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Grilled Skirt Steak With Chimichurri – easy to make, quickly marinated, great for grilling season. Fresh, juicy and tasty, topped with homemade Chimichurri sauce.
This Grilled skirt Steak recipe is perfect a family gathering, barbecue with friends and sadly a great way to end grilling season (you don’t need to end it if you live somewhere warm). So when it gets cold, I’ll just use my cast iron skillet for grilling, instead of cooking skirt steak on the grill.
Skirt steak might not be the highest quality cut of meat, but grilling it is the fastest and easiest way to get steak ready for a crowd. It has a lot of flavor and cooks fast.
Skirt steak is not as tender as fillet of course, but also not as tough as flank steak.I do recommend marinating it for at least 15 minutes before grilling, but overnight is best.
Skirt Steak Marinade
Why marinate skirt steak? Because this is a relatively tough cut of meat and it needs to be tenderized. Marinating it can help break the grains and tenderize the meat.
For marinating skirt, when use a combination of spices to make my own steak seasoning seasoning, which contains salt, black pepper, paprika ,garlic and onion powder and cumin.
You can use your favorite store bought seasoning if you’d like. Certain brands I like are Bad all purpose seasoning, McCormick and Weber Steak seasoning.
Keep in ming that most store bought seasonings are heavy on the salt and contain sodium.
To make the marinade, I use olive oil, Worcestershire sauce and apple cider vinegar to tenderize the meat. Adding up to 1 tsp of honey or agave nectar also helps balance the acidity of the marinade.
How to make Easy Chimichurri Sauce:
Chimichurri sauce is South American sauce made with parsley, which is perfect for meat and seafood.
This fresh chimichurri sauce is very easy to prepare and it is the perfect topping for skirt steak. It is an Argentinian green sauce, perfect for grilled meat.
Chimichurri sauce is often made with chopped parsley, garlic, olive oil, oregano and vinegar, but a version with cilantro leaves is very popular as well.
In this bbq skirt steak recipe, I made the Chimichurri sauce with just flat leaf (Italian) parsley.
Ingredients needed for this easy and fresh Chimichurri sauce are:
- parsley – finely chopped
- olive oil
- apple cider vinegar (can use lemon juice)
- garlic
- salt
- pepper
- red pepper flakes
- oregano
- honey or agave nectar (optional)
Served with some warmed up tortillas it makes a delicious and flavorful dinner.
What is skirt steak and how to cook it?
Source: Wikipedia
Skirt steak is a cut of beef steak from the plate. It is long, flat, and famous for its flavor rather than tenderness. It is not to be confused with flank steak, a generally similar cut nearer the animal’s rear quarter.
The best ways to cook skirt steak are grilling and pan searing over medium-high heat.
What is Carne Asada?
Carne asada refers to “grilled meat”with Mexican seasoning (marinade). Skirt and flank steak are usually used for Carne aside, but I’ve seen it made with sirloin and other kinds of steak. It is usually flavorful, not very tender beef, with Mexican flavors.
How to make grilled skirt steak? Tips for the perfect skirt steak:
Remove the membrane:
- A great trick for grilling skirt steak is that the membrane should be removed, if you leave it on, steak will be tough and will not taste as good. I’d say removing the thin membrane, which can be found at the bottom side of the steak is mandatory. Use a sharp paring knife to separate it from the meat and then pull to remove.
Tenderize:
- A great way to tenderize skirt steak is to use a steak tenderizer tool like meat mallet or blade tenderizer, before you place it in the marinade. If using a meat mallet, cover the steak with plastic wrap and gently pound to tenderize.
- If you are using a blade tenderizer, which is perfect for thin cuts of steak like skirt, press through the meat to puncture it, which will create small holes in the meat, to help it absorb the marinade.
Marinade:
- Combine all ingredients for the marinade in a large zip lock bag and egg the steak. Marinade for 15 minutes to up to 6 hours.
Grill:
Grill at medium heat for 3-6 minutes per side, until the desired doneness os reached.
How to slice skirt steak:
- For tender skirt steak- always slice the meat across the grain, because this way it is easier to chew.
How long to grill skirt steak for?
For grilling skirt steak, preheat your grill to medium heat (400-450 F). Remove steak from the marinade and gently pat dry. Grill steak for 3-6 minutes per side for medium-well. The outside should be nicely charred. Let the steak rest for 5 minutes, before you slice it across the grain.
More Grilling Season Recipes:
- Easy Grilled Octopus
- Grilled Mahi Mahi
- How to Cook Pork Shoulder Steak
- Grilled Butter Steak With Shrimp
Grilled Skirt Steak With Chimichurri
Ingredients
For the Chimichurri Sauce:
- 1 cup fresh flat leaf parsley leaves
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp agave nectar or honey
- 2 tbsp fresh oregano, (1/2 tsp dried)
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper, optional
For the skirt steak:
- 2 pounds skirt steak
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp vinegar, (apple cider)
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- In a bowl combine olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, garlic and onion powder and give it a stir. Pour marinade in a large zip lock bag. Add steak, get most of the air out and close tight. Marinate for at least 15 minutes (no need to refrigerate) or up to 6 hours (refrigerated).
- Prepare the chimichurri sauce - place all ingredients in a jar, close and shake well or stir in a small bowl.
- Preheat gas grill to medium high heat. (400 F)
- Clean grill grates.
- Grill for approximately 3-6 minutes per side for medium.
- Place on a platter or cutting board and let steak rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Slice across the grain of the meat. Serve with chimichurri sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I have never cooked with skirt steak before.. this looks delicious so it’s definitely a cut that I will be going out to buy and try. Loving the sound and look of that chimichurri sauce too. Pinned!
Thanks so much Thalia! I hope you like it!
Wow this looks incredible. I love that your recipe dresses up the steak with a chimichurri sauce!
Thanks Sandi! Chimichurri and skirt steak pair very well 🙂
This skirt steak tastes excellent! The sauce is so good, too!
Can you marinade it overnight?
Yes, overnight is fine
Best skirt steak and chimichuri recipe I’ve tried!