Skirt steak the new \“in\” steak

[navlys]

It seems to me that recipe writers are always pushing or creating the latest "hot" food. It was kale and then cauliflower, hanger steak.....etc. and now it appears to include skirt steak. Personally I have never had good luck with skirt steak. It may be flavorful but I've found it to be tough. Christopher Kimball and his Milk St. gang seem to enjoy it. Anyone else tried it?

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[Mike Nolan]

I remember when stores had trouble selling skirt steak even though it was one of the cheapest cuts on the shelf, now it's one of the higher priced cuts.

And yes, it can be very tough, but that's true of more than a few cuts of beef if not cooked correctly. Part of the science of cooking is knowing what cooking methods to use with each type of food. Making it taste and look good is where the art comes in.

[navlys]

Just took a peek at this month's CI at the library. It appears there are 2 different cuts of skirt steak, one being more tough than the other. The long skinny steak is the one to buy evidently. Who knew???

[BakerAunt]

Don't feel bad Navlys. I had a similar problem with "sirloin tip." (It's in the cooking forum, under that title.)

• This reply was modified 5 years, 11 months ago by BakerAunt.

[Mike Nolan]

There's outside skirt (IMPS cut 121C) and inside skirt (cut 121D), I believe inside skirt is considered the better cut.

It is supposed to have the membrane removed.

See Skirt Steak Cuts

This article suggests that what you will find in stores in the USA is usually inside skirt.

There are sites that have meat identification flash cards, but I don't know how detailed they are.

[RiversideLen]

In Chicagoland, you often find skirt steak in Mexican restaurants, which I have found to be very good. I have never had any luck in cooking it myself, except when I bought it from a Mexican market and they sliced it very thin.

[Mike Nolan]

Skirt steak is often used for fajitas, I've seen packages of meat labeled as 'fajita meat', though whether or not it was skirt steak was not indicated.

You're supposed to cut it cross-grain.

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