You're in the mood for a delicious and tender Philly cheesesteak? Or delicious and spicy fajitas? Go for skirt steak, which is an inexpensive, versatile cut of beef that goes well with any of your favorite steak dishes. Skirt steak is very tasty when cooked by grilling or frying. Read on for how to cook a delicious skirt steak.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Preparing the Steak for Cooking
Step 1. Cut the steak into appropriate portions
Skirt steak is usually a whole piece of meat lengthwise. Steaks can be left whole if your grill or skillet can accommodate them. If not, cut the steak into smaller portions.
Step 2. Beat the steak to make it more tender
Skirt steaks are usually a bit tough and some cooks prefer to tenderize the meat with a tenderizer.
- Cover the skirt steak with plastic wrap or place the skirt steak in a plastic bag.
- Use a meat tenderizer, meat mallet, frying pan, or other tool to beat and tenderize the steaks to a thickness of 1.3 cm.
Step 3. Choose the seasoning for the steak
Skirt steak is usually seasoned with marinade or dry spices to make it richer and more tender. Choose marinades or dry seasonings that match the dish you are cooking. Additionally, you can also use salt and pepper to season the steaks.
- Commonly used marinades are lime juice, vinegar, mustard, or olive oil. You can also use a variety of other marinades for beef.
- Dry seasonings that are commonly used are quite varied, ranging from simple ones, such as salt and pepper, to sharp flavors, such as cayenne pepper, cumin, lemon, or garlic.
Step 4. Coat the steaks with the marinade or dry spices
Place the steaks in a plastic container. Refrigerate for 1 to 24 hours to allow the marinade or dry ingredients to soak into the steak.
Part 2 of 3: Cooking Skirt Steak
Step 1. Cook the skirt steak by grilling method
This is a commonly used cooking method and makes the steak even tastier. Here's how:
- Heat the grill over high heat.
- Place the steaks on the grill.
- Cook the steak for 3 minutes for the first side then turn the steak over and cook another 3 minutes for medium doneness (half done). If you like the steak to be rare (rarely raw), broil the steak for 2 minutes on each side. If you prefer steaks that are well done, broil the steaks for 4 minutes on each side.
- Remove the steak from the grill and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving to allow the juices to soak back in so the meat becomes more tender.
Step 2. Cook the skirt steak using the pan sear method
Here's a handy way to cook a delicious steak if you don't have time to turn on the grill:
- Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a steel skillet or frying pan on the stove.
- Place the skirt steak pieces on the skillet.
- Cook the steaks for 3-4 minutes on each side.
- Brush the steaks with the marinade or oil in the skillet while the steaks are cooking.
- Remove the steaks from the pan and let them rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Step 3. Cook the skirt steak by broiling method
Here's an alternative if you want your steak to be grilled-like without the hassle of turning on the grill::
- Remove and set your oven rack at a distance of 12.7 cm from the heat so that the meat is close enough to the oven heat.
- Turn on and turn the oven knob to switch the function to a broiler and then heat it up.
- Place the steaks on a special baking sheet or pan or similar that has been lightly greased or buttered.
- Bake the steak for 3 to 4 minutes then turn the steak over and re-roast the other side.
- Remove the steaks from the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Part 3 of 3: Serving Skirt Steak
Step 1. Slice the steak
Skirt steak is usually served thinly sliced considering the meat is quite tough. Place the steak on a cutting board then slice the steak thinly against the grain of the meat with a sharp knife.
- Pay attention to the direction of the fibers on the steak.
- Cut the skirt steak against the grain.
Step 2. Serve the steaks
Steaks can be served with butter, blue cheese, paprika, onions, chimichurri sauce, and other additions for a richer flavour. You can also serve steaks in the following ways:
- Make a Philly cheesesteak.
- Make steak fajitas.
- Make carne asada tacos.
- Make steak lettuce.
