What Is Beef, skirt steak and How Can I Use It?

Beef, skirt steak rewards a little know-how: how to choose it, cook it, store it, and substitute in a pinch. Browse 13 recipes to cook with it.

Key Points

Skirt steak is a thin, loose-grained plate cut with the most intense beefy flavor.
Cook it hot and fast, about 2 to 3 minutes a side, and pull at 130°F.
Slice thin across its long, coarse grain or it eats chewy and ropey.
Lean and marinade-friendly, it is the classic steak for fajitas and carne asada.
Flank steak is the closest substitute; outside skirt is more tender than inside skirt.

What is beef, skirt steak?

Skirt steak is a long, thin, loose-grained cut from the plate, the lower belly of the steer near the diaphragm. It is one of the most intensely beefy cuts on the animal, with deep flavor and a pronounced, open grain you can see running across the strip.

It is also lean and tough if you cook it wrong. The two rules that make skirt sing are simple: cook it hot and fast, and slice it thin across the grain.

That bold flavor and loose texture are exactly why skirt is the traditional steak for fajitas and carne asada, where it soaks up a marinade and chars fast over high heat.

How to Use It

Skirt is thin, so it wants a screaming-hot grill or pan and almost no time. Pat it dry and salt it, then sear about 2 to 3 minutes a side and pull it at 130°F (54°C) for medium-rare. Any longer and the lean meat dries out.

A marinade earns its place here. An hour or two in lime, garlic, oil, and chili both seasons the meat and softens the surface.

That is the backbone of fajitas like Red's South Texas Fajitas and Authentic Tex-Mex Fajitas, and it carries Korean and citrus versions like Korean-Style Marinated Skirt Steak and Carne Asada Y Naranjas.

Then slice it. Rest the steak a few minutes, find the wide grain, and cut thin strips straight across it.

This step matters more on skirt than almost any cut, because its grain is so long and coarse that slicing the wrong way leaves chewy, ropey meat even when the cook was spot on.

Pairing and Substitutes

Skirt's big beef flavor stands up to bold partners: lime and chili, garlic, cumin, smoky charred peppers and onions. Its richness wants brightness alongside it, which is why it lives in tacos and fajitas rather than under a cream sauce.

The closest swap is flank steak, which shares the same lean, long-grained character and takes a marinade the same way, though it is thicker and a touch less tender.

Hanger steak is another good match with comparable beefy depth. In a pinch, thin-sliced sirloin or flap meat will do, but lean harder on the marinade for flavor.

Buying and Storing

There are two skirt steaks. The outside skirt is thicker and more tender; the inside skirt is thinner and a bit chewier. Either works, but the outside skirt is the prize when you can find it.

Look for a deep red strip with that obvious open grain and a little marbling threaded through. Peel off any tough membrane on the surface before cooking, or it tightens and curls the meat on the heat.

Keep raw skirt in the coldest part of the fridge and cook it within 3 to 5 days, or wrap it airtight and freeze for up to a year. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then marinate before it hits the grill.