How To Grill A Skirt Steak And Have It Melt In Your Mouth
Everyone knows that certain cuts of beef are naturally tender and melt like butter in your mouth. Then, there are the cuts of beef that need a little "encouragement" to be as tender and flavorful. If you learn how to make these cuts of beef as tender and as flavorful as the prized cuts, you cannot really tell much of a difference. Such is the case with skirt steak. Here is how to grill a skirt steak and have it melt in your mouth like it is tenderloin cut.
Tenderizing Is Key
The reason skirt steak is considered tougher to chew is because it is located above and below the diaphragm of the animal. These are the muscle meats used to help the animal breathe when it is alive, and as you can imagine, it takes a lot of muscle tissue in this area to make the massive lungs work. Even if a rancher kept the animal in a barn all day, the skirt steak would still get a substantial amount of "exercise" to make the animal breathe, and the skirt steak would be a little chewy. Hence, tenderizing this type of steak is key.
There are two ways to do this. One, you can get out your meat tenderizing mallet and beat the piece of meat on both sides for about twenty seconds or so each side. Two, you can use a meat tenderizing agent that will help make the meat tender as it cooks. However, if you intend to marinate the steak or use other seasonings, the tenderizing agent may not stay with the meat, and then you are back to square one. Some people like to use a couple of shakes of the tenderizer on the meat, add a few quick whacks with the mallet, flip, repeat on the other side, and then season or marinate. It may be trial and error for you.
Flavoring the Meat
Skirt steak is definitely a good candidate for rubs and marinades. If you are going to grill the steak, a marinade is best because it supplies the meat with flavor and with extra moisture so that it does not dry out on the grill. For best results, marinate the steak at least a day before grilling it to allow the meat to soak up a lot of flavor.
Grilling the Meat
Brush butter on one side of the steak and toss it on a nice, hot grill. About three or four minutes is good. The meat should not stick when you attempt to turn it. After you flip it, butter the upturned side and give the steak another few minutes. Skirt steak is best when it is not well done or medium well done because overcooking it ruins your efforts at making it tender and juicy.
A company like Over The Fire Cooking can offer more tips for getting the most flavor out of a skirt steak.
