skirting the steak

The skirt steak hangs beneath the ribs, and along with the hanger and the flank is probably my favorite cut of meat not called ribeye (or tenderloin, although it's been so long I don't even recall what it tastes like). I'm actually a huge fan of the flavorful cuts, and enjoy playing around with them. The similarities between the skirt and the hanger are remarkable. They both carry a distinctive texture, on the tougher side and certainly chewy, but nothing like the leathery brisket. Their flavor is deep and rich, almost organ-like.

I have no recollection of ever cooking a skirt, although my blog tells me I had skirt steak fajitas in January of 2011. Now I will buy them regularly. They are cheap. They are delicious. They take marinades well. They go great with any variety of sides, especially greens.

I eyeballed a rub of kosher salt, paprika, ancho chili powder, and brown sugar. Then I patted the rub on the steak and let it sink in while I chopped an onion. I mixed about a quarter onion with crushed garlic and several tablespoons of lime juice, then dumped the sauce on the steak in a plastic bag. Off to the fridge. Took it out about an hour before cooking.

The grill spiked the temp gauge (again), but I'm pretty sure that it was close 950 degrees. It actually had come back down to 750 by the time I put the steak on. The grill was hot, and I did season it with olive oil.

I had no timer, but I let the steak sit uncovered over the coals for about a minute and a half aside, or at least what felt like a minute and a half a side. Then I closed the grill and shut down the vents for another couple of minutes. Steak was done pretty much perfectly.

skirt steak fajitas

Skirt steak is new for us. Kind of sad, really, given that this cheap cut is flavorful and versatile. Makes a quick and easy fajita steak, easy to chop and good to chew on. Here is the basic formula for the green egg:

COOKING

1 minute sear (700 degrees)
3 minutes per side (cut airflow to egg--temp usually sits at 350-450)

The result is a reasonably crusted exterior, with an internal temperature from rare to medium depending on the thickness of the cut, which varies along the slender skirt cut. Go longer for fajitas, as rare skirt steak is unbearably chewy. Medium is still juicy, and has that rich flavor associated with the skirt and hanging cuts. So my guess would be that I could up this to 4 minutes per side without damaging the quality of the meat.

PREPARATION

No rub. Salt, pepper, and paprika dusting. This is the second time doing this with skirt steak, and it gives me a basic sense of its flavor. Any rub should accentuate the meat's rich flavor. Some combination of sweet and spice would be nice. Perhaps a chili powder-paprika rub, with a search for a third ingredient (cocoa; cinnamon; cardamom, all potentials).