This grilled skirt steak is a quick dinner recipe made with only six ingredients. The steak is marinated in an Asian-inspired sauce, then served on a bed of rice.
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Summer is the perfect time to fire up the grill and cook up some delicious skirt steak. This Asian-inspired steak recipe is not only affordable, but it also grills up in under 10 minutes.
The skirt steak is marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, green onions, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Once it marinates, the only thing left to do is grill the meat and serve it up with your favorite side dishes.
This recipe is quick to make, affordable, and most importantly, something the whole family will love.
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What You'll Learn In This Recipe
- How to properly grill skirt steak. It takes less time on the grill than you may imagine.
- Why a meat thermometer is such an important kitchen tool.
- Easy and delicious side dishes to serve with skirt steak.
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Ingredients You Need
Here are the ingredients you'll need for marinated skirt steak:
- Skirt steak: If possible, purchase an outside skirt steak. This cut is more tender compared to the inside cut. This is a great type of steak to purchase, especially if you're on a budget.
- Soy sauce: I often opt for a reduced-sodium soy sauce for this recipe. However, traditionally flavored soy sauce will also work.
- Sesame oil: A little goes a long way with this ingredient.
- Garlic: I love that flavor that comes from fresh garlic cloves. You can also substitute for jarred garlic.
- Green onions: This ingredient is used in both the marinade and to garnish the dish.
- Crushed red pepper: Every dish needs a little kick of spice. Feel free to add more or less crushed red pepper depending on your taste.
- Sesame seeds: Sesame seeds add a nice finishing touch and a bit of crunch.
How To Make This Recipe
Here's how to make a quick marinade for skirt steak.
Start by trimming the excess fat on the skirt steak. Remove any large pieces of fat, as well as the membrane. I typically use a sharp boning knife for this process.
Don't worry about removing all of the fat. The fat provides flavor, so you still want to keep the fat that's running throughout the fibers of the meat.
The skirt steak should look similar to the second image once you're done trimming.
Once the skirt steak is trimmed, add it to a plastic storage bag along with soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, green onions, and crushed red pepper. I love that there are only a few ingredients needed the healthy skirt steak marinade.
Place the steak in the refrigerator and allow the meat to marinate for 3 - 4 hours. I always like to place the bag on a plate or sheet tray to ensure nothing leaks in the refrigerator.
Now that the meat is done marinating, it's time to preheat the grill to high heat, around 500°F. Skirt steak needs to be cooked at a high temperature, so give the grill enough time to proply heat.
Then, cook the the steak covered over direct heat for 3 - 5 minutes on each side. To know the steak is properly cooked looked for deep brown grill marks on the outside. Skirt steak is delicious with a browned crust.
You'll also want to test the internal temperature of the meat with an instant read thermometer to ensure it's perfectly cooked. I like to take the meat off of the grill around 125°F, knowing that it will continue to increase in temperature by a few degrees once it is removed.
Allow the steak to rest for 10 minutes. Finally, cut the steak against the grain. While skirt steak is known for being a chewier cut of meat, slicing the meat against the grain will prevent the meat from becoming too chewy.
To serve, I like to lay the sliced steak over a bed of Jasmine rice. Garnish with sesame seeds and additional green onions.
Expert Tips
- Skirt steak needs to cook at a high temperature. Make sure you plan accordingly to allow the grill to properly preheat.
- Always use an instant read thermometer to check the internal temperature of the meat. This will ensure it's cooked to a perfect temperature of 125°F.
- Slicing the meat against the grain is so important. This process helps break down the muscle fibers of the steak, making it easier to chew. To cut against the grain, simply look which direction the meat fibers are running, and then slice in the opposite direction.
Recipe FAQs
How long you can marinate skirt steak depends on the type of marinade. Generally, a marinade with very acidic ingredients needs less time. For this Asian skirt steak marinade, 3 - 4 hours is perfect.
I love cooking marinated skirt steak on the grill. It allows the meat to develop flavor and color on the outside, as well as cook to a perfect rare to medium-rare temperature.
Cook skirt steak to a rare (125°F) to medium rare (130°F) temperature. It's best not to overcook skirt steak as it can become overly chewy.
Healthy Side Dishes
Try these healthy sides that pair well and compliment the flavors of this Asian skirt steak recipe.
- I always serve this recipe over a bed of jasmine rice. You can opt for cauliflower rice as a lower-carb option.
- Asian-style green beans are a great option, especially when green beans are in season during the summer months. These green beans are flavored with soy sauce, garlic, and crushed red pepper.
- Sesame blistered edamame would work as a side dish or an appetizer. These flavored edamame pods cook up in just 11 minutes!
- Looking for a no-cook side dish? Try this Asian cucumber salad. It's nice and light for the summer months.
- For a kid-friendly skirt steak side dish, try roasted broccoli. Throw it in the oven when you preheat the grill so it's ready at the same time as the steak.
More Grilling Recipes
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Grilled Asian Marinated Skirt Steak
Ingredients
- 2 pounds skirt steak
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 green onions thinly sliced on the bias, plus more for garnish
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- jasmine rice for serving
- sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Trim off the thin layer of fat on the underside of the skirt steak. Be careful to avoid removing too much fat, as skirt steak is already so thin.
- On the non-fatty side of the steak, make sure any remnants of the membrane are removed. If there are still some remnants, peel them off.
- Add skirt steak, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, green onions, and crushed red pepper to a resealable bag. Place in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours to marinate.
- Preheat a gas grill to high heat (about 500°F).
- Cook the skirt steak covered over direct heat for 3 - 5 minutes on each side, or until the internal temperature reaches 125°F. The outside of the steak should have browned grill marks.
- Allow skirt steak to rest for 10 minutes. Slice against the grain.
- Serve over a bed of jasmine rice, and garnish with sesame seeds and additional green onions.
Shannon
This has been my family's new go-to meal. It's so flavorful and delicious! I love that it uses a cheaper cut of beef.
Jessica Mode
I'm so glad to hear this!! We love this recipe in my house too!
Art
What a simple delicious recipe!! A definite keeper.
Jessica Mode
Hi Art! So glad to hear that you enjoyed it. We love it in our house too!