Making sure that your skirt steak is tender

10-point process!

Skirt steak is a terrific cut!

It is full of natural flavour.
It can be pan fried and the process is relatively quick.
It is a budget cut. It is not expensive like the first-class cuts such as scotch fillet, NY and even rump. Yet, the quality is either the same or even better. So why not use this cut!

You want to ensure you cook this steak to perfection – nice crispy.

Without using many ingredients, here’s how:

It is better to season the meat hours or, better, a day earlier for the salt to be able to penetrate the meat – great flavour and the salt breaks down muscle fibers which means more tender.
Take away the chill. The meat browns better and cooks more evenly if it is not straight at of the fridge.
Pat the meat dry. This helps the browning process. The drier the meat, the better the browning.
Put the pan on a high heat and add oil. Sear on high heat on both sides to brown.
Once browned on both sides, reduce the heat to gently cook the interior.
Use a digital thermometer to read the internal temperature accurately to slowly rise to 55 – 65 degrees C.
Turn the meat over a few times during this process. The more you turn, the more the juices and temperature run up and down the steak ensuring easy and even cooking. It isn’t so much that the steak gets tender the longer you cook it, it is more that it is on a low heat to gently cook it that results in a tender outcome. Turning it a few times (for reasons already mentioned in this point) on a low heat speeds up the process.
Don’t cook past this temperature as this is medium rare. Any further than that, the steak will be tough, flavourless and dry.
Remove from the frying pan and let rest.
Carve against the grain so that it is not chewy.

Ready

You now have truly restaurant quality, yet budget cut steak that will look and taste so delicious!

Impress family and friends with skirt steak!