Use this Skirt Steak Marinade recipe to create a juicy, tender, flavorful skirt steak right at home! This easy marinade recipe combines savory, citrus and umami flavors that will soak right into the steak and give it the perfect flavor. This recipe makes a delicious grilled skirt steak and is perfect paired with chimichurri sauce!
Ever since creating the perfect sirloin steak marinade, I’ve been obsessed with creating delicious marinades for every cut of meat. Next up in my series of marinade recipes is the best marinade for skirt steak.
Skirt steak is a long, flat piece of meat with thick grains running across the muscle. It’s one of the most flavorful cuts of beef, but is also one of the toughest cuts because it contains a lot of connective tissue. That’s why it’s important to marinate the meat before cooking it, to tenderize the beef.
When it comes to cooking skirt steak, you want to cook it quickly over high heat, because it is a thin cut of meat and can overcook quickly. My favorite way to cook a skirt steak is on the grill, but if you don’t have a grill available, you can create a similar taste and texture by cooking the steak in a grill pan, or cast iron skillet on the stove.
Because this is a tougher cut, it’s best to marinate skirt steak before cooking it. This will help to tenderize the protein and it will allow you to customize the flavors of the steak. Before marinating the steak, you should trim away any excess fat or silver skin (or ask your butcher to do so).
Why this recipe works
- Acid from the lemon juice and apple cider vinegar tenderizes the beef.
- Salt from the soy sauce flavors the beef.
- Olive oil helps the steak achieve a delicious char on the outside.
- Worcestershire sauce adds a wonderful layer of unami flavor.
- These all combine for a perfect balance of flavors!
- Skirt steak – this is a long, thin cut of steak. I recommend looking for a skirt steak that’s between 1.5 – 2 pounds in size for this recipe.
- Lemon juice – because this is one of the main ingredients in the marinade, I recommend using fresh-squeezed lemon juice to create the best flavor in the marinade.
- Low-sodium soy sauce – I like to salt my steaks at the end, so I use a low-sodium soy sauce to reduce the salt content in the marinade. If using traditional soy sauce in the marinade, I recommend tasting the steaks before adding more salt at the end.
- Extra virgin olive oil – other vegetable oils can also be used, like avocado oil, sunflower oil, canola oil or peanut oil.
- Worcestershire sauce – to add a wonderful umami flavor to the marinade.
- Apple cider vinegar – this ingredient adds another level of acidity to help tenderize and flavor the meat.
- Dijon mustard – the vinegar in the mustard also helps tenderize the meat, and the flavor of the dijon adds a wonderful tanginess to the marinade.
- Dried Italian seasoning – I like to use my homemade seasoning mixes whenever possible. Just click the link to the left. It’s easy to whip up in less than 5 minutes! Of course, you can also use premade Italian seasoning, found in the spice aisle at the grocery store.
- Minced garlic – I recommend fresh minced cloves for the best flavor.
- Black pepper
- Red pepper flakes – these add just a touch of spice and flavor. Feel free to leave them out if you’re sensitive to spice.
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Marinate the steak. Combine lemon juice, low-sodium soy sauce, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, Italian seasoning, minced garlic, black pepper and red pepper flakes in a gallon size zipper bag or large bowl. Add the steak to the bag, or bowl, and marinate for at least 20 minutes. I recommend 1-8 hours for the most flavorful, tender skirt steak.
- Note: I do not recommend marinating for more than 8 hours, or the acidity of the marinade will start to break down the proteins in the meat and can cause the steak to become mushy.
- Heat a grill. Preheat a grill over high heat. Use tongs to remove the steak from the marinade, shake off any excess marinade, then place the steak of the grill. Discard the bag of marinade.
- Grill the steak. Grill the steak over high heat for 5 minutes per side.
- Rest the steak. Remove the steak from the grill and place it on a large cutting board. Loosely cover the steak with foil and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
How to cut a skirt steak
To get the most tender pieces of skirt steak, make sure to cut it against the grain.
To do this, you’ll want to start by cutting the grilled skirt steak across the grain into three large pieces.
Next, you’ll slice each of these pieces of steak against the grain into slices as thin or thick as you’d like.
How To Make The Best Skirt Steak | Chef Jean-Pierre
Does skirt steak need a marinade?
Steak on its own has incredible flavor and texture. This skirt steak marinade enhances the natural flavors of the steak without overpowering it. Using the right marinade for your cut of steak can elevate it from great, to absolutely amazing. And this marinade does just that for skirt steak.
Skirt steak vs Flank steak: Which is healthier?
Both the steak variants have similar amount of energy and proteins as both are cut from a similar animal. Moreover, skirt steak is cut from the lower portion of the animal, just behind the fore limbs. Flank steak is also cut from the lower part but behind the skirt steak or before the hind limbs. Both the meat variants have characteristic flavor but are not very tender. Thus, they can be used for grilling, roasting, sautéing or broiling. However, the steak should not be cut thickly or over cooked to avoid toughness and dryness.
Why do you marinate skirt steak before cooking?
Skirt steak is a long, flat piece of meat with thick grains running across the muscle. It’s one of the most flavorful cuts of beef, but is also one of the toughest cuts because it contains a lot of connective tissue. That’s why it’s important to marinate the meat before cooking it, to tenderize the beef.
How long do you marinate a skirt steak?
Add the skirt steak to the bag, or bowl, and make sure it’s completely covered in the marinade. Place the marinating steak in the fridge to marinate for at least 20 minutes. I recommend 1-8 hours for the most flavorful, tender skirt steak. To grill the marinated skirt steak, preheat a grill over high heat.