Skirts

[JimK]

Got some chicken and a skirt steak in fajita marinade now (separately). I've never cooked a skirt steak before. It seems to have a very clear "grain". After I grill, should I slice with or against the grain?

 

[Millsy]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by JimK:
Got some chicken and a skirt steak in fajita marinade now (separately). I've never cooked a skirt steak before. It seems to have a very clear "grain". After I grill, should I slice with or against the grain? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Against the grain

 

[Don Cash]

Skirt steaks are our family's absolute favorite cut of beef. We usually cut against the grain.

Get the camera out, Jim!

 

[Pat Smith]

I love skirts! And skirt steaks, too!

Definitely against the grain. For fajitas, I'll cut the skirt steak into sections about as long as the tortilla, then cut these sections on the bias against the grain.

Wonderful beefy flavor and just enough chew to them.

I wish I could find them more consistently at my meat markets and at a more reasonable price. The markets here seem to think they are some kind of premium cut!

Enjoy!

Pat

 

[R. Hanson ("Rondo")]

FWIW, My father was a butcher, early in his life,and he taught us, when serving beef, always slice across the grain

otherwise, even a good cut will seem "tough"....

 

[JimK]

Here we go. Skirt was good, but tough. I clearly overcooked it. Overall though, pretty darn good fajitas. My marinade was olive oil, fresh squeezed lime juice, minced garlic, cumin, chili powder and fresh cilantro. Skirt steak, boneless chicken breast, green peppers and yellow and red onion.

Bagged and ready for a soak:

Chicken rested and ready for slicing:

Ready to be wrapped, with cheese, salsa and sour cream:

 

[John Solak]

Fantastic meal. Skirt steaks is one of my favorites too.

 

[Chuck Simon]

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM FAJITAS!!!!!!! Looks great, Jim!

 

[Pat Smith]

Wow those look good!

I try to make sure to get my skirt steaks off the grill at med rare/med.

I've let them go a little too far, too, and when I did, I compensated by cutting the strips into smaller sized chunks so I wasn't trying to bite through the strips.

If I get them off the grill at the right time, they are very flavorful and just a little bit chewy but still plenty tender.

GREAT LOOKING COOK!

Pat

 

[PeteH]

I grill flank steaks alot - but also not crazy about the price these days. How long did you grill the skirts for? The fajitas look great!

 

[Scooter B]

Looks good, but I would say you overcooked the beef.

I take flanks and skirts only to med-rare. They are thin and cook VERY fast, so more or less you are just searing the outsides.

I not only cut against the grain, but i also cut on a diagonal bias. What this does it shorten the meat fibers even more, thus making it more tender.

 

[JimK]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Scooter B:
Looks good, but I would say you overcooked the beef.
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yep. Definitely overdone. Still good, but a bit chewy.

 

[R. Hanson ("Rondo")]

That really looks good, Jim

 

[dwayne e]

nice......my wife loves fajitas.....another job for the WSM!!!

thanks for sharing

 

[A. Vale]

Next time try angling the knife at 45 degrees to the cutting board when you cut against the grain and try to cut thinner strips. That will go a long way at having the meat less chewy.