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Grilled Skirt Steak with Blistered Tomatoes and Burrata

October 20, 2022

It doesn’t get any better than a perfect medium-rare slab of simply grilled skirt steak. Oh wait, yes it does. Even better than grilled steak is grilled steak topped with burrata and cherry tomatoes.

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grilled skirt steak with blistered tomatoes and burrata

Excuse Us, but—Grilled Skirt Steak Topped With Burrata. People. Holy Cow. Why Didn’t We Think of This Before?!

Sorry if it sounds like we’re freaking out over here, but we’re FREAKING out over here! Because it took us this many years of cooking to realize that we could take burrata—which we obviously loooooove—and put it ON TOP OF STEAK. There’s literally nothing stopping us. So we did it and you’ll never believe this but burrata on grilled skirt steak is one of the greatest things ever. Actually, you probably will believe us! Because DUH obviously those two excellent things make for an even more excellent thing when you put them together! Blistered cherry tomatoes are their own wonderful thing—and we’ve loved eating tomatoes with burrata forever and always—and they’re easy to make, too. Blistered cherry tomatoes take all of 10 minutes to make and you can cook them before you even fire up the grill to cook the steak because they don’t need to be super hot—room temperature is fine. As for the burrata cheese, well, that’s store-bought, so what could be easier than that? Buy the best burrata you can—you want fresh, fresh, fresh—and that’s all there is to it! If you can’t find burrata easily in your area, you can always order online.

raw skirt steak, a bowl of cherry tomatoes, salt, pepper, burrata cheese and garlic on a sheet pan

Skirt Steak vs Flank Steak: Let’s Clear This Up Once and for All

While flank steak has its place—it’s delicious, too, after all—skirt steak is the ideal steak for weeknight cooking and speedy, super-casual grilling. Both flank steak and skirt steak are relatively lean cuts of beef, and both deliver a really meaty, satisfying beefiness because of it. They’re both great cooked on the grill, too. But how are they different? Well, skirt steak is typically quite a bit thinner than flank steak and they come from different parts of the cow. Skirt steak comes from near the diaphragm, right under the ribs, while flank steak comes from the very back of the abdominal muscles of the cow. Skirt steak is also a more inexpensive cut, making it much more weeknight-friendly.

cherry tomatoes in a skillet with olive oil
blistered cherry tomatoes in a skillet with olive oil and garlic
raw skirt steak with salt on parchment paper
grilled skirt steak resting on a baking sheet

How Do You Make Skirt Steak Tender?

Although skirt steak is known for being a somewhat tough cut, tender skirt steak is easy to achieve, and you can even nail it without messing around with a marinade. We promise! Here’s how to ensure that every bite of grilled skirt steak is tender and perfect:

  • Slice it against the grain. You’ve probably read this before, but it really is essential. After you cook the steak, use a very sharp knife to cut it against the grain of the beef. If you cut with the grain (the “grain” meaning the way the muscle fibers are aligned) you’ll wind up with tough steak pieces, no matter how thin you’ve sliced them. Speaking of...

  • Slice it thinly. This is key, too! Fight that toughness by getting the pieces bite-sized.

  • Cook skirt steak quickly at high heat. And DO NOT overcook it. Which brings us to our next point...

  • A lot of people wonder if skirt steak is good for grilling and the answer is a resounding YES! Cooking skirt steak on the grill is the best way to cook it. You can do it in a pan if the weather is terrible and you just can’t deal with a grill, but if grilling is an option, grill that steak!

Grilled Skirt Steak with Blistered Tomatoes and burrata on a plate

How to Grill Skirt Steak

Whether you have a gas grill or a charcoal grill, you can make a terrific skirt steak in just a few minutes. Here’s how!

  1. As always, grilling a great steak means—first and foremost—buying a good steak. Grilling a great steak is truly easy, but if you start with a not-so-great steak, no amount of perfect cooking can remedy that.

  2. Pat the skirt steak dry (paper towels are good for this) and salt it.

  3. If you have a gas grill, heat it on “high” for 15 minutes. You want that grill HOT. If you have a charcoal grill, well, get it going in a serious way. You want those coals really gosh-darn hot.

  4. When you’re sure the grill is hot, put the steak on the grates and cook it for just about 2 minutes on each side. Don’t move it around other than to flip the steak once.

  5. Depending on the doneness you like—medium-rare clocks in at 130-135°F with an instant read thermometer—keep cooking the steak until you see that temp.

  6. Transfer to a plate and let the steak rest for about ten minutes.

Grilled Skirt Steak with Blistered Tomatoes and burrata
Grilled Skirt Steak with Blistered Tomatoes and burrata

Tools You’ll Need:

More Easy Grilled Steak Recipes to Try

Grilled Skirt Steak with Blistered Tomatoes and burrata

Bring On the Summertime Feasts!

Who knew that topping a grilled steak with an entire ball of burrata and spoonful after spoonful of garlicky, oil-braised cherry tomatoes would be this good? Everyone. Probably everyone knew that would be good. We’re just glad we finally also know how great this steak recipe is! And we hope you try it soon so that you can know how great it is! When you do make it, let us know how you like it! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!

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Grilled Skirt Steak with Blistered Tomatoes and Burrata

  • Serves:  4
  • Prep Time:  5 min
  • Cook Time:  15 min
  • Calories:  508

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lbs skirt steak
  • 2 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, 10-12 oz
  • 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped or thinly sliced
  • 1 (4 oz) ball Burrata, torn into bite size pieces
  • Flaky salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Method

  1. Preheat grill on high for 15 minutes.
  2. Pat the steak dry with a paper towel and season each side with 1 teaspoon kosher salt.
  3. Once the grates of the grill are smoking, set steak on hottest part of the grill and cook for 2 minutes on each side undisturbed. Continue cooking and flipping each minute until internal temperature of the steak reads 140°F with an instant read thermometer. Transfer it to a plate and allow to rest. **
  4. Meanwhile in a medium sized skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add in cherry tomatoes and allow to cook for 5 minutes undisturbed. Add in garlic along with remaining ½ teaspoon salt and stir to combine. Allow to cook for 5 more minutes until tomatoes are blistered and garlic is golden brown.
  5. Thinly slice the steak against the grain and transfer to a plate. Top with blistered tomatoes, burrata, flaky salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve immediately.

**Alternatively you can cook the steak in a large cast iron skillet over high heat. Preheat skillet until smoking. Add a little olive oil to coat the pan. Add in the steak and cook for 2 minutes on each side undisturbed. Continue cooking and flipping each minute until internal temp reads 140°F. Transfer to a plate and allow to rest.

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories 508
  • Protein 34 g
  • Carbohydrates 5 g
  • Total Fat 38 g
  • Dietary Fiber 1 g
  • Cholesterol 118 mg
  • sodium 667 mg
  • Total Sugars 2 g

Grilled Skirt Steak with Blistered Tomatoes and Burrata

Questions & Reviews

Join the discussion below.

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  • JFarris

    Made this recipe and loved it. I want to make it for a friend but she doesn’t eat red meat. Would this work with chicken breast? Do you have any suggestions?

    Absolutely it will work with chicken breast. Hope you enjoy!

  • Corinne

    So delicious & quick to make!

    Thanks Corinne, we are so glad you loved it!

  • Alicia

    This meal is incredible. So easy and delicious. My teenage son just picked this as his birthday dinner. Delicious, thank you!

    Thanks Alicia, we are so glad you enjoyed it! Happy birthday to your son!

  • Dana

    This was amazing - how will I ever eat steak without burrata again??

    Thanks Dana! So glad you liked it, steak and burrata are such a good pair!

  • Bob

    This is my most favorite recipe! I make it almost every Tuesday night for me and my wife (after a martini, of course). It’s simple and easy, and it pairs well with a salad.

    WOW! So fun that it's a Tuesday tradition! Glad you both enjoy it! We like the way you think having a martini first.

  • Amy

    This was my first time having burrata. It will not be my last.

    Made this for my family last night. So delish so simple. Casual elegance. Love.

    Thanks so much Amy, we are so happy you and the family enjoyed it!