first experience cooking skirt steak

[charles_sills]

i have always heard wonderful things about skirt steak, but can never find it in my grocery stores. but today, i found some at a local supermarket. i bought two. tonight, i did fajitas. (real original, i know.) i have to say, the steak was luscious. unbleleivable succulent. i marinated the meat, but as flavorful as this cut seems to be, i dont know if i will marinade the second one.

any tips for what to do with the other one? im thinking something along the lines of a steak sandwich. quick sear and sliced thin of course. arugala. ill roast some red peppers, then puree them with some horseradish and mayo. maybe just a kiss of asiago cheese on toasted ciabatta. any better ideas?

maybe even a hearty pasta meal that includes cream, steak, and brussel sprouts? thats probably better for fall.

[chefonism]

I would do an asian inspired version, i would probably use soy sauce, minced ginger, and garlic as a marinade. do a quick sear, reduce the marinade into a glaze and add a touch of honey to combat the saltiness and a little red pepper flakes for a kick. do a quick sear, slice accross the grain and coat with glaze and sesame seeds! serve with steamed brown rice, seasoned with lemon rind and some gingered peas!

[pecandanish]

rosemary salt pepper crushed in a mortar and rubbed all over the skirt (the hangar is better), flash fried and rested. sliced thinly across the grain into a baguette slthered with dijon mustard and caramelised onions. a simple green salad, a glass of punchy red and nothing more

[msmarm]

Has anyone had the experience of inconsistent tenderness? Most times skirt steak is like butter, occasionally other times, it's like pink pearl eraser. What's up with that?

And regarding the sometimes large veins of fat (realizing fat is flavor), is there a way to cook/melt part of that away and still have the inside rare to med-rare?

[chefonism]

insanely high heat is the only way to do that, or trim part of the fat!

[Veggo]

The outer skirt is better marbled and more tender. The inner skirt is tougher, less marbled, and has a darker liver-like color. I always look carefully for the outer skirts. I cook them very quickly over hot charcoal, either with a brief marinade, or later with chimichurri.

[rockycat]

I love skirt steak nearly any way you make it. I like a simple marinade of lime juice, garlic, and salt (arracheras or basic fajitas) or just a sprinkle of salt and garlic powder before grilling.

What hasn't been mentioned yet is Cuban cooking. Skirt steak is excellent in both ropa vieja and vaca frita. Neither is a very quick preparation but both are delicious.

[biggreenmatt]

Yep. I eat a ton of sliced steak (skirt, flatiron, hanger, etc.) and my preference is simple seasoning: salt, pepper and garlic powder, seared over a 500F grill. Crusty outside, rare inside, perfectly seasoned and sliced razor-thin. Either on its own or in a salad, I often find sliced steaks tastier (and certainly cheaper) than ordinary steaks.

[Nanzi]

We had in Cape May NJ something called Black Diamond Steak. It was indeed black on the outside but med rare on the inside and totally delicious. It took me many months to duplicate it!!
The secret was to use Gravy Master as the base of the marinade.( Not Kitchen Bouquet, way too salty, nearly ruined dinner with it.) I add onion powder, paprika, garlic powder, salt pepper & a little cayenne and marinate in plastic bag for 5 or 6 hours, then grill hot on a grill just like other steaks. I am so glad I finally got this right, it is always a big hit!!

[Njchicaa]

I marinate skirt steak in a combination of olive oil, garlic, lime juice, fresh cilantro, Montreal steak seasoning, cumin, and paprika. Sometimes I add a shot of tequila too. Soooo good! I grill it and serve with corn on the cob and a green salad.

[juliejulez]

I made this the other night, although it does involve a marinade. http://www.chow.com/recipes/29784-gri...

I like the chimichurri idea. Also, I've found that most recipes that call for flank steak can be done with skirt.

[Veggo]

Skirt steak is thin and absorbs a lot of marinade. I do either a marinade, or chimichurri, but not both.

[EWSflash]

You have the best thing going- lime and salt when you grill it and slice it thin against the grain you have some fabulous steak there.

[Chi_Guy]

Skirt steak also works great in many Chinese stir-fry dishes. I've used it successfully in Grace Young's ginger beef (recipe & video are posted somewhere on this site) and other stir fry dishes. Used it to make the Cook's Illustrated version of carne asada steak tacos and it worked beautifully there too. Works great in any recipes that call for flank steak. I think it can also work nicely in a salad and I was going to try using it for philly cheese steak...I'll let you know how that goes.

Oh and one bit of advice for those new to skirt steak. My mistake when first cooking skirt steak was not slicing it correctly. Needs to be sliced against the grain and real thin or will be chewy. Otherwise this is a very flavorful cut of meat, my 2nd fav after ribeye and a lot more economical too.

[MelMM]

I love skirt and eat it more than any other cut of meat. Fajitas are a great way to go, but there is no need to marinate. Salt and pepper, then grill, high heat, just a couple minutes each side. The other thing I really like to use skirt for is a Chinese stir fry. Slice the long "belt" into 3-4 inch pieces, then turn 90 degrees and cut across the grain into thin strips (this is how you should always cut skirt, cooked or raw). Use in your stir-fry recipe of choice, a sichuan beef recipe is particularly good.

Finally, your choice of chimichurri is good. Don't marinate, just season with salt and pepper and grill over a hot fire. Make the chimichurri in advance and let it sit for a bit. That over the skirt steak is pure heaven.

[PHREDDY]

Real simple prep that I have used for years...some evoo, salt, and dash of black pepper and then take a clove of garlic, cut it in half and rub the meat with it.....let it then sit no more than a half hour, ( so not as to draw out two much moisture)...in the 1/2 hour of waiting...take some large spanish onions, slice them, throw them into a large skillet with some butter and some evoo....let them carmelize, nice and sweet....take your skirt steaks cut into about 8 ounce pieces and grill them, in either a grill pan or the barbe....nice and med rare, about 3 minutes a side on a hot fire...top with some onions, pour your self a nice glass of red, a baked potato, some sauteed green beans and have yourself a real party!!!!

[GretchenS]

I grilled my first skirt steak ever inspired by this thread and thanks very much to MelMM for the detailed slicing instructions, which I definitely needed (and passed on to another women waiting at the meat counter who asked me how I was going to cook the skirt steak). I mean, I grilled the whole thing and then sliced the rested steak according to MelMM's instructions.

[MelMM]

Just saw this, but I have to say I am so happy to have helped you out. I think the slicing is very important and a lot of books and recipes either leave it out or get it wrong. Also, a lot of photos of dishes that are supposed to be skirt steak are really showing flank, and that doesn't help matters any. I'm thrilled that you've got it figured out now and can enjoy this amazingly flavorful cut from now on.

[Veggo]

Love me a nice juicy grilled skirt steak, with fresh chimichurri. Garlic toast and roasted brussels sprouts will complete the meal, with a nice Rioja.

[charles_sills]

that sounds delicious. i havent thought about a chimichurri sauce. i always see recipes like that for flank steak, but at the prices i always see flank steak, i would rather be eating ribeyes...

[Veggo]

My chimichurri is:

1 bunch flat leaf parsley (I de-stem every leaf with love and music and wine)

6 garlic cloves

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup wine vinegar

3 tbs lemon juice

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne

I whack it all in my handy little chopper.

[charles_sills]

veggo, first off, i think i may have just hit the report button by mistake. hopefully that causes no trouble for anyone. sorry about that.
and secondly, sounds beautiful, i will use that sometime.

[Veggo]

No problem. I get reported all the time. Water off a duck's back.

[charles_sills]

good. i just happened to click report instead of reply.

[scubadoo97]

LMAO

[scubadoo97]

Excellent