I cooked up these Fajitas for Father’s Day, with a Texas twist. Big Red fajitas made with skirt steak marinated in big red soda, brown sugar, salt and pepper add a ton of caramelization to the fajitas when grilled.
I served my big red fajitas with beans, guacamole, and warm flour tortillas. It’s a great recipe to grill indoors, but you can easily fire up the grill and grill them up outside.
We all know big red pairs perfectly with barbacoa, why not take it a step further and marinate fajitas in big red goodness.
Why Big Red Soda works as a marinade:
Soda contain acid like carbonic acid, citric acid which help break down tough muscle fibers and tenderize the meat.
The sugar content in big red soda helps in the Maillard reaction during cooking, leading to desirable browning and caramelization, enhancing the flavor.
Flavor: Different sodas impart distinct flavors to the meat. For example, Coca-Cola adds caramelized undertones, Sprite provides citrus notes, and ginger beer offers a peppery warmth.
Big Red was invented in a Waco laboratory in 1937 by Grover C. Thomsen and R.H. Roark, 52 years after Dr Pepper’s birth in the same city. It was originally called Sun Tang Red Cream Soda and was marketed exclusively in Central and South Texas and around Louisville, Kentucky. According to Big Red Ink, the company’s newsletter, “consumption of the beverage was most common away from home, during outside activities in the warm summer months.”
INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE BIG RED FAJITAS
1 pound skirt or flank steak
1 (16-ounce) can Big Red
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
HOW TO MAKE BIG RED FAJITAS
In a large glass or ceramic casserole dish, combine the skirt steak and Big Red for 4 to 12 hours in the refrigerator.
Prepare a hot grill. Remove the marinated skirt steak from the big red, and pat dry with paper towels
Coat fajitas in brown sugar, salt and pepper.
Grill for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until the desired temperature is reached.
Remove the skirt steak from the grill and allow fajitas to rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing.
MAS FAJITA RECIPES:
Beef Fajitas with Spicy Peanut Salsa {Salsa de Cacahuate}
Paloma Cocktail Marinated Chicken Fajitas
Leave a Reply