All about Skirt Steak

If you’re not familiar with skirt steak, here is all you need to know. It is a luscious cut to work with and perfect for marinating.

• What is Skirt Steak? It is one of the most flavorful cuts of meat, but also one of the toughest and must be cooked with care. Skirt steak contains the most muscle of all the cuts, giving it is distinctive look and flavor, but can also be over cooked easily. It is best to serve skirt steak rare to medium rare for the best flavor and tenderness.
• What to Buy: There are two cuts of skirt steak, the inside and the outside. You want to purchase the outside cut if you can. It will be longer, more narrow and very tender. The inside cut tends to be thinner and a bit more on the chewy side. Both will work perfectly for this recipe and give heavenly results.
• Perfect for Marinating: Because marinating meat really only penetrates the just barely under the surface of meat, the thinner the cut the better. Skirt steak is an ideal cut of meat for marinating because it is so thin and so long. More surface area to hold on to that exquisite flavor and allows the marinade to tenderize more of the meat.
• What if I can’t Find Skirt Steak: A beef cow only has two skirt steaks on it, meaning it is a more rare cut of meat. Often the outside will end up in a restaurant, meaning even fewer in the stores, so yes sometimes you won’t’ be able to find one. You can use a flank, flat iron or flap steak instead.

Tips For Perfectly Marinated and Grilled Skirt Steak

This is a quick cooking cut of meat, even though it is so large it won’t take long. Just a few minutes on each side of the meat you will find char markings with a crisp outside and tender, juicy inside. The perfect grilled skirt steak starts here!

• Marinade: When marinating steak, you want to marinate it for at least 30 minutes but no longer than 24 hours. If you over marinate steak you run the risk of breaking down the fibers creating mushy tough flavorless meat. I suggest flipping the steak half way through it’s marinating time.
• Discard Marinade: For safety reasons, discard all marinade before grilling. Do not use it to baste the steak as it cooks. If you want to do that, make a fresh batch to avoid contamination and possible illness.
• Grilling: Skirt steak should not be overcooked. It will become tough and chewy if over cooked. Grill over high heat for 3-5 minutes and do not cook over medium-rare. It will become tough. Steak will continue to cook for a few minutes after you have removed it from the grill so keep that in mind.
• Let it Rest: As with all meat, let it rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting to let the meat redistribute the juices into the meat.
• Cut Against the Grain: For the most tender and juicest bites of meat, be sure to cut against the grain. This means to slice it in the opposite direction the fibers are running.

This grilled skirt steak is super awesome on its own or you can slice it up for other recipes. This will go in fajitas, stir fry, on top of salads, or even in a cheesesteak sandwich. When serving it at a BBQ you want great side dishes to go with it. Sometimes the perfect side dish can elevate the meal from good to amazing.  Try these side dishes to go with it.

It’s grilling time and I couldn’t be more excited. There is something magical about combining heat and food outside on a grill. Whether it’s a gas or charcoal grill, there is just something rustic and natural about grilling that makes everything seem to taste better.  It is a fabulous way to cook since it keeps the heat out of the house and frees up the oven for other things if needed. Grilling can seem intimidating, but it isn’t. Try these tried and true gilling recipe for your next BBQ!

Ingredients

Instructions