Skirt steaks come from two different muscles and are sometimes labeled as inside skirt steak or outside skirt steak. The more desirable outside skirt steak measures 3 to 4 inches wide and 1/2 to 1 inch thick. Avoid the inside skirt steak, which typically measures 5 to 7 inches wide and 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick, as it is very chewy. Skirt steak is most tender when cooked to medium (130 to 135 degrees). Thin steaks cook very quickly, so we recommend using an instant-read thermometer for a quick and accurate measurement.
To make the most of this steak’s ample surface area, we submerged it in a citrusy, garlicky mojo marinade. Soy sauce in the marinade seasoned the meat, and its glutamates enhanced the meat’s beefiness. We rubbed a thin coating of baking soda over the steaks before grilling them over high heat to guarantee great browning. To emphasize the mojo flavor, we boiled the marinade to make it food-safe and turned it into a sauce that we drizzled over the steaks.
1. Combine garlic, soy sauce, 2 tablespoons lime juice, cumin, oregano, ¾ teaspoon salt, orange juice, and pepper flakes in 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Place steaks in dish. Flip steaks to coat both sides with marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, flipping steaks halfway through refrigerating.
2. Remove steaks from marinade and transfer marinade to small saucepan. Pat steaks dry with paper towels. Combine 1 tablespoon oil and baking soda in small bowl. Rub oil mixture evenly onto both sides of each steak.
3. Bring marinade to boil over high heat and boil for 30 seconds. Transfer to bowl and stir in lime zest, orange zest, remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice, and remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Set aside sauce.
4A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: About 25 minutes before grilling, open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
4B. FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Turn off 1 burner (if using grill with more than 2 burners, turn off burner farthest from primary burner) and leave other burner(s) on high.
5. Clean and oil cooking grate. Cook steaks on hotter side of grill until well browned and meat registers 130 to 135 degrees (for medium), 2 to 4 minutes per side. (Move steaks to cooler side of grill before taking temperature to prevent them from overcooking.) Transfer steaks to cutting board, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. Cut steaks on bias against grain into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices on serving platter, drizzle with 2 tablespoons sauce, and serve, passing extra sauce separately.
Note: How you slice steak matters almost as much as how you cook it. Steak benefits from being sliced across the grain, which shortens its muscle fibers, making the meat more tender and easier to chew. Tough, thin cuts such as skirt, hanger, and flank steak should be sliced at an angle. This shows off a large cross section of the interior for more elegant presentation.
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From the start, this was Maggy’s crusade, so it should come as no surprise that I broke first. I was eighteen when the siren scent of red meat began tempting me again. The two things that ended it it all: Italian sausage and bacon cheeseburgers. I just couldn’t resist. Though I still eat a fair amount of Italian sausage (spare me the jokes about my Italian husband!), I can’t remember the last time I had a bacon cheeseburger. Nonetheless, they created a slippery slope that had me skidding back into the world of red meat.
Whether you love steak or not, check out this easy marinade recipe. With garlic, citrus, jalapeno, and honey, it turns simple steak into heaven on a tortilla! Mojo-Marinated Skirt Steak
I’m not a big steak eater. When we were kids, my older sister Maggy, banned red meat from her diet, and because I wanted to be just like her, I gave up it up, too. For the next decade (much to our mother’s chagrin) our family’s protein consumption was mostly limited to poultry and seafood. I can only imagine how much Mom and Dad looked forward to the weeks when their girls went to sleep-away camp or the nights we spent at friends’ houses, so they could sear pepper-crusted steaks and roast spice-rubbed pork tenderloins without causing a fuss.
But even after beef, lamb, and pork started making regular appearances on my plate, I just couldn’t get into steak. After years of abstaining, the idea of consuming rare meat was pretty repulsive. As clueless as I was then, even I knew the sacrilege of well-done beef.
I love steak in my tacos now, but I hate when it’s too rare, thick, or stringy to really bite clean. You know that awful moment when you bite into the taco, only to wind up indelicately dragging the whole piece of steak out and then using your fingers to wrestle it into pieces or to shove the whole thing in your mouth? Yeah, that. I hate that. I love skirt steak because when it’s marinated, grilled medium-rare, and sliced thin…it will never do this to you!
5. Clean and oil cooking grate. Cook steaks on hotter side of grill until well browned and meat registers 130 to 135 degrees (for medium), 2 to 4 minutes per side. (Move steaks to cooler side of grill before taking temperature to prevent them from overcooking.) Transfer steaks to cutting board, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. Cut steaks on bias against grain into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices on serving platter, drizzle with 2 tablespoons sauce, and serve, passing extra sauce separately.
1. Combine garlic, soy sauce, 2 tablespoons lime juice, cumin, oregano, ¾ teaspoon salt, orange juice, and pepper flakes in 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Place steaks in dish. Flip steaks to coat both sides with marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, flipping steaks halfway through refrigerating.
Note: How you slice steak matters almost as much as how you cook it. Steak benefits from being sliced across the grain, which shortens its muscle fibers, making the meat more tender and easier to chew. Tough, thin cuts such as skirt, hanger, and flank steak should be sliced at an angle. This shows off a large cross section of the interior for more elegant presentation.
4B. FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Turn off 1 burner (if using grill with more than 2 burners, turn off burner farthest from primary burner) and leave other burner(s) on high.
Donate today for as little as $5.00 a month. Your gift only takes a few minutes and has a lasting impact on The Splendid Table and youll be welcomed into The Splendid Table Co-op.
How to Make Grilled Mojo-Marinated Skirt Steak
FAQ
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