Skirt steak fajitas

Skirt steak is a cut skirt steak fajitas beef steak from the plate. It is long, flat, and prized for its flavor rather than tenderness. It is not to be confused with hanger steak, a generally similar adjacent cut also from the plate. Though it is from a different part of the animal, its general characteristics and uses cause it to be confused with both flank steak, taken from the flank behind the plate and the flap meat from the bottom sirloin behind the flank and above the rear quarter.

Both the inside and outside skirt steak are the trimmed, boneless portion of the diaphragm muscle attached to the 6th through 12th ribs on the underside of the short plate. This steak is covered in a tough membrane that may be removed before cooking. By keeping the membrane it will be more tender but would require the eater to remove it which is why many remove it prior to cooking. The inside skirt steak is often confused with the flank steak, which is the tail of the porter house and T-bone steaks of the short loin found on the flank, and hanger steak.

The name “skirt steak” for the butcher’s cut of beef diaphragm has been in use since at least the 19th century. The cut is defined as extending to the 10th rib in the early 20th century. Skirt steak is the cut of choice for making fajitas, arrachera, Chinese stir-fry, churrasco, and in Cornish pasties. To minimize toughness and add flavor, skirt steaks are often marinated before grilling, pan-seared or grilled very quickly, or cooked very slowly, typically braised.

They are typically sliced against the grain before serving to maximize tenderness. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Market Classes and Grades of Meat”. American Meat Trade and Retail Butchers Journal. Everyone Eats: Understanding Food and Culture. Tex-Mex, Cal-Mex, New Mex, or Whose Mex?

USDA Foreign Agricultural Economic Report, No. New York: University of Queensland Press. How to Cook Skirt Steak Skirt steak is a meat lover’s dream! This thin, quick-cooking cut is loaded with beefy flavor and stays tender and juicy after briefly searing in a hot pan.

Learn how to cook skirt steak with finesse with these simple tips. Jessica is a Certified Culinary Scientist, Certified Food Scientist, and cookbook author. She has been a recipe contributor to Simply Recipes since 2018. Skirt steak is a meat lover’s dream! Skirt steak can be simply seasoned or marinated for extra gusto — it’s often used to make fajitas.

It’s best cooked in high heat for a short time, to deliver juicy slices of meat quickly to the dinner table. Skirt steak is a thin, long cut with visible grain. It comes from the short plate or diaphragm area of the steer, just under the rib section. There are actually two types—the outside and the inside skirt steak. This is important to know because the texture and tenderness will differ, especially since this cut tends to be quite lean, with some tough muscle fibers. The outside skirt is more desirable, because it’s tender and less coarse. 2- to 1-inch thick, and noticeably longer compared to the inside cut.

The inside skirt is wider, about five to seven inches, half as thick, and yields a more chewy bite. Sometimes it’s hard to tell if the steak you’re looking at is an inside or outside cut, especially since the beef is folded when packed. If the butcher is available, I recommend asking about the location of the cut. What’s the Difference Between Skirt Steak and Flank Steak? Both skirt steak and flank steak are lean cuts of beef that are often grilled, pan-seared on the stovetop, or stir-fried. Flank steak comes from the flank primal, the abdominal area right next to the short plate, where the skirt is located.

It has a less intense beefy flavor compared to the skirt, and it is noticeably thicker. A good visual cue is that skirt steak has its grain running across the width of the meat, whereas flank runs lengthwise. With both steaks, you want to cut them across the grain to end up with a tender slice. What Is the Best Way to Cook Skirt Steak? Skirt steak is best seared in a hot pan.