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 Braised 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. For a simpler version of this meal try our Grilled Skirt Steak.
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.
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!
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!
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.
Pat the skirt steak dry (paper towels are good for this) and salt it.
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.
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.
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.
Transfer to a plate and let the steak rest for about ten minutes.
Tools You’ll Need:
More Easy Grilled Steak Recipes to Try
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!
