You know the only thing better than the crispy tortilla chip/melty cheese combo of classic nachos? Topping it with meaty bites of beef fajita!
Sure, regular nachos are great, but why not make them EVEN more delicious? For my fajita nachos, I’m using flank steak. Flank is one of the four “skirt steaks” of beef, along with inside skirt, outside skirt and flap. It is a single muscle that has a very obvious grain running the entire length. This pronounced grain makes flank a little tougher, but packed with flavor. The “grain” of meat is the direction the muscle fibers are running, and you always want to cut against the grain to make your meat more tender. Though it’s traditional to cut flank steak into long thin pieces, for this recipe I cut the beef into bite size piece (much easier to scoop up with a tortilla chip). Cutting into smaller pieces also helps to counteract any toughness in the meat, because you have less chewing to do. So it’s a win/win!
Tips & tricks for this recipe:
- The type of cheese you select makes a pretty major difference to the nachos. Obviously, it’s a given that you want a cheese that is going to melt really well. I recommend Asadero, you can use mozzarella too but it has less flavor. Many grocery stores also have a “Mexican style blend” that might be suitable. In my experience, the very cheap cheeses have very little flavor, so it’s worth spending a few extra bucks.
- You can use any fajita style rub to season the beef, but I highly suggest you go with my Hardcore Carnivore Meatchelada, a chili lime rub. It’s free from unnecessary tenderizers and isn’t laden with MSG, so you can actually taste the beef.
Fully Loaded Beef Fajita Nachos
Ingredients
2lb flank steak
12 oz tortilla chips
3 tablespoons Hardcore Carnivore Meatchelada (or your preferred fajita rub)
7 oz pickled jalapenos
8 oz shredded Mexican style cheese
1 ripe avocado
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon kosher Salt
½ cup sour cream or crema
1/3 cup chopped scallions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450f
- Place a cast iron skillet over high heat.
- Season the flank steak well on both sides with the rub, then place into the hot pan. Cook flipping the steak every 3-4 minutes, for a total of 16-18 minutes. Remove steak to a board and let it rest under foil.
- Prepare the avocado – peel and discard seed, then add lime juice and salt and mash using a fork.
- Layer a tray with half the chips, and cover with half of the cheese and half the pickled jalapeños. Place into the oven to melt the cheese and warm the chips, about 5 minutes. If you prefer, you can use the broiler setting, just keep a close eye to ensure it doesn’t burn.
- On top of the melted layer, add the remaining chips, jalapenos, and cheese.
- Cut the skirt steak into small bite size pieces, and scatter on top of the chips, then return to the oven for a further 5 minutes to melt the remaining cheese. Again, you can broil if you prefer.
- Spoon the avocado and sour cream onto the top of the nachos, then scatter the scallions and serve immediately.
- Cuisine: Tex Mex
Keywords: nachos, beef, tex mex
THIS RECIPE WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE GOOD FOLKS AT THE BEEF LOVING TEXANS.
