Meaty problem...skirt steak

A couple of days ago a friend gave me a 6lb cryovaced hunk of beef which he claims is skirt steak.

The problem is this is one big thick skirt,not the nice thin ribbons of beef one usually sees at the market.

Does anyone know the proper way to slice this thing up? I'm thinking of just slicing it in thin sheets from one end to the other but it looks like a nice piece of beef and I'd hate to mangle it. Any rec's on tenderizing and seasoning would also be appreciated.

John

Slicing it into thin steaks is what I would do. In fact my first thought was to take it to your local Mexican grocery store and see if they will do it for you, they do this all the time and are really good at it. They will trim it, slice it and then run it through a tenderizer machine (at least at my local they do).

As for seasoning, I rub on salt pepper, cumin, oregano, chili peppers and a little olive oil and let that set for an hour then toss onto a very hot grill.

JSM wrote:A couple of days ago a friend gave me a 6lb cryovaced hunk of beef which he claims is skirt steak.

The problem is this is one big thick skirt,not the nice thin ribbons of beef one usually sees at the market.

Does anyone know the proper way to slice this thing up? I'm thinking of just slicing it in thin sheets from one end to the other but it looks like a nice piece of beef and I'd hate to mangle it. Any rec's on tenderizing and seasoning would also be appreciated.

John

I've been seeking the advice and input of Evil Ronnie on the same issue.

JSM wrote:A couple of days ago a friend gave me a 6lb cryovaced hunk of beef which he claims is skirt steak.

John,

Full sized skirt steaks are a personal favorite for grilling, just be sure to slice against the grain.

My patented method is to marinate in olive oil, lemon or lime juice, jalapeno, chopped scallion, white onion, cilantro, fresh garlic, kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. A couple of minced habeneros and a grate of fresh allspice in the mix also work well.

Grill hot and fast over lump, slice against the grain and, Bob's yer Uncle, damn tasty skirt steak.

Enjoy,
Gary

Happy Birthday Gary

Live and learn.After opening the cryovac package I discovered that there were 6 skirts inside the package.The vacume packaging made it look like it was 1 piece of meat. Each skirt had a nice layer of fat and membrane on each side. Peeled of the membrane and fat, trimmed em up and voila...a skirt chasers dream come true.

At this moment they are marinating away in a bath of white wine vinegar,applejuice,garlic,kosher salt,black pepper,white and green onions and the tailend of a bottle of 3 buck Chuck.

A chef friend of mine said to let 'em soak for 3 days. Seems a bit extreme,but we'll see.

JSM -

I saw the same thing - cryovac-ed skirt steaks. I passed on a $2.25 price because I couldn't figure out how to cut them up either ... now I have to find another bargain.

skirt steak (arrachera) at my local mexican carniceria/fruteria is about $3.69/lb, usda choice. not a fantastic price (given the neighborhood, where it can be found for $2.50/lb or less regularly), but wonderful meat and very convenient, nonetheless.

the butcher took a full-sized skirt steak, trimmed much of the excess fat, and then butterflied into a 3-panel hunk of meat, about 9" wide and a good 3 feet long, or more, and about 3.6 pounds trimmed. he then ran it through the machine.

we divided it into 6ths, sprinkled each with salt/pepper/olive oil and grilled them very quickly over a hot lump charcoal fire, let them rest, and then snipped them into bite sized pieces, served them with el milagro corn tortillas, salsa verde and homemade chimichurri, and various fixin's.

it was heaven. juicy, flavorful meat, and not at all tough or stringy. skirt steak is my favorite "everyday" cut of beef. prime isn't necessary or even an option, it's intensely flavorful, and, cooked right, has one of my favorite textures.

mmm, now I'm hungry. bah.

-ed

Overbought and now have about 10 pounds of it. Aside from the usual, carne asada for tacos, simple grilled, etc, what else can I do? Found a recipe from cooks illustrated that uses flap meat and shortrib for burgers so I figure I could try that, but what else would ground, chopped, etc. skirt be good for?

Mince (by hand. errr....by knife) and use in a cottage/shepherd's pie or do the same mince and use in a ragu alla bolognese http://culinariaitalia.wordpress.com/20 ... ic-recipe/

sloppy joe's, philly cheese steak, stir fry and chili come to mind too. Oh...you can mince it again and make a sort of a faux beef hash for some eggs to sit atop


dan

shadesofjay wrote:Aside from the usual, carne asada for tacos, simple grilled, etc, what else can I do?

I'm a hardcore skirt steak fan. My suggestion would be to freeze it (packaged well) and then use it as needed exactly as you've described. If it ain't broke... Simple grilled skirt is the definition of perfection, imo.

If you pound the hell out of it, it's great stuffed and rolled. I actually prefer to use it for bracciole over other cuts.

Great ideas all. I was really curious if it would work well in a ragu and it looks like I have my answer.

Skirt is my go-to for a lot of dishes but my favorite is:

Nuea nam tok - Waterfall Beef Salad
Simply grill the steak, cut it against the grain (typically cut into 3-4" squares, then slice thinly along the original length)
Serve with lettuce leaves, sliced tomato and cucumber, and a dressing of 1/4C fish sauce, 1/2C lime juice, minced shallot, minced scallion, cilantro and red pepper (dried or fresh)

Other uses: it makes a great teriyaki steak, fajitas/tacos al carbon, grilled and sliced over a salad with blue cheese... my favorite steak, really.