Does it get any better than a tender, meaty bite of grilled steak? More affordable than most steaks, skirt steak can be tough, but it tastes beautifully tender and intensely meaty when cooked over super high heat. It was made for grilling season! Crank that grill, and soak the steak for 30 minutes in a quick, tenderizing garlicky soy sauce marinade, and dinner is done. We love to top this tender grilled skirt steak with fresh Chimichurri Sauce and serve it with a big Caprese Salad on the side for the kind of gloriously easy summer dinner we spent all winter dreaming about. Need more steak dinner ideas? We love Grilled Skirt Steak with Blistered Tomatoes and Burrata, and we often use skirt steak in this simple Grilled Steak Salad.
Skirt Steak Ingredients
Skirt steak. Thin, with some nice milky marbling, ask for skirt steak at the butcher counter and they should know what you need.
Salt and pepper. Of course!
Extra-virgin olive oil. We love extra-virgin, but you could use regular olive oil in this marinade if you want.
Soy sauce or tamari. If you’re serving this to someone who cannot have gluten, opt for tamari (just make sure that the tamari is labeled gluten-free).
Fresh garlic. We want you to grate the garlic, and you’ll need a microplane grater to do that. It’ll sort of liquify as you grate it, which will allow the garlic to really meld into the skirt steak marinade. If you don’t have a microplane, though, you could simply chop the garlic super finely.
Crushed red pepper. Sometimes labeled “red pepper flakes,” these add just a hint of heat.
How To Grill Skirt Steak
Check for doneness using an instant-read thermometer. Generally speaking, when you see 130°F on that thermometer, pull the steak off the heat for a nice medium rare steak. That number may go up slightly as the steak rests, and that’s OK.
Skirt steak is thin and rather lean, and to make it tender you’ll want to cook it hot and not cook it for too long! That means that you’ll also want to pay close attention to the steak as it cooks. Cook the steak for about 3 minutes per side, and dinner is done.
Some people can check for their preferred level of doneness using various kinds of touch tests, but that’s usually a skill learned over time. If you’re new to cooking steak, stick with the instant-read thermometer.
How To Slice Skirt Steak
Skirt steak is only tough if it isn’t cooked and sliced correctly. For tender, buttery skirt steak, it’s really important to slice it against the grain. Here’s how it’s done:
Look closely at your beautiful grilled skirt steak and figure out which way the muscle fibers run. Those muscle fibers are the ‘grain’ you’ll be slicing against.
Let the meat rest after grilling for a good 10 minutes. This is yet another way to ensure the steak is tender and juicy.
Take your nice sharp chef’s knife, and slice across those grains, or muscle fibers.
Slice the skirt steak thinly, too. Thin pieces of steak, cut across the grain will not be tough!
What To Serve With Grilled Skirt Steak
Grilled skirt steak can be dressed up or down, it can anchor a summer party or make for a simple, special weeknight dinner. Since you’ve got the grill nice and hot, we like to serve it with other grilled dishes on the side, like:
More Grilled Steak Recipes
Need Some Sides?
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