Fajitas made with charcoal roasted beef

When I went to the store on Saturday, I stocked up on groceries. One of the things I bought was a package of boneless beef spare ribs. I had no idea what I wanted to do with them, but it was at a good price, so I put it in the cart. 

Yesterday, I was really having a lazy day. We were up late on Sunday night, and I just read my novel and relaxed. Around two in the afternoon, I seasoned up the beef and lit some charcoal in the grill. I let the beef get good and smokey for three hours in the grill. 

Since I had all the fixings for fajitas, I decided to make that with some of this good charcoal roasted beef. The smokey flavor really carried through, and the fajitas were great. Here’s how I put this together.

1 lb. boneless beef spareribs

Garlic powder

Cajun seasoning

Adobo seasoning

3 jalapeño peppers, cut in strips

1 serrano pepper, cut in strips

1 large onion, cut in wedges

1 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. cumin

1 tomato, chopped

1/4 lb. Cotija cheese, sliced

1 lime, cut in eights

10 flour tortillas

Valentina hot sauce

Preparation

This is the perfect recipe for a lazy summer holiday. The charcoal does most of the work, while you relax. Take the beef, and season it on all sides with a generous sprinkle of garlic powder, cajun seasoning and adobo seasoning. I actually cooked three pounds of the beef. I used one pound for this, and saved the other two pounds for future use.

Light a pile of charcoal, on one side of your grill. Set the beef, stacked up, on a cast iron pan, and set that on the other side of the grill. Close the lid, and let the smoke do it’s magic. I planned to smoke this for three hours, so I used a lot of charcoal, to keep the heat high enough to cook the beef, and render the fat. Stacking the pieces of beef, which was fatty, allows the top piece to baste the lower pieces with the drippings. Every half hour, shuffle the stack so the bottom is on top, and the other pieces move down. Add a handful of charcoal, each time you shuffle the beef. After three hours, the beef should have reached smokey perfection.

Bring the beef in, and set it on a cutting board. Heat the drippings in the cast iron pan on the stove. Add the peppers and onions, stir, and season it with the oregano and cumin. Let that sizzle until the onions start to brown. Place the tortillas on a plate, cover them with another plate, and heat them gently in the microwave. Meanwhile, slice the beef, across the grain. When the onions have started to brown, add the beef slices, and stir. When the beef is sizzling, you are ready to serve.

Serving

Place the tomatoes on one side of a serving platter. Add the cheese next to that, and then the limes. Spoon the beef mixture on the platter, and set that on the table. Place the warmed tortillas next to that. I also had some corn on the cob, with lots of butter. You can’t beat a cold beer with the smoky flavor of the beef in these fajitas.