A Little Known Cut of Steak That Will Rock Your Face
I love a great steak.
Unfortunately, a steak dinner at a quality steakhouse will cost quite a bit. To be honest with you, I hardly ever order a steak when dining out anymore simply because I know I can make it better myself.
I’m going to tell you about one of my favorite cuts of steak, and teach you how to cook it. You’ll be hard pressed to find it on any menu, and I doubt that you’d ever guess what it is.
Today we’re going to talk about skirt steak.
Skirt steak comes from the belly of the cow and is known for it’s flavor more than it’s tenderness. However, when cooked and cut correctly, you’re in for quite a treat.
Preparation
The key to cooking any great steak is to get your grill to searing temperature. I personally use a charcoal grill, and I won’t throw a steak on my grill unless I get the cooking temperature to at least 400 degrees.
Cooking
The rule of thumb is, if the meat your cooking isn’t thicker than your finger, you leave the lid of the grill open. The thickest part of a skirt steak is right on the edge of that guideline, but much of it is thinner, so I always grill it with the lid open.
The grill should be hot enough that you can hear the meat sizzle the instant it touches the grill grates. I like to cook the skirt steak to just a tad past medium. An experienced grill master will cook by feeling the springiness of the meat, but in general I’ll cook it about 4-5 minutes per side.
Slicing
The best way to eat skirt steak is in thin strips (about ¼ of an inch thick) cut against the grain of the meat. A piece of skirt steak is generally longer than it is wide, and cutting against the grain will be cutting along the long edge of the meat. If it’s too long, I like to cut the steak in half to make it easier to cut. You should be able to pull the meat apart and have it “spring back†sort of like an accordion.
My favorite ways to eat skirt steak are:
- Saute some mushrooms, and serve them over a helping of the steak strips. Add some sides, and you’ve got a delicious meal.
- Skirt steak is THE signature meat used for steak fajitas. Throw some of the strips in a tortilla along with some sauted peppers and onions, and it’s Mexican food night!
Skirt steak will generally cost you about $7 to $8 a pound which is cheaper than the more expensive Rib Eye or New York Strip cuts, but in my opinion delivers just as much, or more flavor.
As we enter the summer cookout season, fine tuning your grilling skills will help you impress your friends and family. With such a dazzling display of fine food coming off the grill, you’re sure to have your family begging to fire up the bbq instead of taking them to a restaurant.
What’s your favorite cut of meat to throw on the grill?
Brought to you courtesy of Brock
Brock is a software engineer by day and personal finance blogger at night. He is a fitness junkie and enjoys grilling and smoking meat. Married with two children, Brock strives to improve his skills as a husband and father, and is always on the lookout to stretch his family’s budget as far as he can.
I like skirt steak as well. It’s not a big secret. I know many Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries offer skirt steak at restaurant. I still prefer ribeye but for budget minded people or for big gatherings skirt steak is a great deal.
Glad to meet a fellow skirt steak lover, Sun818! I’d love to see how someone else prepares skirt steak, but I haven’t seen it on any menu yet (as you mentioned it may be more common in other countries). As for preferring Ribeye….for me I think it depends upon my mood. I actually think that skirt steak has better flavor – and I actually prefer a good New York Strip over Ribeye.
Oh man, you’ve got me HUNGRY now! 🙂 Thanks for your comment!
Before more of the US wised up to the wonderfulness of fajitas, skirt steaks were cheap. Now they’re crazy expensive, too. Flank steak can be a slightly less popular substitute. But often top sirloin in cheaper, which is crazy!
@Jenny – True story! But pound for pound a great skirt steak will still be cheaper than Strip or Rib eye…and has great flavor. Plus, it’s presented differently – at least for me it is…I serve it sliced with mushrooms with gives the meal just a little different “flare” than a normal slab of steak. 🙂
Very true! I’m just mortally offended at paying high prices for skirt steak. 🙂
I mostly cook “ethnic” foods that have beef cut into small pieces rather than a steak–my husband’s not European and doesn’t really care for “big hunks of meat,” as he jokingly calls it. So I almost never buy more expensive steak cuts, anyway–whether it’s fajitas, Sichuan or Cantonese dishes, or a Moroccan tangine, I usually have a mixture of veg and meat cut into smaller pieces, and sometimes fruit, too. It’s also a good way to get flavorful veggies, which is a problem with most standard American dishes. 😀
That’s a great point, Jenny regarding American dishes. I never thought of it that way – the “big hunks of meat” tend to be the centerpiece of the meal. Maybe next time I make something like skirt steak I’ll slice it up into even smaller pieces, mix in my mushrooms, onions, peppers and other veggies and have a “torillaless fajita” sort of thing. That sounds good. I bet I could apply that to other dishes too. I’d love to incorporate fruit too…..
A good Moroccan tangine recipe book will knock your socks off if you like the sweetness of dried fruit with meat. You can substitute beef for lamb/mutton in those recipes. 😀 I do all the time.