Use this Sauteed Skirt Steak recipe to get the best tasting and juicy skirt steak you've ever had! It's cooked right on the stove in a Lodge cast-iron skillet. You'll be amazed at how easy this is to make. It's simple to pull together and you can serve it with my Two Minute Mango Salad.
This is a gluten-free and soy-free recipe. It has under 2 carbs per serving.
Skirt steak is rubbed with garlic, brushed with Worcestershire sauce, marinated for 15 to 30 minutes, and sauteed (or grilled) over high heat. The Two-Minute Mango Salad is simple to pull together and seasoned with lime juice and salt. They're super easy to make and have a fabulous flavor.
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How to Buy Skirt Steak
Skirt Steak is a long and thin piece of meat that comes from the diaphragm of the steer. There are two pieces on each animal, the outside skirt and the inside skirt.
The outside is a longer and thinner piece of meat that is more tender than the inside cut.
I've seen skirt steak in some markets that just say Skirt Steak. If it doesn't say outside or O/S, it is inside cut which is really tough, and less expensive. Of course, you can always ask the butcher.
What You Need
- Garlic
- Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
- Unsalted butter
- Salt and pepper
- Cooking spray
Before You Begin
Cut the long strip of meat into two or three equal-sized pieces. One pound of meat will fit comfortably in the pan. You might need two pans or work in batches. If you have a cast-iron grill pan, you can use that too, and you'll get delicate lines on the meat.
A stainless steel pan will work too.
Turn on the exhaust fan or open a nearby window before you start because you will get a lot of smoke.
Cooking Skirt Steak in a Cast-Iron Skillet
- Defrost the steak, if frozen.
- Pat skirt steak dry with paper towels.
- Cut the meat into 12-inch long pieces.
- Lightly pound the skirt steak with the flat side of a meat mallet until it is evenly ¼-inch thick.
- Rub raw garlic on the surface of the steak. There are a lot of nooks and crannies, so it will take a few cloves to get the whole steak. Use large cloves so it's easy to get a good grasp on it.
- Brush Worcestershire sauce on the meat. Let it marinate at room temperature for 15-30 minutes or up to 24 hours in the fridge. Bring it to room temperature before cooking.
- Next, spray a 10 or 12-inch cast-iron skillet with cooking spray. If you have a lot of meat, use 2 pans at the same time. Stainless steel works too!
- Heat the pan on high heat, about 4 minutes.
- Season the meat with salt and pepper right before placing in the pan.
- Add the meat to the pan and cook for about 4 minutes per side until medium rare.
- Remove the steak to a plate or platter, pour juices from the pan over the steak. Season with a little salt and pepper, and top the meat with unsalted butter.
- Loosely cover with aluminum foil for 5 minutes before serving. Slice against the grain and serve with the accumulated juices.
How to Cut Skirt Steak Against the Grain
Skirt steak has to be cut against the grain to shorten the long muscle fibers in the meat. By cutting across the fibers, you shorten them, making them less chewy and more enjoyable to eat. As you can see here, the grain, or long fibers of the meat, are running from left to right. What you want to do is cut into the fibers, as shown here.
What to Substitute for Worcestershire Sauce
If you are on a Paleo or Kaufmann Diet, you can eat skirt steak! Look for pasture-raised or organic meat.
Season the meat with salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, and juice of 1 lemon prior to cooking.
When it comes off out of the pan, add 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter (I like Kerrygold butter) to the top of the meat and cover loosely with aluminum foil for 10 minutes. The butter will flavor the meat and mix with the pan juices for a tasty sauce.
Great Side Dishes to Go With Your Skirt Steak
The following recipe for Mango Salad was made because I had a lot of fruit and vegetables in the kitchen. I chopped them up, mixed them up with the juice of a lime and a little flaked sea salt, and had a perfect salad. It took two minutes!
Easy Mango Salad Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 cup fresh mango cubes
- 1 avocado, diced
- ¼ cup red onion, diced
- ½ cup seeded and diced cucumber
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 jalapeno pepper seeded and diced small
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- Juice of one lime
- Salt and pepper
Mix all ingredients together. Double and triple the recipe if you have a crowd. This is a sweet and refreshing salad.
If you have a bell pepper, roasted peppers, green onions, or an apple, they would all be great substitutions or additions to mango salad. Be creative; use what you have so it doesn't go to waste!
The most popular brand of Worcestershire in the United States is Lea & Perrins. The iconic brown craft paper-wrapped bottle is in every grocery store in the nation. According to celiac.com, Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce is available gluten-free in the United States. Please check the package or ask your grocer for help if you live in Canada.
Although tenderloin is the most expensive cut of meat, outside skirt steak is right behind it, the demand is high, and it is quite expensive.
Pounding the meat before cooking tenderizes it and evens the width of the meat. If you want to pound it, use the flat side of a meat mallet and gently pound the meat between 2 sheets of plastic wrap or waxed paper to even out its thickness. Using this method, it will cook evenly.
Follow the same directions for stovetop cooking. Instead of heating your stove, brush the grill with oil. Preheat the grill on medium-high for at least 15 minutes to get it hot. Salt and pepper the meat before adding to the grill. Grill about 7 minutes per side for medium rare.
Cook the steak on high heat for about 4 minutes per side.
There are 2 net carbs in the steak.
"📖 Recipe"
Sautéed Skirt Steak with Mango Salsa
Ingredients
- 2 pounds outside cut skirt steak cut into 3 equal pieces to fit in pan
- 3 large cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons Lee & Perrins Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- salt and pepper to taste I used flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Defrost the steak, if frozen.
- Pat steak dry with paper towels.
- Lightly pound the meat with the flat side of a meat mallet until it is evenly ¼" thick.
- Rub raw garlic on the surface of the steak. There are a lot of nooks and crannies so it will take a few cloves to get the whole steak.
- Brush Worcestershire sauce on the meat. Let it marinate at room temperature for 15-30 minutes or up to 24 hours in the fridge. Bring it to room temperature before cooking.
- Lightly season steak with salt and pepper.
- Spray a 12 or 14-inch cast-iron or stainless steel skillet with cooking spray. Heat on high heat.
- Add the meat to the pan and cook for about 4 minutes per side until medium rare.
- Remove the steak to a plate, season with a little salt and pepper, and top the meat with unsalted butter.
- Loosely tent with aluminum foil for 5 minutes before serving. Slice against the grain and serve with accumulated juices.
Notes
- 1 cup fresh mango cubes (I used 3 honey mangoes, which are tiny.)
- 1 avocado, sided
- ¼ cup red onion, diced
- ½ cup seeded and diced cucumber
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 jalapeno pepper seeded and diced small
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- Juice of one lime
- Salt and pepper
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