Skirt steak

What is a Skirt Steak?

Skirt steak is cut from the diaphragm of the cow and is not necessarily praised for its tenderness, but rather for its flavor. The meat has a somewhat coarse texture, but is packed with flavor. However, you must choose a quality breed, otherwise you simply won't get by with it. With Black Angus USA or Wagyu, you are obviously in good hands and honestly, you won't know what you're tasting!

There is often a distinction made between inside skirt and outside skirt. The inside skirt is a long, stretched steak, which – as the name suggests – is found slightly more inward. The meat has a coarse grain and must therefore be sliced against the grain. But then... you end up with a fantastic steak. The outside skirt is a thin steak with a robust flavor. This meat is also known as Philadelphia steak, Philly steak, or Fajita beef, as it is – yes – widely used in Mexican fajitas!

How Did the Skirt Steak Get Its Name?

Most likely, the name skirt steak comes from the English word 'skirt,' which means a skirt and refers to the long, flat shape of the meat. With a bit of imagination, the shape of the skirt steak can remind you of a skirt, and that's exactly where the name comes from.

Skirt Steak vs Flank Steak

We often notice confusion between the flank steak and the skirt steak, even though they are entirely different steaks. Besides being cut from different technical parts of the cow, the skirt steak has a much coarser grain than the flank steak and has a more intense flavor. A favorite among many carnivores! Oh, so if you're making skirt steak, make sure to slice it perpendicular to the grain. Otherwise, the steak won't taste the way you want it to.

How Many Grams of Skirt Steak per Person?

Skirt steak is wonderful to prepare as a whole piece. Per person, you can follow the approximate weights below.

Skirt Steak as a Main Course
Normal eater: 175-200 grams
Big eater: 250-400 grams
Carnivore: 400+ grams

Skirt Steak to Share for 2
Normal eater: 400 grams
Big eater: 500+ grams
Carnivore: No Share

BBQ with Multiple Types of Meat [Share]
Small eater: 75 grams
Big eater: 150 grams
Carnivore: 200 grams

How Should You Cook Skirt Steak?

If you get a 'dirty' skirt steak from the butcher, the first step is to remove the membrane. If you leave the membrane on the steak, it won't be tender and can go straight to the trash after cooking. Since this isn't the most enjoyable task for everyone, our butchers have already done this for you. The skirt steaks at The Butchery are thus completely grill-ready! You can still choose to marinate the steak a day in advance, as a marinade helps to reduce the coarseness of the meat, resulting in a more tender steak. Additionally, it's important when cooking that you place it on a blazing-hot grill, pan, or BBQ. It's a thin steak, so it needs to be cooked quickly on both sides. With about 1.5 minutes per side, you'll get close. Of course, you can always measure your steak's thickness; the rule of thumb is to grill steaks for 1 minute per centimeter per side. So if your steak is 1.5 cm thick, it means you should grill it for 1.5 minutes on each side. Make sure to let it rest in aluminum foil after grilling before slicing.

Can Skirt Steak Be Cooked on the BBQ?

Cooking skirt steak on the BBQ is definitely a good idea! It is a relatively thin steak, so be especially careful not to grill it too long on the BBQ, otherwise the steak will become overcooked, which is not recommended. So grill it over very high heat for about one and a half minutes per side. To make the skirt steak even more tender, you might choose to marinate it before cooking.

Skirt Steak Recipes

Oh, we have a few beautiful recipes for skirt steak on our recipe page. For example, try skirt steak with red chimichurri. Red chimichurri? Definitely! A change of dishes makes for enjoyable eating. And the great win-win is that it’s ready on the table in no time.

As you might have read earlier, skirt steak is very suitable for marinades. Your steak becomes more tender, and that's exactly what you want when preparing a skirt steak. Try it with a Korean marinade: Korean Marinated Outside Skirt Steak.  

Buying Skirt Steak Online

Buying skirt steak online? A piece of cake, you choose the weight you prefer and your favorite breed yourself. Then you place it in your shopping cart and complement it with other types of meat. How about a pound of mince, chicken fillet, or our homemade burgers? Always handy to have in stock. We deliver Monday to Friday between 17:00 and 22:00, and if you order before 11:00, you’ll have your meat the same evening. Of course, you can choose your delivery day yourself at checkout and have the meat delivered when you’re sure to be home.

Skirt Steak Quickfrozen Delivered

Steaks you order online from The Butchery are delivered quickfrozen to your home. Quickfrozen? Yes. We do this partly to deliver the meat as 'fresh' as possible to you. It might sound a bit strange, frozen but still fresh. Precisely because we vacuum pack the meat immediately after production and freeze it in a special way, the quality loss is minimal. Even less than if it sits at the butcher's counter for a few days. So if you order a skirt steak from the online butcher The Butchery, you can assume they are delivered frozen. The steak can go straight back into the freezer! Also handy if you want to order in advance, so you have the meat well in time at home. This way, you’re never faced with unpleasant surprises like delays with the courier service.

Ordering Skirt Steak Online

Black Angus USA or Australian Wagyu: we sell skirt steak from the finest meat breeds. Not entirely unimportant, because for a good skirt steak, it is important that the steak is cut from a quality breed AND that it is well prepared. When you order skirt steak online from The Butchery, you are assured of a beautiful steak. Our Master Butcher has already removed the membrane, so it is grill-ready.