Robert & Shannon’s “Feol” Good Recipes: Marinated Skirt Steak

I just hosted a wine night dinner at my house.  It was for a new group of friends who know that I cook BBQ so, of course, I said that I’d make something on the grill.  Off to Costco I went to see what looked great that would feed a group.  Skirt steak fit the bill.

Skirt steak is one of those cuts of meat where there’s limited ways to cook it, but endless ways to serve it.  It really needs to be marinated, then cooked quickly over very high heat.  This gets a good sear and crust on the meat while keeping the inside tender and pink.

You can do this on a good old kettle grill, a gas or pellet grill (if it reaches 500 degrees or more) or in a cast iron skillet on the stove.

It’s also a good one to cook to a true medium-rare or medium.  For medium-rare, your meat thermometer should read about 130 degrees before you take it off the grill and for medium, just a few degrees warmer..

To serve, you could obviously serve as “the” dish over rice or a salad or even with some cheese grits.  Or, put it in your favorite edible vessel like fajitas, quesadillas, lettuce wraps and even a breakfast burrito.

Notes:  As a Culinary Nutrition Instructor, I aim to make ingredient swaps that are healthy and accessible.  For this recipe I use Tamari instead of regular soy sauce because it’s gluten-free.  For the quesadillas I used an almond flour tortilla made by Siete for sometimes I make my own with an excellent recipe from Bonappeteach.com.

I love hearing when readers try my recipes, and I’d love to hear from YOU!  Drop me a line anytime you want to dish about cooking or nutrition.  shannonfeol@gmail.com

½ cup Tamari or Soy Sauce

3 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar

¼ cup orange juice (optional)

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 lbs skirt steak

Salt pepper and garlic powder

Mix the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl with a whisk until well incorporated.

If needed, cut the steak into manageable pieces about the size of your hand and trim off any extra fat around the edges (it should come pretty well trimmed from the butcher already).  Add to a large ziplock bag with the marinade, seal and gently toss to coat.  Marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to two hours.  Leave out of the fridge for the last 30 minutes to bring the steak to room temperature.

While the meat is marinating, pre-heat your grill or light your charcoal for a searing hot fire to cook directly over the coals.  If cooking in cast iron, preheat your skillet with 3 tablespoons of avocado or peanut oil just before cooking over medium-high heat until the oil begins to slightly sizzle.

Remove the steak from the marinade and season both sides with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  When your grill or pan is searing hot but not smoking, cook the steak 2-3 minutes per side or until a meat thermometer reads about 130 degrees.

Remove to a large plate and let rest in a cool oven or tented with foil for about 5 minutes.

Slice against the grain and serve in quesadillas, tacos or however you like.

Enjoy!