What you need to know about cooking skirt steak
A few simple tricks for working with skirt steak bring out the best in this exceptionally flavorful cut of meat. Credit: Marge Perry
Skirt steak has an exceptionally beefy, savory flavor and a satisfyingly chewy texture. It is a long thin strip of meat that is best cooked quickly over high heat — making it ideal for getting dinner on the table fast!
There are two types of skirt steak: the outside and inside skirt. The outside skirt is more desirable: it is more tender, a little thicker and not quite as wide as the inside skirt. The outside skirt is about three to four inches wide and less than 1 inch thick. When you buy it in the grocery store, chances are the long piece of meat is folded over in the package. To make it more manageable, I generally cut that long piece across in half to cook it.
Cooking skirt steak is a quick business: 3 to 4 minutes per side gives you perfect medium-rare meat. Marinating adds good flavor, but when you’re in a hurry you can simply season it with salt and pepper and still have a tasty meal.
This is a perfect use for a cast iron skillet — but you can follow the same instructions for any other skillet, including nonstick as well.
After cooking the steak, let it rest (during which time it will reabsorb some of the juices) before slicing. Importantly, you want to slice it diagonally across its very visible grain. If you look at the photo above, you will see the grain on the unsliced portion of the meat runs from the bottom right to the top left — and that the meat has been sliced across that direction.
Marinated Skirt Steak
3 tablespoons lower sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
1 1/2 pounds skirt steak, cut across in half
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1. Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic and rice vinegar in a medium bowl. Add the steak and toss well. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes or refrigerate up to 4 hours.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high. Remove the steak from the marinade and wipe off the excess. Add to the skillet and cook, turning once, 6-7 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes. Sprinkle the steak with the sesame seeds and slice across the grain.
Makes 4 servings
