Skirt Steak

[TexasHooch]

I live in Minneapolis and skirt steak is VERY hard to find. I went to a specialty Mexican Butcher last night and was able to get some. When I started to prepare it for fajitas tonight I discovered that it is very, very thin. Question: should I fold it over itself when I grill it (even folded it's less than an inch) or not?

 

[Texas_Rocks]

No. Just be careful not to over cook with such a thin cut.

 

[Doug E. Fresh]

I live in the UK, and I can't find it over here either. I've been meaning to see if this type of cut goes by another name. Any ideas?

 

[TexasHooch]

Flank steak is the common alternative but it's not the same.

Rocks: As it is, I'm not sure it's possible to get a sear without overcooking (It's that thin). That's why I was thinking of folding to add thickness. I may be able to Sear, flip, sear, reverse the fold, and sear, flip, sear.

Sigh. I miss texas.

 

[austintexas]

When I lived in the midwest, I actually had a butcher tell me he had never heard of skirt steak. I made fun of him. He wasn't happy about that.

Just keep flipping it. No need to fold it over, but that would probably work too.

Make sure you marinate/tenderize it over night.

Good idea. I'm gonna do that this weekend.

 

[Texas97]

Why is it that the HEB packaged butcher's cuts of skirt steak ($5.19 a pound) cost more than their pre-marinaded fajitas $4.99 a pound)???

I have never thought about it but can I ask the butcher to get me 1 pound of skirt steak? I never seem to talk to the meat butcher at HEB.

 

[#3Rules]

I think they have two kinds of pre-marinated beef fajitas. One is skirt steak, one is not. That could be the non-skirt steak fajitas that are less expensive, but I could be wrong.

 

[TexasHooch]

UPDATE:



Terrible... Luckily I made chicken too.

 

[Super_Chachi]

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[Steel Shank]

I asked a butcher one time why skirt steak had gotten so high. He said because fajitas and grilling out got so popular price went up like crazy. You used to get skirt for less than a $1 a pound. I use other, better cuts of meat that are on sale and just treat it like skirt with seasonings. Think of having fajitas with really tender meat, like a top sirloin. You'll never go back and these cuts are available everywhere.

 

[mlchorn]

Hooch, that's unfortunate that it didn't turn out well for you.
Try it again and make sure you marinate it well.
Most carniceria's sell the very thin meat.
I love it - throw it on the hot grill for about 1 minute and done.

 

[longharn]

Yes, the paradox of skirt steak. It was originally used to make tacos by Americans of Mexican descent due to it's low cost. It cost very little because it was not the best cut of meat. It is thin, full of gristle and waxy fat. To make fajitas properly, they must have the gristle trimmed out and most of the fat removed the night before. You end up with quite a bit of it if you do it correctly. By the way, you paid for that trash when you bought the skirts. Then you need a good marinade. I always like to put some pineapple juice in there to help with tenderizing. Whatever you do, do not ever buy the "pre-tenderized" cuts. They have been run through some kind of a masher that sort of shreds the meat. These will always be dry.

Cook them over a VERY hot fire, preferably mesquite coals, and do it quickly. It should not take more than a few minutes on each side.

The other option was listed above. Buy a different cut of meat. It will taste just as good if you have a good marinade on it for long enough.

 

[NB_LONGHORN]

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