Ingredients

Homemade Soft Shells:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 2 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup shortening or oil
• 1/4 cup bacon grease
• 1 cup hot water

Fajita Meat:

• 2 pounds J. Austin Farms flank steak (also called skirt steak)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon ancho chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon course sea salt
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika

Fajita Seasoning:

• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Fajita Toppings:

• 1 yellow bell pepper, julienned (cut into thin strips)
• 1 red bell pepper, julienned (cut into thin strips)
• 1 orange bell pepper, julienned (cut into thin strips)
• 1 poblano pepper, julienned (cut into thin strips)
• 2 jalapeño peppers, finely chopped
• 1 large Vidalia onion, julienned (cut into thin strips)
• juice and zest of 1 lime
• tortillas
• grated sharp cheddar cheese
• sour cream
• salsa

Directions

1. For the soft shells, sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix in shortening/oil and bacon grease until well combined. Mix in water and work the dough into a ball. Kneed dough in mixer for 2 minutes, adding flour to take away stickiness. Cover dough and let rest for 10 minutes. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces, work into a ball, then roll out to form the shells to a thickness of your liking (approximately 8-inch circles). Heat a cast iron skillet and cook the tortillas one at a time over high heat, 45 seconds to 1 minute per side. Remove from heat and keep tortillas covered with a clean kitchen towel until ready to serve.
2. For the fajita meat, combine all meat ingredients in a ziplock bag and marinate at least 2 hours, up to 24 hours for better flavor. Remove meat from marinade, saving liquid. Smoke meat using hickory at 150 F for 2 hours. Remove meat from smoker and slice lengthwise against the grain into 1/2″ thick strips.
3.  Combine the fajita seasoning ingredients and mix with sliced meat.
4. Combine leftover marinade with julienned peppers and onions.
5. Heat a cast iron skillet with 2 tablespoons of lard in the smoker at 500 F.  Ensure the cast iron is hot enough to sear the meat (sometimes I will heat it on the stove to sear meat then transfer to smoker). Sear meat for approximately 10 minutes or until the it reaches 130 F.
6. Pour the peppers, onions, marinade, and lime juice into the skillet and simmer for approximately 20 minutes.
7. Serve with lime zest, tortillas, shredded cheese, sour cream, and salsa.