Updated on December 25th, 2023
Fresh-off-the-grill, mouthwatering, tender steak is always a culinary delight. In particular, grilled skirt steak recipes produce tender, flavorful, and incredibly delectable results. Because the grilling process for skirt steak tends to bring out the finest qualities of cut of meat, it’s always a good idea to follow the right cooking instructions.
In this article, you’ll learn how to properly grill a skirt steak and the best tips for delicious results. We advise that you take note of our timing guidelines as they are also important to achieve the best outcome.
Skirt Steak Nutrition Facts
Tips for Cooking Skirt Steak on Grill
The following tips will help you get the best out of your recipe when cooking skirt steak on the grill:
Cut up your steaks for easier cooking – A skirt steak is often an extremely thin, long cut of meat. If desired, divide the steak into three or four sections for separate servings and easier carving after cooking.
Marinating your steaks – Marinating a skirt steak before cooking it on the grill can give it a variety of flavors and wonderful aromas. Skirt steak has a distinctive accordion-like structure of gritty muscle fibers that increase surface area. As a result of the steak’s coarse structure, more flavor can be absorbed into the steak’s essence, thus enhancing the meat’s flavor.
Some marinade options that are sure to give your skirt steak amazing flavors include the following:
- Marinade your skirt steak with cloves of garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, fresh lime, and orange juice if you’re trying to prepare grilled steak.
- Brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic cloves are also great ingredients to try.
- Soy sauce can be used alone or combined with chili paste or brown sugar to make a delicious marinade for your skirt steak.
Ideally, the marinating period should not exceed 30 minutes for the flavor not to overshadow the steak. A good way to prevent this and still enjoy delicious flavors is to serve
the steaks with slightly extra sauce for dunking or topping instead. After marinating, make sure the meat is completely dry before cooking it on the grill.
Using a charcoal grill versus a gas grill – The instructions for cooking a skirt steak over a charcoal grill and a gas grill are similar, with only slight variations.
For a charcoal grill
- Set your skirt steak directly atop the hottest portion of the grill and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. To decide how long you should grill skirt steak, you’ll typically need to establish your preference; rare, medium, or well-done.
- One minute before the midway mark, turn the steak on its other side.
For a gas grill
- Preheat a gas grill to a high setting before cooking. Grill your skirt steak for 1 to 2 minutes over the hottest portion of the gas grill. Then lower the heat to medium heat and keep cooking.
- One minute before the midway mark, turn the steak to the other side.
Ideal timing based on preferred doneness – Sear your steaks for 1 to 2 minutes on each side on high heat, then transfer them to indirect heat. A minute before it reaches the halfway point of the entire cooking duration, turn the steaks. We recommend using a meat thermometer to measure the internal temperature and the timing guidelines in the next section to get optimal doneness.
Always rest your steak -Resting your skirt steak after cooking is vital to ensure that the liquids seep back into the meat and remain moist and tasty.
To do this, cover your skirt steak lightly with foil and set it aside for 5 minutes before serving it. During this time, the meat’s temperature will rise by around 5°F (also known as “carryover cooking”). The final temperature after resting should be 135 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Cooking Time for Skirt Steak on Grill
The timing guidelines in the table below are ideal for cooking skirt steak on the grill. This timing is based on the assumption that there is an initial searing over direct heat for 1 to 2 minutes before reducing the heat or moving the steaks to a less hot portion of the grill.
Preferred doneness level
Cooking time on a gas grill
Cooking time on a charcoal grill
Rare
4 to 6 minutes
4 to 6 minutes
Medium-rare
5 to 7 minutes
5 to 7 minutes
Medium
6 to 8 minutes
6 to 8 minutes
Well-done
8 to 10 minutes
8 to 10 minutes
PrintGrilled Skirt Steak (10 Servings)
Ingredients
For The Marinade
- ⅓ cup of olive oil
- ⅓ cup of dry sherry
- ⅓ cup of soy sauce
- Two tablespoons of honey
- One teaspoon of garlic, minced
- One teaspoon of crushed red pepper
- 1 cup of chimichurri sauce, optional
Instructions
- Season both sides of the steaks using a light sprinkle of salt and pepper.
- Combine the dry sherry, olive oil, honey, soy sauce, garlic, and red pepper inside a zip-top plastic bag or a shallow baking dish. Place the steak into the contents of the bag or baking pan and marinate it for 30 minutes on the counter.
- Preheat the grill to a high heat level (at least 500 degrees Fahrenheit, use a higher temperature if possible), clean the grates and oil them.
- Preheat the grill to a high heat level (at least 500 degrees Fahrenheit, use a higher temperature if possible), clean the grates, and oil them. Take the steak out of the marinade (ensure to discard any leftover marinade) and sear it for about 3 to 4 minutes for each side on a hot grill, or until the internal temperature of the steak rises to 130 degrees F. Allow the steak to rest for 5 minutes before you slice it into thin strips across the grain. If desired, serve the sliced steaks with the chimichurri sauce.
This recipe is sure to deliver mouthwatering results to your palate and impress your guests, so we encourage you to try it. Just follow the appropriate instructions and timing guidelines to get the best results.
If you’re interested in more ideas for grilled skirt steak recipes, we suggest that you check out this video recipe for some interesting inspiration.
