Tuscan Skirt Steak Skewers
Skirt steak gets used for fajitas and stir-fry in kitchens all over the world, and there's a good reason for that. It's a long, flat cut with big flavor, but it's also tougher than steaks people usually reach for first. That toughness works in your favor here. The looser muscle fibers soak up a marinade fast, which means real flavor and real tenderizing in the same step.
How to Cook Skirt Steak
This one leans Italian. Olive oil and balsamic vinegar make up the base, with fresh basil, oregano, garlic, and Croix Valley Italian Barbecue Booster doing the rest of the work. Before any of that goes on, though, take a sharp fillet knife and remove the silverskin off the outside of the steak. Skip that step and the marinade won't penetrate the way it should, and you'll notice it in the chew.
Cut the steak into strips about 1 ½ to 2 inches wide, cutting against the grain, then thread them onto skewers and let them sit in the marinade for at least 3 hours in the fridge, turning once so everything gets coated evenly.
Bring the skewers to room temperature before they hit the grill. Cook over medium-high heat, around 350 to 400°F, for about 3 minutes a side if you want medium-rare. Eat them straight off the skewer, or pull the meat and use it to top a salad, build fajitas, or stuff a sandwich. It's a good cut for however you want to use it.
Tuscan Skirt Steak Skewers
Damon Holter
Beef
Skirt steak is the quintessential cut of beef used to make fajitas and stir fry in most cultures. It is a long, flat piece of meat that is full of flavor, albeit a tougher piece of meat. Due to their larger muscles fibers and deeper textures, skirt steak takes marinades very well for imparting flavor, as well as tenderizing the meat before grilling. This recipe for Tuscan Skirt Steak Skewers imparts some flavors of the Old Country into this hearty piece of meat that can be eaten by itself, or cooked and used to top salads, to make fajitas, sandwiches and more.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Olive Oil
- ½ cup Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 Cloves Garlic, finely minced
- 2 Tbsp Fresh Basil, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp Fresh Oregano, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp Croix Valley Italian Barbecue Booster
Directions
To begin, get your hands on a skirt steak and be sure to remove any membrane (or “silverskin”) on the exterior. As the meat is tougher to begin with, the membrane must be removed with a sharp fillet knife to ensure that the marinade penetrates the meat properly and offers the proper chew once cooked.
Combine all ingredients for the marinade into bowl and combine well.
Cut Skirt steaks into 1 ½ to 2” wide strips, cutting against the grain of the meat. Thread meat onto bamboo skewers, place in a baking dish and cover with marinade. Cover dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours, rotating at least once to distribute the marinade evenly on the meat.
When ready to grill the skewers, remove from refrigerator and allow to warm to room temperature. Prepare grill to medium-high heat of approximately 350-400°.
Grill steaks skewers to desired doneness (approximately 3 minutes per side for medium-rare) and enjoy!
