat.
How to Grill the Steak Fajitas ⇐ Here is part 2 when you’re ready to prepare the grilled fajitas.
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Steak Fajita Marinade
The best steak fajita marinade of all time starts with sweet pineapple juice, which is a natural tenderizer and loads the skirt or flank steak with incredible flavor while creating a finely seared crust. Click here for the grilling instructions on these Texas-style steak fajitas.
Ingredients
- 2 cans pineapple juice (2 cups total)
- 1 bottle low sodium soy sauce
- 3 limes, juiced
- 5 garlic cloves, pressed or smashed
- 3 T. fresh cilantro, chopped fine (optional-for beauty)
- 2-4 lbs. steak fajita meat (such as skirt steak, flank steak, tri-tip, sirloin, etc.)
Instructions
- Place your fajita meat in a glass casserole dish with a lid.
- Pour the pineapple juice, soy sauce, juice of the limes, and minced garlic onto the meat. Stir well and adjust with tongs. Sprinkle cilantro on if using.
- Marinade anywhere from 8 hours up to 2-3 days. Grill over charcoal grill if possible. See my next post for complete instructions on how I grill and serve these steak fajitas.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 939Total Fat: 51gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 33gCholesterol: 247mgSodium: 2078mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 4gSugar: 8gProtein: 88g
This nutritional information is provided as a courtesy as an estimate only. Consult with a dietician for precise estimates.
Jalapeno Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Hello. Can this same marinade recipe be used for chicken and shrimp?
Yes! It would be great! I would only put the shrimp in the marinade for 4 hours.
Is the Fiesta steak seasoning the Uncle Chris Gourmet (white in color) or Texas Style (red in color)?
It’s white and black because it’s mostly onion powder, garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper. Both of those will work though.
I can’t wait to try your recipe!
I’ve tried to study the ingredients photo, but I still can’t quite figure out the size cans of pineapple juice to use.
The recipe reads, “2 cups total,” but I’ve only been able to locate pineapple juice cans in 6 oz. or 8.4 oz.
Any chance you could kindly clarify which can size you prefer?
Thank you in advance! 🙂
– Sandy F.
Ok. I was a bit skeptical but I loved it! Pinned It and will be going back to it. I didn’t modify anything just multiplied the ratio based on the amount of skirt steak I was marinating. It was awesome! I grilled it on my Weber gas grill with a smoker box with mesquite chips—hot and fast! Peppers and onions stir fried in a cast iron Dutch oven with some Lawry’s Carne Asada seasoned salt. That’s it! Tortillas warmed on the grill, guac, sour cream and some diced jalapeños! Yum!!!
Yay! Glad you liked it. 🙂 – Sarah
I spent 11 years in San Antonio and New Braunfels and I miss good fajitas (not the heat and humidity). Is the recipe the same for Chicken and Shrimp? Also do you marinade any of your veggies (onions, peppers etc) as well? I’m looking forward to trying this and your tortilla recipe. Thank you for the recipe.
I make onions and peppers in a hot pan with butter. When they are soft and caramelized I add a little lime juice and a dash of worcestershire sauce. If you make it again, send me a pic on Instagram! @UrbanCowgirl 🙂
I put the steak in the marinade a few hours ago and am now learning that pineapple juice breaks down steak?? Should I be worried :/
Not at all. You want a little bit of that natural softening of the meat. 🙂
How many ounces of Soy Sauce…you said a standard sized home bottle, but what is the actual amount?
I actually see now in the photo is shows 10 ounces 🙂
Yes! I will add that to the recipe. 🙂
Excellent marinade! I loved the finishing notes of pineapple on our fajitas….grilled onion and green peppers, cilantro and dollop of sour cream was all that was needed for the best fajita I have ever made. I’m glad I found this recipe.
I’m so glad to hear that Paula! Thanks for letting us know you enjoyed it. 🙂
Do you season the meat at all? Or just the pineapple juice?
In the first step I marinade the meat. In the second step we grill it and I do recommend using either kosher salt, pepper, and garlic powder; or a product we have called Fajita Steak Seasoning. I like a brand called Fiesta and it is available right here… https://amzn.to/2VqxCtB
This brand is used everywhere in Texas and it salts and enhances the meat without any weird and loud flavors like lemon pepper. You really need that last bit of salt on the surface of the meat to bring out all the wonderful flavors when the grilled meat hits your tongue. Happy Cooking Thera! 🙂
I tried this and the flavor was wonderful. We used butcher trimmed skirt steak.
I did figure out that using the Big Libby’s bottle of pineapple juice was a bad idea, is very watered down and did not tenderize the meat at all. I’ll go back to the canned after this.
Just curious…Have you made this marinade with chicken yet?
Do you mix the liquid ingredients prior to pouring them on the meat or just add them individually in the glass pan?
I just pour them all in the glass dish and add the meat. I spoon it over and flip it as well! 🙂
Hey I know this is off topic but I was wondering if
you knew of any widgets I could add to my blog that automatically tweet my newest twitter updates.
I’ve been looking for a plug-in like this for quite some time and was hoping maybe you would have some
experience with something like this. Please let me know if you run into
anything. I truly enjoy reading your blog and I look forward to your new updates.
I would just look up twitter widget in the plug ins menu on wordpress. Happy Cooking and Good Luck!
Hi Natalie,
It’s the standard sized-home bottle of soy sauce. I’m on bed rest right now but I will have my husband fix it ASAP. Thanks for bringing that to our attention! 😄
-Chef Sarah
Thanks so much!
I had carne asada from Uncle Julio’s last night and my mouth is just watering thinking about it today. Found your recipe and am going to give a try.
I notice in your picture of the ingredients you have a 10 oz. (296ml) bottle of soy, but the written recipe calls for 500ml. Which is the correct amount:
Thanks!
Hi Natalie, It’s the standard sized-home bottle of soy sauce. I’m on bed rest right now but I will have my husband fix it ASAP. Thanks for bringing that to our attention! 😄 -Chef Sarah