What Is The Nutritional Value Of Skirt Steak
When it comes to the nutritional value of skirt steak, youll be glad to know that its low in fat and rich in protein, two of the most important nutrients for good health.
Not only that, but this steak is also rich in iron, niacin, and vitamin B-6. These are three of the most important nutrients for good health too.
See below the nutritional value of one serving of skirt steak:
As you can see, this steak is high in protein and relatively low in fat, which is definitely beneficial for those trying to lose weight.
In fact, if youre on a high-protein diet, its a good idea to eat this steak at least once or twice a week. That will help you build muscle and burn calories more efficiently too.
Although it is slightly higher in calories, this is a large steak that is packed with nutrients.
So if you are trying to eat healthily its a good idea to include this steak in your diet. It will prevent you from feeling hungry again hours after having eaten your meal.
Is Skirt Steak A Good Cut Of Meat
While it was once considered offal, Skirt steak is an awesome cut of meat. Truth be told, back when I was a kid you could actually find it for quite cheap in the grocery store.
These days, most folks are aware of cuts like skirt steak and as demand increases, so do prices. Granted, it’s still not as popular as other types of steak like a ribeye or sirloin.
Since the 1980s, skirt steak has only increased in price. It’s not unrealistic to see USDA choice grade skirt steak be an upwards of $15+/lb.
Is It Safe To Braise Skirt Steak
Braising skirt steak is a perfectly safe way to prepare this cut of meat. Your steak is thoroughly cooked in the oven, which is a healthy and safe way to prepare it.
You will need to be careful when handling and storing your skirt steak when its raw, as this is the time at which contamination is possible. Also, ensure you preserve it in the fridge until its time for preparations.
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How Is Skirt Steak Best Cooked
When it comes to cooking skirt steak, there are multiple ways to do this. I find it best if you marinade the meat in a mixture of olive oil, fresh garlic cloves , and salt for one hour before cooking.
This helps not only flavor the meat, but will also make it more tender.
Traditionally skirt steak is cooked on a grill or broiled to the desired degree .
You can pan-fry this steak too if you wish, but I find that this method does not yield the best results.
Cooking skirt steak is easy and only takes a few minutes. On average, I cook this for about 3-5 minutes on each side.
If you are cooking skirt steak rare to medium-rare, make sure you cook it only one minute on each side during the first round of cooking.
Then take it off the heat and allow it to reheat for just 1-2 minutes.
I would recommend cooking it on medium to high heat for this second round of cooking which will allow you to sear the meat and develop a golden crust on the outside of the steak.
Why This Recipe Works
Easy Putting together this skirt steak marinade is soooo easy. You put everything in a sealable container and wait 30 minutes before grilling thats it!
Delicious I LOVE how this grilled skirt steak tastes after marinating and then being grilled. Ive used way fancier marinades and this easy skirt steak marinade is by far my favorite.
Versatile You can use this marinade for really any cut of steak and for pork tenderloin or pork chops too.
Great for guests Skirt steaks can feed about 4 people. Grill up a couple if you have guests. The more, the merrier I say!
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How Does It Taste
Skirt steak has an unbelievably intense, rich, beefy flavor, but its also a tougher cut of beef.
If youre looking for a steak that easily highlights the natural flavors, skirt steak may be the best choice for you.
When cooked correctly, you will find a perfectly tender, flavorful cut of beef that doesnt take too long to cook.
The best temperature to enjoy skirt steak is a medium-rare to medium temp to ensure it isnt overcooked.
Recipes For Skirt Steak
Although perfect on a hot grill, you can also cook a skirt steak in a cast-iron skillet or under the broilerâor anything else you can get extremely hot. Just remember, you need to cook this cut very hot and very fast. Under no circumstances should skirt steak be cooked past medium-rare it will be way too tough.
If you’re making fajitas or any other stir-fry dish, slice it up first , then marinate and cook it.
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Is A Skirt Steak The Same As A Flank Steak
When it comes to the cut, the most significant distinction between skirt steak and flank steak is where on the cow they are placed. The dimensions are as follows: Compared to skirt steak, which is a lighter, but longer piece of meat, flank steak has more fat, is broader, and is a thicker, heavier cut of beef.
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Where To Buy Skirt Steak
You should be able to find skirt steak in the meat department of your supermarket, more often the inside skirt versus the outside skirt Most of the surface fat should have been removed by the butcher.
Although skirt steak and flank steak are two different cuts of meat, the two are referred to interchangeably. But they should both be labeled separately as such.
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Why Marinades Work Magic
- Acidor Enzyme: All great marinades will contain either an acid or an enzyme. In the skirt steak marinade, the lemon juice is our acid. It will weaken the tough fibers of the meat and enhance flavor. Creating tender flavorful meat. Do not over marinate, however, If meat sits in a marinade too long the meat will become mushy, dry, and actually tough.
- Salts: Salt plays an essential role in getting the flavors to penetrate beneath the surface of the meat. Salt is not only add on its own, but the salt found in the soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce helps too. First, the salt draws out the moisture from the meat, then as the water is reabsorbed into the meat flavors from the spices and garlic are carried with it. This allows the flavor to get deep inside the meat while helping to break down muscle fibers helping it to tenderize.
- Oil: Oil is important because it helps carry fat-soluble flavors from the spices and pepper, past the surface of the meat, and into it.
- Put it all together: When you combine acid, salts, oils with seasonings, herbs, and even sugars you allow so much more to happen to meat than just a simple brine ever could. You can tenderize tough meat, add flavor deep within and create moist cuts of meat from normally dry ones. Yup, itâs like magic. And this skirt steak marinade has all those ingredients!
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What Makes It Unique
Skirt steak has a unique accordion-like structure of coarse muscle fibers that provide an increased surface area. This means that more flavor can naturally come out and that the steak is good on its own.
Cooking it fast and with a high heat will ensure you get the best result. Because there isnt much connective tissue in skirt steak, you wont have to worry about cooking it low and slow.
Fattier cuts of meat work better when cooked low and slow to help break down connective tissue, but you wont have to worry about that with skirt steak.
Although its a higher price, it is a relatively easy cut of beef to cook for even the most inexperienced chefs!
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The 8 Best Skirt Steak Substitutes For Your Recipes
Skirt steak is a cut from the diaphragm muscle and has an intense beefy flavor. This coarsely-grained steak is suitable for pan-cooking, grilling, and broiling, as long as you dont overcook it.
This steak is a bit hard to find because its a hot commodity. There are only 4 skirt steaks in the cows body, and this means that finding a good skirt steak substitute is a must.
Luckily, there are multiple flavorful options available, so you can enjoy every recipe when skirt steak isnt within reach.
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What To Serve With Skirt Steak
These thin strips of steak are perfect for use in fajitas. Just heat up some sliced peppers and onions and maybe give them a little char. Throw them on some corn tortillas with salsa verde and sour cream and it will be awesome!
Another great way of serving this steak is to head over to the produce cooler at Costco and buy a prepackaged Caesar salad. Assemble the salad and top with the cooked steak for another amazing meal option.
And hey, as long as you are on a buying spree, make sure to pick up one of those Prime Costco briskets to throw on you pit this weekend!
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Is Skirt Beef Expensive
Yes, skirt steak is more expensive than other cuts of beef because it is a more desirable cut. Skirt steak is a thin, long piece of meat that comes from the diaphragm muscle of the steer. Its a tough cut of meat, but its also very flavorful and juicy. Thats why its becoming a more popular choice for steak lovers.
Approachability Of Skirt Steak
One of the best parts about skirt steak is how approachable it is. You dont need a fancy grill or skillet to cook it, or worry about a time consuming marinade.
All you really need to cook it and do it justice is olive oil, salt, and pepper. All of the other things mentioned above are just additional things you can do to enhance the flavor of your skirt steak.
If youre new to cooking, or just cooking beef, skirt steak is a great place to start!
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Choose Well Aged Meat
The process of aging meat is an important one, often overlooked by supermarkets in the rush to cut down on processing time and costs, as meat being hung in storage costs time and money. As meat is hung, the enzymes present start to slowly break down the structure, which creates a much more tender texture, and enhances the beef flavour too. The meat is succulent without drips of blood, and with a deep dark red colour, and an unmistakeable aroma. The longer that meat is hung for, the more these attributes develop, which is why all Dorset Meat Company steaks are aged for at least 28 days in our dedicated drying room.
How To Store Skirt Steak
Your package of skirt steak from the grocery store or butcher can be stored in the refrigerator for three to five days and six to 12 months in the freezer when wrapped airtight. If you have cooked the meat already, it will stay fresh in the fridge for around four days and can be kept in the freezer between two and three months.
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How Is Skirt Steak Best Served
When serving skirt steak, its a good idea to slice it across the grain to make it easier to chew.
Another way of serving skirt steak is by throwing it into a stir-fry or kebab, but you can also use it as part of sandwich filling.
I personally like to serve my steaks with fries or potatoes, grilled vegetables with some sauce.
This is really personal preference, but this steak cut is best served with flavorful toppings and condiments of your choice.
Many decide to serve this steak with a sauce such as chimichurri or a stir-fry sauce to give it a little extra flavor.
Also, ensure you use steak butter to help keep the steak nice and tender, this is an important step that many forget.
Steak butter helps to seal in all those juices and tastes heavenly.
What Is Skirt Steak A Detailed Guide On This Lesser Known Cut
Skirt steak can be one of two different muscles on the cow, the outside and inside skirt. Well-marbled with a prominent textured grain, its great for marinating to take on flavor and is often used in fajitas. Its a lovely cut of beef. Learn all about it below.
Skirt steak has quickly become a family favorite because it can feed everyone on the cheap while still delivering a beefy hit for steak lovers.
Not to be confused with the similar looking Flank steak, the Skirt steak is a different cut, and we look at this more deeply in our skirt steak vs flank steak comparison article.
Popular in restaurants as the cut of choice for steak fajitas, stir fries, and other similar recipes, the skirt is a versatile piece of meat that can be used to deliver intense flavor.
It can be cooked quickly and easily, but it does need careful preparation otherwise, it can be ruined before youve even started.
After reading this guide, youll know exactly what the skirt steak is and why its so awesome, and we certainly wont be skirting around the details.
You will learn where on the cow its from, the best online shops to get it from, and how to prep and cook it like a pro.
So, lets get straight into the skirt!
Contents
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Skirt Steak Nutrition Facts
Skirt steak contains vitamins B6 and B12, niacin, selenium, zinc, phosphorus, riboflavin, iron, and choline. The list of exact nutritional values varies depending on the type of skirt steak. As a reminder, there are two types of skirt steak, the inside, and the outside skirt.
A serving of cooked inside skirt steak contains:
- 20 g of proteins.
Inside Skirt Steak Vs Outside Skirt Steak
There are two types of skirt steak – the inside and outside. The inside skirt steak is from the transverse abdominal muscle. The outside skirt steak comes from the diaphragm – not to be confused with the adjacent hanger steak.
The inside and outside skirt steaks are relatively similar – they have lots of connective tissue and a loose grain structure These muscles support the steer’s diaphragm.
The outside skirt steak is typically sold to restaurants and the inside skirt steak can be found at retail.
This is rather unfortunate as the inside skirt steak is smaller than the outside skirt steak.
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Flavor Texture Fat Content And Tenderness
With its open grain and distinct marbling, the skirt has a reputation for big flavor and tenderness when cooked correctly.
Having lots of muscles connected by fat, this cut has a fabulous fatty flavor, but dont expect it to taste like a regular steak. It has a profoundly unique flavor that is buttery and very beefy, which some liken to the richness of liver but with a nicer steak-like consistency.
The open grain takes very well to a marinating.
Normally, not getting much past the surface, a marinade is somewhat wasted on a steak, but with the skirt it has open ridges and a wide grain that the marinade can soak into, meaning it holds a lot more of it and can stand up to the strong flavor with its intense beef hit.
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Need Some Flavor Ideas
The robust flavors of skirt steak can handle some hearty dry rubs or marinades.
Try creating a customized blend using coarse salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, thyme, oregano, mustard, chili powder, cayenne pepper, or coriander, or use this recipe for Steak Dry Rub!
Get creative with marinades like citrus juice, chopped fresh herbs, garlic, red wine vinegar, or soy sauce for an Asian twist.
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What Exactly Is Skirt Steak
So what exactly is skirt steak? Well, its a cut that comes from the diaphragm of cattle. It is attached to the ribs and helps to support the animals internal organs.
This cut of meat can be quite tough because it does a lot of work supporting the cows body. However, if cooked correctly, this steak can become flavorful and tender.
This steak originated in South America and was first served in the United States at a restaurant called Argentine Steakhouse that opened up on Second Avenue in New York City.
These restaurant owners were told that the meat they ordered was for ropa vieja .
Skirt steak is often marinated before cooking because of its tougher texture.
This can help to break down some of the meat fibers and turn it into a tender, juicy steak that almost melts in your mouth.
Skirt steak actually refers to several types of steaks that are cut from this part of the cow.
These include the below cuts
- Inside skirt steak the most common and best known, cut from the plate primal.
- Outside skirt steak all of the below cuts are actually this steak, but is specifically called outside skirt steak when it is cut from the sirloin primal.
- Fajita meat this is what you see in fajitas at Tex-Mex restaurants.
- Butchers steak this is a specific way that butcher shops and butchers cut the various skirt steaks. Each of these steaks can be called a butchers steak if it has been cut up in this way.
