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There's noting I love on the grill more than a bunch of Arrancheras. It's a classic Mexican steak loaded with flavor and cooked hot and fast, making it great for outdoor gatherings or tailgates when you can almost cook to order for friends and guests, or do a bunch and leave in a pile for people to grab as they like. First before we get into this easy recipe we need a little history on the Arranchera…
In Northern Mexico, the men tasked with driving cattle North into Texas, ate a tasty but tough cut of beef, marinated to tenderize and flavor, then grilled over the coals of their camp fires. They called this Arracheras which is basically the same thing as fajitas however Restaurateurs, all on their own, decided to call charbroiled chicken, pork and shrimp other cuts of beef "fajitas" to expand their menus. While these items are delicious in their own right; they are not fajita.
Arranchera comes from the skirt steak. Skirt steak is a cut of beef steak from the plate. It is long, flat, and prized for its flavor rather than tenderness. It is not to be confused with flank steak. It is a boneless portion of the diaphragm muscle attached to the 6th through 12th ribs on the underside of the short plate. This steak is covered in a tough membrane that should be removed before cooking.
Here's what you're going to need to make Arrancheras.
- 2-1/2 pounds trimmed beef skirt steak (I use inner skirts)
- 2/3 cup lime juice
- 2-4 teaspoon seasoned salt (Lawry's or Penzey's 4S)
- 4 oz of beer
- 12 corn tortillas
Directions:
- First lay out all the skirt steaks, you may need to cut them into smaller pieces since they most often come in long full strips. Gently season all of the meat with the seasoned salt.
- Place the meat into a non reactive dish such as a plastic or glass bowl one at a time and as you do pouring some lime juice onto the meat.
- Once all meat is in the dish dump in your beer and give it a little stir. Be careful the beer with react with the salt and cause a bit of a foaming.
- Let this rest in the refrigerator for 4-8 hours.
- Fire up your charcoals. Once ready place the meat on searing it. You want to cook this hot and fast. Basically once the meat gets a char on it, flip and continue until all the meat is cooked.
- Warm your corn tortillas on the grill quickly and place into a foil packet or tortilla warmer.
- Serve up. Feel free to garnish up and serve with cilantro, onions, pickled jalapenos and pico or guacamole.