To pre-slice or not to pre-slice fajitas?
In both skirt and flank steak, and when cooking indoor, is it more ideal to preslice marinate then cook? or marinate cook then slice?
My understanding is that pre-slicing allows you to marinate more, but at the price of meat juice.
Best Answer
Marinating only works on the surface of the meat as salt is the only thing that can get inside the slice of meat. So I suggest marinating the meat sliced and then cooking it. Extra bonus - cooking time is shorter!
I have some extra tips, take if you want. A good idea is to cook it hot and quickly like in a wok, but if you don't have a wok then that's okay (I don't have one myself). That way you sear the outside of the slices and what juice there is in the small piece of meat should stay in. If you do cook at high heat remember to use an oil with a high smoking point, like avocado, ghee, lard, or coconut oil.
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Quick Answer about "To pre-slice or not to pre-slice fajitas?"
Slicing the meat will allow you to develop better flavor on more seared surfaces, though. And the marinade will be more effective and will be absorbed a bit more into the meat (with more surface area), thereby somewhat offsetting the moisture loss during cooking.Do you slice fajita meat before cooking?
Steak for fajitas should be cooked to rare or medium-rare for the best texture and flavor. Slice thinly, against the grain. Cutting meat against the grain into thin strips shortens the muscle fibers, reducing the amount of work you have to do to chew them, and making even tough cuts taste tender.Is it better to cut meat before or after cooking?
A steak is not a bag of juices, nothing significant will leak off of it. It's indeed better to cut in a smaller piece that fits your pan, the whole steak should touch the bottom of the pan otherwise you might have uneven cooking / raw ends. Show activity on this post. TL;DR: Yes, it's fine to cut meats before cooking.How do you make fajitas not chewy?
If your beef fajitas are chewy, it is likely because you cut the steak in the wrong direction, or because you didn't give it time to properly marinade. Cut the Beef Against the Grain. Slicing meat against the grain helps tenderize it.Why do my fajitas come out tough?
Important slices To ensure tender fajitas, make sure to cut the meat across the grain. Otherwise, this beautiful piece of fajita meat will be tough. There's a scientific reason behind this: cutting across the grain results in chewing the meat with the grain. Then, it's tender.Cut Beef - How to Slice Flank Steak
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