TENDERNESS: Controversial. A lot of people insist it’s tough, but if sliced thinly I think it’s easy to chew whether cut across the grain or not.
GRAIN: wide, loose grain runs across the width
FAT: nicely fatted, evenly distributed
KEY FEATURES: Richly flavourful, with a delightful texture. A few of my butcher friends describe it as “buttery” tasting. I think they’re right.
© 2018 by Rob Firing
When I can stop dreaming of prime rib steak long enough, I really do think that skirt steak is my next favourite. It is very well fatted between its large, loose fibres, cooks easily and quickly, and is forgiving a little past medium-rare. Thin slices of less than 1/4 inch will yield a bite that is sufficiently tender for most steak eaters. The skirt steak is a great example of a cut that is not technically tender in terms of shear, but feels tender enough because of its texture and consistency, not unlike bavette.
The fat in skirt steak is soft and melts quickly. It seems particularly tasty, too, and there is hardly a need to oil a pan or your steak as you place it on the grill (but I give one side a very thin coat, just in case).
There are two types of skirt steaks: the inside skirt and the outside skirt. There is some confusion between the two, even among steak enthusiasts. The first thing to remember is that, for the purposes of grilling steak, there really isn’t that much difference—both are skirts, after all. But let’s break it down.
The outside skirt is responsible for moving the diaphragm in the live animal, and is just a little more tender. It is attached to the rib cage, running around the outside of the abdominal wall (thus “outside” skirt). It is thinner than an inside skirt from the same animal, which is why it is sometimes called a thin skirt. It is the original fajita, which means “little belt” in Spanish, because that’s what it reminded people of, winding as a belt around the thoracic cavity. It is occasionally sold with its membrane still attached (this is the diaphragm itself). For all the recipes in this book, the membrane needs to be removed before cooking. Let your butcher do that for you.
The inside skirt, responsible for compressing the abdomen, is a little less tender and slightly thicker than an outside skirt from the same animal, with a somewhat wider grain. Being attached to the flank steak, it is sometimes included as part of the flank, as it is in Argentina, making for the very large matambre steak, big enough to stuff and roll. (If that has raised an eyebrow, see the matambre recipe.)
Both skirts are about 15 inches or more in length, and just 1/2 inch or more thick. The best way to max out the tenderness if you’re not serving it as a single, unsliced portion, is to grill it whole, cut it into 5-inch pieces, and then slice those pieces across the grain. The best way to cook it is quickly, with a lot of heat, to get a nice colour and to flavour your crust without overcooking the meat.
If you don’t feel like reading a recipe, know that you can simply cook a skirt steak over a hot grill or in a hot pan for 5 to 7 minutes and be pretty happy with it.