Many celebrations, big and small, feature skirt steak in our household. Whether it’s birthday bashes or graduations, we serve the quick-cooking, bold beefsteaks whenever the weather cooperates for grilling. This is a cut that deserves and welcomes the sear from a hot cooking surface.
It’s a given that we’ll trim and marinate a pile of skirt steak for Cinco de Mayo (the fifth of May). The holiday celebrates the anniversary of a hard-won battle over France in Puebla, Mexico, in 1862. In this country, the date marks a fine reason to enjoy some of the classics from Mexico’s world-class cuisine, including guacamole and arrachera (skirt steak).
Most experts say the outside skirt steak has their preference for tenderness and flavor. In side by side testing, we found it to be slightly tenderer than the less expensive inner skirt steak. When both are well-trimmed of silver skin, however, we found the difference minimal. Flavor differences, likewise, prove nominal.
I enjoy doing the trimming, using a very sharp, thin-bladed knife, and working carefully to remove the connective tissue and excess fat. Alternatively, ask the butcher to trim the steak for you; but know that they will very likely weigh it before trimming. A whole outer skirt steak, untrimmed, weighs about 2 1/2 pounds. Trimming away all the silver skin, as well as much of the fat, will yield about 1 3/4 pounds lean steak.
Marinating the meat and high-heat cooking ensure tenderness too. So does slicing the steak across the grain (rather than with the grain). Same for flank steak, which makes a fine, if slightly less rich and beefy, substitute for skirt steak. As a bonus, flank steak rarely needs much of a trim and can be slightly less expensive. Cooking time will be 2 to 4 minutes longer.
Serve this chipotle-tequila marinated steak with grilled red onions. I like to serve small bowls of soupy black beans and grilled sliced zucchini on the side. Start the festivities with simple cheese-stuffed jalapeños and a bowl of guacamole spiked with corn, lime, and a drizzle of tequila. This is a meal fit for celebrating Cinco de Mayo or any day of the year.
Chipotle and Tequila Marinated Skirt Steak With Red Onions
Makes 4 to 6 servings
