Grilled Skirt Steak

I know what you are thinking. Ok maybe I have two ideas as to what you might be thinking a) what is a skirt steak and/or b) why is she going to write about skirt steak?

Well, first things first. A skirt steak is the cut of meat in the plate section of the cow and in between the brisket and flank. I know, it really meant nothing to me either. But if you look at this beautiful diagram via Wikipedia you can see where the meat comes from.

This was my first experience with cooking skirt steak and I mainly inspired because I had just eaten a delicious skirt steak with horseradish cream at Spotted Pig (post to come later!)

I was really quite pleasantly surprised when I went to the grocery store to purchase the steak. For about .40 of a pound (approximately 6.5 ounces) was $4.

That's almost half a pound of steak for under five dollars...I was liking this already.

I had looked over a few recipes that I want to try and for this steak, I thought, best to keep it simple and really taste what the skirt steak is all about. I noticed from just looking at the cut that this was going to be a little tougher than most other cuts and there was a decent amount of white fat streaking over the red meat. However, this doesn't bother me, I like fat on my steaks, and I believe that you really can make any cut of meat good, no matter it's reputation.

The full skirt steak laid out

So that is what I set out to do. Make this cut of meat as delicious as a filet mignon.

Ingredients:

1. 1 Skirt Steak (can be whatever size, this will just change cooking times)
2. 1 Garlic clove (halved)
3. Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Rub garlic clove all over steak, infusing it with flavor. This will be VERY subtle, for a stronger taste I suggest mincing the garlic and spreading over the steak.

Heat grill pan (if you don't have a grill pan, I am sure that a skillet will work) on high, super high heat. Drizzle EVOO on the pan.

When the grill pan is EXTREMELY hot, put steak on for about a 1 minute and 1/2 on the first side, then flip for a minute on the other side. Now the pan should be so hot that there is smoke rising from the pan. You will probably think that something is wrong, but nothing is wrong, you are just getting a good sear on the steak. No need to be alarmed.

Anyways, after you cook the steak on the second side for a minute, flip back over for one more minute. This will be for a medium rare steak.

Cover the steak with foil and let it rest for 5 minutes.

I never really thought there was any truth to this whole, "let it rest" thing. Like most everything I thought I knew, I was wrong. THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING. All the juices get reabsorbed back into the steak and make it perfection.

The steak was juicy, flavorful and not as tough as I had originally thought it would be.

There is so much you can do with a good skirt steak. As seen below, I cubed the steak and made an outstanding salad; tossed it with some bleu cheese and my favorite dressing. Also, as you can see in the picture above I cut the steak in two and had it again with some roasted fingerling potatoes, which I have full intentions to write about, because they are were simple, fresh and delicious.

Either way, if you are looking for an affordable steak, this is a great cut, easy to cook and really no hassle.