398341 Fri May 04 09:00:00 -0700 2007 16 31 Home Cooking 0 2541283 Any tips? I've tried it out and loved it, but I'm still working on my barbeque skills on this one. Seems to get more tender as it cooks, which I guess makes sense, since it's the same cut as brisket, right? Is this a matter of personal taste, or is there a right level of "doneness" for this cut? Fri May 04 09:00:00 -0700 2007 77410 oralfixation 1 2541321 Most emphatically it is not brisket: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skirt_steak I have had it cooked rare, I don't know if that is 'correct' but it is my taste. Some cuts, if you cook them well done, turn into a hockey puck. I don't know if this is the case here. Fri May 04 09:08:26 -0700 2007 2541283 13445 Louise 2 2541573 I think the short answer is "yes -- skirt steak quickly turns into a hockey puck". The more complete answer is that when we talk about "low & slow" cooking making a brisket "fall apart tender" what we are really saying is that the embeded collagen melts away. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brisket Skirt steak has nearly no fat and no real collagen either -- its from that odd "middle of beast" portion of the animal that is neither chest (brisket) nor belly (flank) in packer terms it is the "plate" -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skirt_steak vs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flank_steak vs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brisket My guess is the ONLY way to actually tenderize it is through ENZYMATIC actions: http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=15802408 but I know that when I get really well prepared fajitas that have been expertly cut/trimmed/sliced they are not excessively tough. The other possibility is that some grocers are selling hanger steaks as skirt steak -- and the appearanc eis so close that only an expert butcher would know the difference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanger_steak Fri May 04 10:07:50 -0700 2007 2541321 87093 renov8r 3 2541583 Actually once - you've seen both hanger steak and skirt steak, I think they are pretty easy to distinguish - skirt steak is thinner, longer and narrower than hanger steak as far as I can tell. Fri May 04 10:10:25 -0700 2007 2541573 10985 MMRuth 1 2541328 Skirt Steak has nothing to do with brisket. It is a long, thin steak that is up to 3 ft long and probalby not more than 1/2 inch thick and maybe 5 inches wide. There is a very noticeable grain running width wise. The longer you cook it the tougher it gets, I don't think it should go much past rare or at the most medium rare. When I cook it, it takes barely 2-3 minutes per side for about rare plus (slightly more than rare). It sounds like you are talking about a different cut of steak. Fri May 04 09:10:19 -0700 2007 2541283 12821 ESNY 2 2541341 Agree about the cooking of skirt steak - one of my favorite cuts. If I have time, I like to marinate in olive oil. red wine, fresh herbs that I have around - particularly oregano, garlic etc. It's a great cut for last minute work night dinners when you want to have something v. quick to cook. Fri May 04 09:13:14 -0700 2007 2541328 10985 MMRuth 1 2541549 skirt steak is similar to flank or hanger steak. Most people marinate to help break down the fibers as they are pronounced. It is usually cooked quickly and I believe traditionally used for fajitas. However, I think this is another one of those cuts where you can also cook it forever in the slow cooker and it will be tender; anything in between will be tough. Fri May 04 10:03:29 -0700 2007 2541283 70054 Suzieg 1 2541592 I am making skirt steak, or arrachera tomorrow for lunch/early dinner for Cinco De Mayo.... Get your butcher to run the trimmed skirt steak through the tenderizer he should have behind the counter(the machine in back with the pins or gears) It will really improve the tenderness. I marinate mine in fresh squeezed lime juice(2 limes) , minced garlic, minced/seeded jalapenos, kosher salt, and black pepper for a couple of hours before grilling. I grill it for about 4 mins per side at the most, and then let it sit 10-15 mins before slicing. Always tender and great. I learned the above recipie/technique from some coworkers from mexico I used to work with as a cook back in the day... As always great meat starts with a vistit to a great full service butcher shop. I have to give credit where credit is due. Thank you Polancics Meat & Tenderloin, Ottawa, IL. Fri May 04 10:11:50 -0700 2007 2541283 26725 swsidejim 1 2541667 I think you have to understand some steer anatomy to appreciate skirt steak. On the hanging side, the skirt is a flap that is part of the animal that contains some of the organs (not important which). It is the same as the flap you see on a cut of pork spareribs. While the steer hangs aging, the skirt is exposed to the air and ages much faster than the rest of the side. If left until the side is ready to cut for retail, it is usually spoiled...dry, dark red, shriveled. Consequently, meat packers will go thru the plant and remove the skirts from the side before the skirts spoil. In the olden days, they would keep the skirts or give them to their friends. With the popularity of fajitas, they are now rather popular and expensive. Often, the skirt is cut from the side before properly aged, and it will be rather tough. The best skirts are deep red, and look almost spoiled. I prefer them marinated in teriyaki, but that is just a preference. When you buy skirt steak from a retailer, you takes your chances. If well aged and marinated, definitely cook rare or medium. Fri May 04 10:30:28 -0700 2007 2541283 12274 OldTimer 1 2541730 I think the key to skirt steak is to marinate it, cook it quickly and not well done, and you HAVE to cut it against the grain or it is tough. If you don't slice it the right way it won't matter about anything else you have done. Fri May 04 10:47:02 -0700 2007 2541283 80937 danhole 2 2543390 Agreed--fast cooking, a rest, and the correct slicing are critical. Skirt steak needs to be cooked quickly, on a very hot fire. Then let it rest under foil (more important for thicker cuts like the flank). Finally, slice is against the grain. Here's my handy ASCII diagram: Skirt and flank steak look like this: ||||||||||||||| <- A long strip of steak, the lines indicate the grain of the meat. Cut it so that it looks like this: ||||| ||||| ||||| ^cut ^cut (Number of pieces depend on how long the steak is. Cut it so that each chunk of meat is 3-4 inches long.) At this point you have a couple of pieces that you’ve cut WITH the grain. Now take one of those pieces and rotate 90 degrees. Cut slices AGAINST the grain, making “fajita” size pieces of meat. Do the same for the remaining chunks. _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ ^^^^ Cut thin slices against grain. Repeat for the other two (or more) chunks of meat. Fri May 04 20:01:57 -0700 2007 2541730 96432 nelsonii 3 2544321 Cute and effective graphics; you should collaborate with Mark Bittman as his illustrator! Sat May 05 11:24:20 -0700 2007 2543390 57170 Veggo 1 2542263 Rick Bayless says outer skirt steak is smaller, thicker, and more tender than inside skirt. Also to cook skirt to medium doneness - if cooked too rare it will be chewy, too well done and it comes out dry. Fri May 04 12:57:17 -0700 2007 2541283 77247 Romanmk 2 2543369 This sounds like the beast I've been dealing with. It doesn't work rare. Given that I'm usually an eater of bloody meat, I went that way the first time. Medium does seem to be more tender with the cut I've been getting from my very good butcher. Thanks all for the marinade tips. I'll be happy to give it another go. Fri May 04 19:49:09 -0700 2007 2542263 77410 oralfixation 3 2543576 I always cook skirt steak rare. In fact it's even good reallllly rare. It's just delicious pan-fried in a very hot cast iron skillet with salt sprinkled over the surface of the pan. It's also very good when used for tomato beef (the Chinese or Chinese-American dish) Fri May 04 22:19:20 -0700 2007 2543369 10245 oakjoan 1 2543883 The jfoods have skirt steak 3-4 times per month. This may sounds like sacriledge but we marinade in a botled marinade from the grocer called Wasabiyaki, a spicy teriyaki based marinade. Jfood has found that the best method is sliced the skirt into 3-4 "chunks" and place in a zip-loc bag for 6-8 hours. Then jfood grills it fro 3 minutes per side on the weber set at medium (after pre-heat). Jfood then serves the chunks, nice a medium rare. Delish. Sat May 05 07:18:22 -0700 2007 2541283 11290 jfood 2 2544289 Doesn't sound like sacrilige to me. One of the favorite dishes I served when I was doing a personal chef gig for a family for a while was skirt steak, broiled just to medium rare with a sauce made from a container of fresh salsa that I warmed through and cooked down just a bit. Super easy and very tasty. Sat May 05 10:55:20 -0700 2007 2543883 80141 ccbweb