The Border Table · Source Edition
Tex-Mex Fajitas
A plain lime, pepper and mesquite treatment from the owner’s Rio Grande Valley memory.
A six-ingredient archived fajita, distinct from the current Classic Beef Fajitas.
Cook it
A six-ingredient archived fajita, distinct from the current Classic Beef Fajitas.
- Season. Open the butterflied steak and spread the measured olive oil over it. Distribute the salt and pepper on both sides. Put the meat in a covered nonreactive dish or food-safe bag with the lime juice and soy sauce.
- Chill. Refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours, the interval the owner preferred in the old card. Turn once so the liquid contacts the steak evenly.
- Grill. Discard the used marinade. Heat a grill very hot, preferably over mesquite. Grill uncovered and turn when the exterior chars lightly. The archived card gives no time; use a food thermometer and cook the steak to at least 145°F.
- Rest and slice. Rest for at least 3 minutes, then slice thinly across the grain.
Serve it
Serve promptly with warm flour tortillas and any salsa or vegetables your table prefers. Keep the steak as the center of the plate.
Understand it
What makes this version work
One tablespoon of salt for two pounds of skirt steak is the amount written in the archived card, and it is prominent enough that some tables may prefer less. The recipe is recorded here as written rather than silently changing it. The current Classic Beef Fajitas uses the owner’s later two-large-limes ratio, while this earlier version adds a little olive oil and soy sauce. Both finish with high heat and a cross-grain slice.
Know it
The recorded recipe and its place at the table
The owner remembers eating fajitas at the Roundup in Pharr, Texas, and describes this formula as an attempt to come close to that remembered flavor. That is a personal recollection, not the Roundup’s documented recipe or proof of the dish’s birthplace. The Texas State Historical Association documents the broader Tex-Mex setting; the old card itself supplies the six-ingredient method.
Sources and method
About this version
The ingredient proportions and core method come from the owner’s 2021 Authentic Tex-Mex Recipes card. The Border Table has clarified the instructions for readers without claiming an undocumented inventor or origin for the exact formula. The external source gives broader culinary context; it does not authenticate the owner’s private recipe.
- Texas State Historical Association, Tex-Mex Foods.
- FoodSafety.gov, Four Steps to Food Safety — refrigeration and safe handling guidance where relevant.
See our corrections policy to suggest an update.
