At the market, it’s quite normal when a piece of filet or ribeye captures your eye. Other tendersOther tenders, tasty, and more economical cuts, on the other hand, are frequently disregarded. You should, however, try something new and intriguing the next time you have a beef craving and go for the less popular skirt steak.
After rapidly searing in a hot pan, this thin, quick-cooking steak cut is packed with meaty flavor and finds a way to stay tender and juicy. Provided that you know the right ways to cook a skirt steak, you’re sure to end up with delicious results.
Skirt Steak Nutrition Facts
Tips for Cooking Skirt Steak on the Stove
The following tips we’ve compiled below will help you achieve optimal results when cooking a skirt steak on the stove:
What is a skirt steak? – Skirt steak is a long, thin cut of meat with visible grain. Immediately beneath the rib portion comes from the steer’s short plate or diaphragmatic area.
The outer and the inner skirt steaks are the two types. This is crucial to know since the texture and softness of this cut will vary, especially when it is lean and has some strong muscle fibers.
Because it is softer and less abrasive, the exterior skirt is preferred. It will be about three to four inches in width, ½ to one inch thick, and significantly longer than the interior cut.
The inner skirt is about five to seven inches in breadth and half as thick as the outside skirt, giving it a chewier taste. If you have access to the inside skirt, you can tenderize it using a meat mallet, which will get it to a ¼-inch thickness and a marinade.
Because the beef is typically folded when packaged, it can be difficult to identify whether the steak you’re looking at is an inner or outer cut. If you have access to the butcher, you can inquire about the cut’s location.
The best way to cook a skirt steak – The best way to cook skirt steak is to sear it in a hot pan. My preferred choices are a cast-iron skillet or a hot grill. Here are a few more cooking ideas for the most delicious skirt steak:
Dry your steaks: It is always advisable to dry the surface of your steaks before seasoning or searing them; this will help you achieve a nicer crust. Any extra moisture will typically produce steam, reducing the chances of a beautiful sear on the steak.
Cook the steaks quickly: Cook them quickly on high heat rather than slowly on low heat. Skirt steaks have very little connective tissue. Because the low-and-slow approach helps break down connective tissue, fattier pieces of beef with many connective tissues do better when cooked at low heat for long periods. With skirt steak, this isn’t an issue.
The ideal way to cook skirt steaks for a soft result is to cook them hot and fast. A juicy finish is ensured by the short flash time, which only takes a few minutes on either side.
Avoid overcooking: A quick hot sear creates a savory seared crust, and undercooking your steaks by a minute lessens the chances of overcooking. With a few minutes of friction with the hot surface, the best texture is achieved, resulting in medium-rare doneness. Because skirt steaks are typically thin and lean, cooking them past medium-rare or medium doneness will result in a dry and chewy steak, which is generally unpleasant to eat.
How to slice your steaks – Make sure the skirt steak is thinly sliced against the grain, about ¼-inch thick. To make a bias cut, hold your knife at a 45-degree angle. This ensures more tenderness by increasing the surface area between muscle fibers, preventing stacking, and making eating simpler.
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Cooking Time for Skirt Steak on the Stove
The timing guidelines in the table below are important to keep in mind when cooking a skirt steak on the stove:
Cooking Procedure
Cooking Time
Cooking a skirt steak on the stove
2 to 4 minutes on each side
PrintSkirt Steak (4 Servings)
Ingredients
- 1 pound of skirt steak
- One teaspoon of kosher salt, as necessary to season
- ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper, as necessary to season
- Two tablespoons of olive oil
Instructions
- Cut the skirt steak into smaller pieces, about 2 or 3 in number, each piece being about 5 to 7 inches in length, that is, if your skirt steak comes in a long strip. This will make them fit better inside your pan and make slicing them simpler later.
- Dry the steaks thoroughly on both sides using paper towels. To help brown the meat’s surface, the surface of the steaks should be very dry. Season both sides of the steaks generously with some salt and pepper.
- For 3 minutes over high heat, heat a large 12-inch cast-iron skillet pour in the olive oil once the pan is heated.
- Toss the steak into the pan with tongs, then push down hard on the surface of the steaks a few times for better contact. Depending on how thick your steaks are, sear the first side for about 2 to 4 minutes until browned. Cook for an extra 2 to 4 minutes on the other side. Cook the steak until it achieves a core temperature of 130°F for medium-rare doneness. If necessary, work in two batches.
- Place the steak on a cutting board and cover loosely with foil, then let them rest for 10 minutes or thereabout before slicing into them.
- Cut the steak across the grain, let the pieces you cut them into be about ¼-inch thick, and hold your carving knife at an angle of 45 degrees. Place the skirt steak on a platter to serve.
This recipe for stovetop skirt steak yields very flavorful and tender steaks that you and your guests will surely enjoy. The entire cooking time for this recipe is 23 minutes, including a prep time of 8 minutes and a cook time of 15 minutes, meaning that these flavorful steaks get done in very little time.
If you’d like to try more recipe ideas for cooking skirt steak in a pan, then check out this video recipe.