Sure, we've been taking it easy on the red meat as of late. But that doesn't mean the urge doesn't come calling. You know which one I'm talking about. Especially now that summer is in full swing and the smell of charcoal wafting through the evening breeze is a nightly happening. So when the opportunity arose to pick up a beautiful 1.5 pound skirt steak, I jumped on it.
In terms of flavor and affordability, skirt steak is at the top of my list of favorite cuts. There are a couple ways to coax some extra tenderness out of it, though. It is a diaphragm muscle after all - just think about how much it was working!
First, trim any excess fat. Don't worry about getting it perfect, any extra will just melt away on the grill. You do want to make sure to remove the thin membrane that lines the underside of the steak. This will get chewy when cooked.
Usually I try do a proper marinade in the fridge the night before. But since I got a late start and only had a couple hours before grill time, I went with a flavor-packed spice rub. Out came the mortar and pestle and my stash of dried spices.
Another trick is to cook skirt steak over really high heat. You want to get a nice crust on the outside while not overcooking the center of the steak. To do this, I get a full stack of charcoal going in my chimney starter. Once it's ready to go, I bank them all over to one side. This makes for a super hot fire and creates an area of indirect heat when the steak needs to finish cooking.
Finally, once the steak is cooked to your liking, pull it off the fire and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Slice into it too soon, and the steak will release all of its savory juices and dry out. To serve, thinly slice skirt steak across - perpendicular to - the grain. This cuts across the long strands of muscle and makes for perfect tender morsels of deliciousness.
Grilled Ancho Chili-Spiced Skirt Steak
Adapted from Serious Eats
This is a great smoky spice rub with some soft heat. This may end up being a generous amount of spice rub for just 1.5 pounds of steak. I used all of it because I was short on marinating time. If you do have any left over, cover tightly and store in the fridge. It's great brushed onto roasted vegetables, grilled chicken... it'll be gone in no time.
Yield: Serves 3-4
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds skirt steak, fat trimmed
- 1 tablespoon ancho chili pepper
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon kosher sea salt
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
- 4-5 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Directions
- In a mortar and pestle, crush the cloves of garlic and the kosher sea salt into a paste. You can also use a small bowl with the back of a fork, just mince the garlic beforehand. Add spices and olive oil. Mix well until smooth.
- Cut steak into two roughly equal portions if necessary. Spread rub evenly over all sides of steak. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours. If you have the time, let it marinate overnight.
- Remove steak from fridge. Light a full stack of charcoal in a chimney starter. Once the top starts looking a little ashy, pour and bank coals into one side of a charcoal grill. Place grill grates over coals and heat for 5 minutes. Clean grates with a wire brush.
- Once the coals are nice and hot - you shouldn't be able to hold your hand over them for more than a couple seconds - place steak on grill directly over coals. Cook for 3 minutes, until nicely charred. Flip and cook for another 3 minutes. Move steaks over to indirect heat and cover, cooking until a meat thermometer registers 130 for a nice medium-rare.
- Remove steaks from heat and transfer to a cutting board. Let rest for at least 5 minutes. To serve, slice thinly across the grain. Enjoy!
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