To make "fajitas" with sirloin or flank steak, as many people do, is akin to making apple pie with pears. For authenticity and taste alike, start with skirt steak, which Mexican-American cowboys in south Texas named fajita for its resemblance to a small sash or girdle (faja in Spanish). Decades ago, the vaqueros cooked the meat on the range over an open fire and ate it in tortillas for a hearty meal on the go. At home you can amplify the robust beef flavor with rubs and marinades. In this drunken (borracha) steak, we soak the meat in a beer-and-citrus mixture and then massage the surface with chili powder and brown sugar.
BORRACHAS MARINADE
| 12 | ounces beer |
| Juice of 1 orange | |
| Juice of 3 limes | |
| 2 | tablespoons Super Wooster Sauce ([>]) or other Worcestershire sauce |
| 2 | skirt steaks, 1 to 1¼ pounds each, trimmed of membrane and fat |
FAJITAS DRY RUB
| 1 | tablespoon chili powder |
| 1 | tablespoon kosher salt or other coarse salt |
| 1 | tablespoon packed brown sugar |
| 1½ | teaspoons ground cumin |
| Flour tortillas, warmed | |
| Fired-Up Tomato Salsa ([>]) or other favorite salsa | |
| Avocado slices |
At least 2½ hours and up to the night before you plan to grill the fajitas, prepare the marinade, combining the ingredients in a medium bowl. Place the skirt steaks in a plastic bag, pour the marinade over them, and refrigerate.
Remove the meat from the refrigerator and drain it, blotting the surface of moisture. Combine the dry rub ingredients in a small bowl and coat the steaks with the rub. Let the steaks sit covered at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Fire up the grill, bringing the temperature to high (1 to 2 seconds with the hand test).
Grill the meat uncovered over high heat for 4 to 5 minutes per side, until rare to medium-rare. The steaks should be turned a minimum of three times, more often if juice begins to form on the surface. If grilling covered, cook for 7 to 9 minutes, turning once midway.
Cut the steaks across the grain and diagonally into thin finger-length strips. To serve, pile a platter high with the hot meat and accompany with the tortillas, salsa, and avocado slices. Let everyone help themselves by filling the tortillas with some of the meat and portions of the garnishes.