How long should I grill skirt steak?

Use a paper towel to pat steak dry. (You can leave some of the paste, but for the best sear, the meat should be dry when it hits the grill.) Grill meat over direct heat until char lines appear, and meat is done to taste, 3 to 5 minutes per side, or broil until charred, 2 to 5 minutes per side.

How should skirt steak be cooked?

5 Tips for Cooking the Perfect Skirt Steak As with any piece of meat, season well. Heat is key: hot pan, hot grill. Skirt steak is thin and cooks in just a few minutes, one to five minutes per side depending on thickness. Rest your steak, so the juices have time to redistribute and don’t run out onto your cutting board.

How do you make skirt steak more tender?

Try a little tenderness. There are two additional ways to tenderize skirt steak: chemical and mechanical. The chemical method involves marinating the skirt steak in some sort of acid, like lime juice or vinegar, for several hours or overnight. This helps break down some of the meat fibers.

Do you close the grill when cooking steak?

For thicker cuts, you want to close the lid to keep the temperature high and even. Large steaks, chicken, and roasts have much more depth for the heat to penetrate, and closing the lid will give the heat time to sink in and cook the meat through in much the same way an oven does.

Why is my steak tough and chewy?

Overcooking can make your meat dry but undercooked meat can be quite chewy. Don’t be afraid of an instant-read meat thermometer and pull your meat when it’s ready. For naturally tender cuts like beef tenderloin, that can be as rare as 125ºF, whereas tougher cuts like brisket should be cooked to 195ºF.

How do you cook skirt steak so it’s not tough?

Skirt steak is thin and lean, so going past medium-rare or medium doneness will yield an extremely dry and chewy steak. Cook it hot! Cook it fast with high heat, instead of low heat for slow cooking. There is not much connective tissue in skirt steak.

How do you cook a serious skirt steak?

Place skirt steak on hot side of grill and cook, flipping occasionally, until well-charred and an instant-read thermometer inserted into their center registers 115°F to 120°F for medium-rare or 125°F to 130°F for medium. Transfer steak to a large plate, tent with foil, and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Why is my skirt steak so tough?

Skirt steak is shaped much the same, but tends to have a beefier flavor. But, this cut comes from the diaphragm muscles of the animal, making it a tougher piece of meat. It can become very chewy quickly, especially if it’s not cooked correctly. They love marinades and high-heat, quick cooking.

Why is skirt steak so expensive?

Contributing to the rise in prices is heavy export of the skirt steak to Japan. Because the diaphragm is classified as offal, not muscle meat, it was exported in larger quantities than other cuts of beef to Japan, which, until last month, imposed stringent import quotas on cuts of beef other than offal.

Does skirt steak need to be marinated?

Skirt steak is long, narrow, and only ½ to 1 inch thick. Because it’s so thin, you need to cook it over high heat to ensure that the outside is well browned by the time the interior is tender and juicy. Skirt steak is also a great candidate for a marinade.

Is skirt steak tough or tender?

Flavor and texture: Skirt steak has even more intense beefy flavor than flank steak. It does contain more tough muscles than flank steak, though, so should only be cooked to rare or medium rare for the most tender texture. It should also be cut against the grain when served.

How long should I Marinate skirt steak?

Marinate, refrigerated, for 3 to 4 hours before grilling, but no more than 10 hours. When ready to cook the steaks, prepare your grill for grilling.

What kind of meat is skirt steak?

Skirt steak is a cut of beef steak from the plate. It is long, flat, and prized for its flavor rather than tenderness. It is not to be confused with flank steak, a generally similar adjacent cut nearer the animal’s rear quarter.