How to Grill the Perfect Skirt Steak
Skirt steak is my second favorite cut of meat right behind a perfectly grilled New York strip. It has great beefy flavor, soft, chewy texture; good fat content; it cooks quickly; and because it’s somewhat thin, it absorbs marinades extremely well. I stumbled on this recipe browsing the New York Time’s food site. I’ve never seen pepperoncini used in a marinade, and it sounded interesting - yet it didn't create a strong flavor profile after grilling. Regardless, the combination of marinade ingredients made a tasty steak and kept the meat super juicy. Which is a plus, since my high school nickname was “Super Juicy”.
Ingredients:
1 cup basil leaves, more for garnish
3 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced, more for garnish
2 T lemon thyme leaves, more for garnish
2 fat garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 T coarsely chopped pepperoncini (1 to 2 peppers), pickled jalapeño or other pickled peppers
2½ tsp kosher salt
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Juice of half a lemon
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2½ pounds skirt steak
Instructions:
In a blender or food processor, combine basil, scallions, lemon thyme, garlic, pepperoncini, salt and lemon zest and juice. Pour olive oil over mixture; blend until it turns to paste.
Using paper towels, pat steak dry and place in a bowl; slather paste mixture all over meat. Cover and refrigerate at least an hour or overnight. I did 7 hours and it came out great.
Preheat your grill on high. Use a paper towel to pat some of the marinade off the steak (You can leave some of the paste, but for the best sear, the meat should be dry when it hits the grill.) Place your meat on the grill and close the lid. Grill for 3 minutes. Flip the steak and cook another 3 minutes. 6 minutes of grilling turned out a perfect medium to medium-rare. If you like it a little more done, go to 3 1/2 minutes a side. Be careful, skirt is thin and it cooks quickly. But, if you do overcook it, don’t worry. That’s why you marinate meat. In addition to flavoring, it tenderizes and helps meat maintain juiciness.
HEARTFUL RECIPE – One of our real food recipes that focuses on veggies, protein, healthy fats and/or healthy carbs and doesn't include gluten, dairy, soy, refined sugar, corn or peanuts.
