This is the best grilled skirt steak marinade recipe – on earth! Your beef steaks will be ready for marinating in just 5 minutes. Then, learn how to cook skirt steak on a BBQ grill or cast iron skillet. Let’s get grilling!
Why this is #1 for skirt steak recipes
- Even if you’ve never cooked steak, you can with this guide!
- Use any cooking method. Marinate skirt steak for grilling or searing in a pan.
- Perfect for marinating taco meat.
- A great fajita steak marinade. Serve with caramelized red onions.
Ingredients for this recipe
Skirt steak
If you’re wondering, “what is skirt steak”, you’ll be happy to know it’s an easy cut of meat to grill or sear – you just have to tenderize it before cooking.
That’s because skirt steak has thick muscle fibers which need to be broken down by the power of acid like lemon or lime juice for a period of time (ideally 2-24 hours).
It’s a less expensive cut of meat, and perfect for feeding a crowd tacos or for a steak dinner.
This recipe calls for 1.5 lb skirt steak, though you can substitute flank steak or hanger steak. It’s garnished with a sprinkle of fresh chopped chives.
Marinade ingredients
It couldn’t be any easier to make this marinade. Basically, you’re going to toss a bunch of tasty flavor-packed ingredients into a large bowl or gallon ziplock bag.
Here is what you need:
- Extra virgin olive oil (substitute vegetable oil)
- Soy sauce (substitute Worcestershire sauce)
- Red wine vinegar (substitute white wine or sherry vinegar)
- Lime zest and juice
- Brown sugar (substitute honey)
- Garlic
- Jalapeno (optional)
- black pepper, ground
See how to make a steak salsa marinade…
How to make the marinade
Now I’ll walk you through the 5 minute marinade recipe.
Step 1. Add skirt steak marinade ingredients to a large bowl. Whisk to combine the olive oil, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, lime zest and juice, brown sugar, minced garlic, jalapeno, and ground black pepper.
Step 2. Set aside sauce for later. Remove ¼ cup of the skirt steaks marinade for later. Make sure to take out this portion of the marinade before adding the raw steak to marinate.
Step 3. Add skirt steak to marinade for 2-24 hours. Do this in the large bowl or add marinade and beef to a large ziplock bag. Refrigerate and marinade for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
Step 4. Remove steak from marinade and discard liquid.
Ways to cook skirt steak
Now you’ll learn how to cook steak on the grill, in a cast iron skillet on the stove, and in the oven with the broiler.
See how to use skirt steak in this recipe for smoked steak kabobs on the Traeger.
Option 1: Grill marinated skirt steak.
Brush grill grates with half the olive oil if desired to prevent the steak from sticking to the grill grates. Heat the grill to high (500°F) then add the steak.
Grill each side of the skirt steak for 3-4 minutes until grill marks form. Tip: spray cooking spray on steak or add olive oil to it before flipping, so steak doesn’t stick to the grill.
Steak is done once it reaches your desired temperature as measured by a thermometer. Keep flipping steaks every 10-20 seconds until grilled skirt steak is cooked to your liking.
Option 2: Sear marinated skirt steak in cast iron skillet.
Heat a large cast iron skillet or grill pan on the stove to medium high / high heat. Add half the olive oil to the pan and once it’s hot and beginning to smoke, add the skirt steak. Sear for 3-4 minutes on each side until the steak begins to brown. See the recipe for more details.
See how to smoke flank steak…
Option 3: Cook skirt steak in the oven broiler.
Brush 1 tsp of olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet, then add the steak to the pan. Brush the remaining olive oil on top of the steak. Broil on high for 6 minutes, then flip and broil another 4-6 minutes or until desired temperature is reached.
How to slice skirt steak
After allowing the cooked skirt steak to rest for 10 minutes, use a sharp knife to slice steak against the grain (perpendicular to the muscle fibers). Serve it with a drizzle of reserved marinade (that was not in contact with the raw beef) and fresh chopped chives and a squeeze of lime juice. Then enjoy.
FAQs for this steak recipe
Making tacos with skirt steak? Use this recipe as a marinade and cook it as directed. Then cut the beef against the grain (perpendicular to the direction of the muscle fibers) in thin strips (about 1”). Another option is to cube steaks into 1” chunks after cooking. It just depends on your prefered way to eat them.
The flavors in this recipe make it a perfect skirt steak fajita marinade. To make fajitas with it, you need to slice the meat (while it’s raw), either before or after marinating it. Aim for 1” strips and make sure to slice the skirt steak against the grain (perpendicular to the muscle fibers) so it’s nice and tender to chew.
Then, sear steak strips in a cast iron skillet on high heat until cooked to your desired temperature. Serve ’em with an appetizer of strawberry feta salad and side of sauteed onions and peppers.
Yes! These are two very similar, more “tough” and somewhat chewy butcher cuts that do very well with this tenderizing marinade. To learn more, see this guide on skirt steak vs flank steak.
More Steak Dinner Ideas from Sip Bite Go
Pro tip: One of my go-to tricks for perfectly cooked food every time is using the right BBQ meat thermometers.
Are you a foodie, too?
Hey home chefs – I want to know what you think of this way to tenderize skirt steak – send me photos of your food! Find me on Instagram @sipbitego to tag me and connect.
Want to make restaurant-style food at home? I teach you how here on Sip Bite Go and with in-depth video guides on the Sip Bite Go channel.
Grilled Skirt Steak Recipe With Marinade | Sip Bite Go
Video
Ingredients
Easy skirt steak marinade ingredients
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil substitute vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup soy sauce substitute Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar substitute white wine or sherry vinegar
- 1 lime zest and juice
- 2 tbsp brown sugar substitute honey
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 1 tbsp jalapeno, minced, pith and seeds removed (optional)
- ½ tsp black pepper ground
- 1.5 lb skirt steak substitute flank or hanger steak
Ingredients for finishing cooking skirt steak
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 tsp chives fresh chopped
- 1 tsp lime juice
Instructions
- Add skirt steak marinade ingredients to a large bowl. Whisk to combine the olive oil, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, lime zest and juice, brown sugar, minced garlic, jalapeno, and ground black pepper
- Set aside sauce for later. Remove ¼ cup of the skirt steaks marinade for later. You need to take out this portion of the marinade before adding the raw steak to marinate. Refrigerating the reserved liquid will solidify the olive oil so I usually leave it on the counter. Otherwise, take it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before serving the steak so the olive oil comes to room temperature.
- Add skirt steak to marinade for 2-24 hours. Either add the steak to the large bowl and cover it, or add marinade and beef to a large gallon sized ziplock bag. Refrigerate and marinade for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
- Remove steak from marinade and discard liquid.
- Option 1: Grill marinated skirt steak. Brush grill grates with half the olive oil if desired to prevent the steak from sticking to the grill grates. Heat the grill to high (500°F) then add the steak. Grill each side of the skirt steak for 3-4 minutes until grill marks form. Tip: spray cooking spray on steak or add olive oil to it before flipping, so steak doesn’t stick to the grill. Steak is done once it reaches your desired temperature as measured by a thermometer. Keep flipping steaks every 10-20 seconds until grilled skirt steak is cooked to your liking.
- Option 2: Sear marinated skirt steak in cast iron skillet. Heat a large cast iron skillet or grill pan on the stove to medium high / high heat. Add half the olive oil to the pan and once it’s hot and beginning to smoke, add the skirt steak. Sear for 3-4 minutes on each side until the steak begins to brown. If needed, add more olive oil to the pan to prevent it from sticking or burning. Also sear the edges of the steak for about 30 seconds. Once the internal temperature of the skirt steak has reached your desired temp (130-140°F for medium rare steak), transfer the meat to a cutting board to rest. (Suggestion: until desired temperature is reached, flip steak every 10-20 seconds so it gets a beautiful brown crust.)
- Option 3: Cook skirt steak in the oven broiler. Preheat the broiler to high heat. Brush 1 tsp of olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet, then add the steak to the pan. Brush the remaining olive oil on top of the steak. Broil skirt steak on high for 6 minutes, then flip and broil another 4-6 minutes or until desired temperature is reached.
- Let cooked skirt steak rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes. Then slice steak against the grain (perpendicular to the muscle fibers) and serve it with a drizzle of reserved marinade (that was set aside and not in contact with the raw beef, from the first step). Sprinkle skirt steak with fresh chopped chives and a squeeze of lime juice.
Notes
- Rare steak (125-130°F) is still red inside.
- Medium rare steak (130-140°F) is red to pink inside.
- Medium steak (140-150°F) is mostly pink, similar to Sip Bite Go photos.
- Medium well steak (150-160°F) has just a slight bit of pink inside.
- Well cooked steak (160°F) has no red or pink inside.
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