Every night is steak fajita night with this recipe for perfectly grilled tri-tip steak rubbed down with homemade fajita seasoning, served with warmed flour tortillas, guacamole and plenty of grilled peppers.
Calling all steak fajita fans! It's dinner time. If you love steak fajitas, this recipe is for you. You'll never want to go to the restaurant for fajitas again.
We're cooking up our fajitas in the traditional style, but we're changing up a few things.
First, we're not using skirt steak. I KNOW what you're going to say. "But Mike, skirt steak is the absolute KING of the steak fajita world." You're right!
Skirt steak fajitas are dang delicious, but you may never go back once you try them with tri-tip. Tri-tip? Oh yeah!
Tri-tip is an inexpensive cut of beef cut from the bottom sirloin, from the muscle group that controls the steer's back legs. It's an ideal cut for it's flavor and juiciness, and it holds up well to our fajita seasoning mix.
Second, we're using our own Homemade Fajita Seasoning Recipe Mix Recipe so we're sure to get a flavor we prefer. Of course you can use your own preferred store bought brand, but give this one a try.
It's just the right balance of ingredients. I need to keep this around the house all the time now.
Third, we're serving them up with a mixture of spicy chili peppers seared in a cast iron pan right on the grill.
Traditional fajitas are served with grilled bell peppers, and again, you can sure serve them up this way if you prefer, but we're loving the extra kick that comes with the spicier peppers.
I personally used a mix of jalapeno peppers, Crimson reds and a red habanero tossed into the mix.
Let's talk about how to make grilled tri-tip steak fajitas!
How to Make Tri-Tip Steak Fajitas
First, rub down the steak with a generous portion of fajita seasoning mix.
Next, sear it on the hot grill a few minutes per side. Move it over to the cooler side and let it cook another 15-20 minutes until the internal temp reaches 135 degrees F. This is a very important step. It allows the steak to cook through properly and come to your preferred temp.
Now, let the cooked steak rest then slice the steak against the grain. SO FREAKING GOOD! If you haven't yet tried tri-tip, try it this way first.
While the tri-tip is resting, the next step is cooking the peppers and onions. They bring a wonderful sweetness to your fajitas.
Grill them over the same grate as the steak, or in the same pan if you're using a skillet. Dash them with a bit of salt when they're just about done.
Serve it all up with warmed tortillas and all of your favorite fixings. I've included a few links to some of OUR favorite toppings below.
I hope you'll try them all. Enjoy fajita night!
Recipe Tips & Notes
Cooking the Steak
Let's talk a bit about cooking tri-tip. A typical tri-tip steak is about 2 pounds and because of its triangular shape, it often cooks a bit unevenly.
This is NOT a problem.
Purists say to cook them only to medium-rare, but they are delicious cooked to medium and retain much of their characteristic juiciness.
Steak Fajita Marinade
If you'd like to marinade your steak first before grilling, use a mixture of lime juice mixed with freshly chopped garlic and cilantro, spicy chili flakes or chili powder, a touch of cumin and a touch of honey for sweetness.
Or try my fajita marinade recipe. So good!
Marinate the steak for 4 hours for the most flavor, however, you can easily get flavor with a quick 10 minute marinade.
This particular recipe doesn't call for a marinade. Instead, I've used the fajita seasonings to layer in the flavor. I love the way it turns out. Marinating is optional.
What's the Best Steak for Steak Fajitas?
Most steak fajitas are made with marinate skirt steak or flank steak. They're grilled thin and sliced, then served on tortillas.
However, I personally love tri-tip, as it has a similar texture with outstanding flavor.
Leftover Tri-Tip
You can make this recipe with leftover tri-tip steak or other cuts of steak. I do this all the time.
Simply rub down the leftover meat lightly with fajita seasoning, then quickly grill or sear in a hot pan to heat them up, then proceed to grilling your peppers.
Patty's Perspective
I need this WAY more often! Fajitas are always the same in restaurants. When you make them at home, you can make them how YOU want, with your own flavors and your own heat level. These are the best.
Try Some of My Other Popular Beef Recipes
- Steak Fajitas
- Carne Asada
- Carne Asada Beef Tacos
- Beef Barbacoa
- Beef Enchiladas
- Pepper Steak
- Marinated Tri Tip in the Oven
- Tacos al Carbon
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
- Chicken Fajitas
- Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
- Tacos al Pastor
- Mexican Picadillo
- Chili Colorado
- Fajita Marinade
- Bean Burritos
If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you'll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don't forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I'll be sure to share! Thanks! -- Mike H.
Grilled Tri-Tip Steak Fajitas Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 2-pound Tri-Tip steak
- ½ cup Fajita Seasoning – Use our Homemade Fajita Seasoning Recipe Mix
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4-6 red and green peppers sliced – Bells are traditional, but I used an equivalent mixture of jalapenos and spicy red peppers
- 1 large onion sliced
- Fresh sliced tomatoes for serving
- 16 flour tortillas warmed
- Guacamole for serving
- Picante sauce for serving - Try my Picante Sauce Recipe
- Other toppings as desired, such as shredded cheese, sour cream, hot sauce…
Instructions
- Heat the grill to medium-high heat.
- Rub the tri-tip steak down with the fajita seasonings. Sear it on each side on the grill, about 5 minutes per side.
- Close the lid and adjust the heat to 350 degrees. Cook the tri-tip steak about 15 minutes, then flip and grill an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the internal temp reads 135 for medium-rare.
- Remove from heat and allow to rest 10 minutes.
- While steak is resting, set a cast iron pan onto the grill and heat. Add olive oil.
- Add peppers and onions and sear them up until softened yet still slightly crisp. Remove from heat.
- Slice the tri-tip steak against the grain and set into the hot pan. You can toss the steak with additional fajita seasonings if you’d like and give the slices some extra sear, as desired.
- Serve with warmed tortillas tomatoes and your fixings.
- ASSEMBLY: Stack a tortilla with a few strips of tri-tip steak, then with peppers and onions, then top with sauce, guacamole, and whatever else you’d like. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition Information
Steak fajitas are gluten free with corn tortillas, low carb and paleo friendly.
Becky says
Could you please tell me the proper way to cook the tri tip on the stovetop instead of the grill? This recipe sounds awesome but I need to cook it on the stove.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Becky, for stovetop cooking, you'll need to use your oven as well. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Rub the tri-tip down with seasoning, then sear it in a pan on the stovetop for 5 minutes per side. Then, transfer it to the oven to bake for about 15 minutes, then flip and bake an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the internal temp reads 135 for medium-rare. Remove from heat and allow to rest 10 minutes. You can proceed with the recipe from there. Let me know how it goes.
Chillihead scottish variant says
These sound fantastic. I'l make sure to try this.
My local Mexican food joint (also the only decent Mexican in this entire city I know of, which is annoying as they aren't authentic by design, aiming for a more "Californian" style) do great fajitas, but they don't offer anything close to this as a filling, so tbh right now I'm wondering why.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great. Yeah, that's a bummer!
Charles P. says
This is a big family favorite. My daughter has asked that I make this again this weekend. Thank you.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Charles! Glad you daughter loved it. I'm a big Steak Fajitas fan for sure.