Fajita is one of America’s favorite Tex-Mex food. What it is is grilled steak over charred bell peppers and onion. One of the most iconic thing about the dish is the way its served. Often brought to the dinner table with a sizzling hot Fajita Pan. The noise, the aroma and the smell is what brings awe to the guest. The great thing about this, is that you can do it right at your own. All you need is a Fajita Pan. However, there are a lot of choice on the market, to help you out, we have listed some of the Best Fajita Skillet on the market.

How do You use a Fajita Skillet

Fajita Pans are primarily used as a serving platter. The tiny oval shape is generally just big enough to serve one person. However, you can use it to cook small items. I like cooking eggs and bacon for breakfast. But you can basically use it as a tiny cast iron pan.

How do you make a Fajita Pan Sizzle

To use a Fajita Pan as a serving platter, all you need to do is heat it up prior to plating. This will keep the food hot and give it that signature sizzle. Now some might not know what the sizzle really is. It is the rapid evaporation of juice from the steak or vegetable. Since not all steak are equally juicy, chef uses a squeeze bottle full of liquid prior to serving. They will typically put the reserved marinade from the skirt steak. All you need to do is squeeze some around the plate right before bringing it out. You will get that smoky sizzling effect.

One final thing to note, is to make sure that you use a wooden plate. The last thing you want to do is burn your table. Most pans will come with a wooden trivet. I would also caution your guest to be careful around the pan.

Caring for your Pan

Traditional Fajita Skillets are made with cast iron. As with all cast iron utensil, they can rust if you strip the seasoning. When you wash it, a simple scrub with salt should be able to clean it effectively. Do not use overly harsh soap as it will strip the seasoning.

If for some reason it did rust, you can always sand it off with sand paper. I will then coat it with oil and bake it at 350 degree Fahrenheit for half an hour. That should add the coating back on.

Fajita Grill Pan vs Standard

There are two type of grill pan, one with the ridge and one without. The normal one are generally more versatile. You can cook a wide range of food. However, they dont produce the grill mark.

The Fajita Pan with the grill mark are great if you plan on cooking meat in them. They will produce a grill line just like the BBQ models. But for the vegetables, you will need a separate skillet. Kind of defeat the purpose of a one skillet meal. But some people like it.

Best Meat to use for Fajita

The outer skirt steak is the preferred choice for fajita. They have the perfect chew, flavor and fat ratio. You should marinade and then dry it thoroughly prior to grilling. Fajita Meat should only be cut after its grilled, do not cut it prior to cooking. If you do so, it can dry it out and become overly dry.

After grilling, it is recommended that you at least let it rest for a few minutes. This way it will remain juicy. Those pictures where you see juice oozing out of a steak is a result of steak being cut too early.

Best Fajita Skillet List

There are a lot of Fajita Pan on the market. The vast majority of them are cast iron. They all work well, but what differs is their weight and fit/finish. I have assembled a list of what I consider to the Best Fajita Pan around.

Lodge Cast Iron Fajita Set (Best Overall)

Lodge is one or the largest cast iron manufacturer in America. Their products are unbeatable for price and quality. However, this set is so popular that its constantly sold out. As a result, you are paying a bit of a premium for it. The set without the wooden trivet is quite a bit more Affordable. So if you can find a substitute wooden tray, that might be a better choice.

Old Mountain Fajita Plate Set (Best Buy Alternative)

Since lodge availability can be scarce, Old Mountain is a good alternative. While they are not made in the usa, it still does the job well. Plus, you get a wooden tray to serve it on. This model like the other pans are preseason for protection and nonstick.

Jim Beam JB0159 (Best Fajita Skillet with Grill Mark)

If you intend on grilling the fajita on the pan, then Jim Bean is a great choice. It is currently one of the highest rated Fajita Skillet on the market and it comes with a trivet. Just remember, its only big enough for one serving. So if you plan on serving multiple people, buy more than one.

Thoughts

Fajita skillets are essential if you plan on getting that authentic tex-mex experience. All you need to do is heat it up, plate and pour some juice over it. Your guess will be amazed by that sizzling sound. There are a lot of models on the market. They all work generally well. I find that Lodge are the best made one, but they can be hard to find with trivet. Luckily, the other more affordable alternative works just as well.

Want more Lodge products? Check out our review on Lodge Cast Iron Skillet.