Marinated Grilled Skirt Steak
Enjoy a citrusy, slightly spicy, and flavorful marinated grilled skirt steak. Hearty beefiness is perfect for summer cookouts, taco night, and any time the craving hits.
Whether it’s summer or you want to get excited about firing up the grill to shake off the winter blues, this is the recipe for you. Pleasantly chewy, intense beefy flavor (as some chewier cuts are), and completely versatile, grilling skirt steak has appeal for me. Occasionally, I like my meat with a bit of a bite to it, probably a cultural thing.
You wouldn’t put this in the tender steak category. However, the flavor is 10x better, and it’s a whole lot cheaper. And while it will never be as tender as a filet mignon, you can tenderize it with a little love.
Tenderizing a Skirt Steak
Slicing a crosshatch pattern across the steak before marinating helps the marinade penetrate and do its job better. You could also pound it with a meat mallet to tenderize it.
Marinating skirt steak in acidic ingredients that include fresh lime, lemon, or pineapple juice will tenderize and add flavor at the same time. At least an hour, but 2-4 hours works even better.
Cook hot and fast so your steak doesn’t dry out and get tough. That’s true whether using a grill, griddle, or oven with the broiler.
Let your steak rest for about 5 minutes, then slice it thinly on a bias across the grain to shorten those tough fibers in manageable bits.
How to Grill Skirt Steak
- Marinate the steak for about an hour.
- Grill the drained skirt steak for 3-5 minutes per side for medium rare to medium, turning as needed with tongs.
- Transfer it to a cutting board and let it rest for about 2 minutes. Slice the steak thinly against the grain, starting at one corner and cutting on the bias. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- This recipe is exceptionally customizable to adjust to different cuisines. Garlic, soy sauce, pineapple, and lime add aroma, umami, and natural sweetness.
- Spices like oregano, cumin, and cilantro deliver Mexican vibes, but you can replace them with other spices and herbs, depending on your mood. If I want to switch up the flavors to a more Afro-Caribbean twist, thyme, scotch bonnet, and allspice will do it.
- Grilling, frying, and broiling are all perfect for skirt steak. As long as whatever you’re using is hot before slapping the steak on it or in it.
Easy Meal Prep
Feel free to marinate the steak overnight in the refrigerator for faster meal prep. Take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before, while the grill is heating.
After grilling, frying, or broiling and resting, slice thinly and store serving or meal-size portions in a ziplock bag. You now have the meat part of tacos, salad toppings, sandwiches, and more.
What to Enjoy With Grilled Skirt Steak
I love leftovers for an excellent steak sandwich with peppers, onions, mushrooms, and melted cheese. Great for burritos and fajitas, too. And a scoop of chimichurri, pico de gallo, and salsa is a must.
More Spicy Recipes With Mexican Vibes
By Imma
This blog post was originally published in May 2016 and has been updated with additional tips and gorgeous photos.
Marinated Grilled Skirt Steak
Ingredients
- ½-1 lime, juiced (about 1 tablespoon juice)
- 2-3 tablespoons (30-45g) soy sauce
- 1-2 teaspoons (5-10g) minced garlic
- ¼ cup (60ml) pineapple juice
- ½ teaspoon (1g) dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon (3g) ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon (2g) white pepper
- 2-3 tablespoons (12-18g) chopped cilantro
- 1½ pounds (680g) skirt steak, trimmed
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a ziplock bag or large shallow dish, mix to coat the skirt steak well, and marinate for at least an hour. Refrigerate until ready to cook if you're doing make-ahead prep.
- Remove the steak from the refrigerator (if that's where it is), and preheat the grill to medium-high.
- When ready to grill, drain the skirt steak and pat it dry with paper towels. Brush and oil the grill grate.
- Place the steak on the hot grate and grill for 3-5 minutes per side for medium rare to medium, turning as needed with tongs.
- When ready, transfer it to a cutting board and let it rest for about 2 minutes. Slice the steak thinly against the grain, starting at one corner and cutting on the bias. Enjoy!
Tips & Notes:
- Grilling, frying, and broiling are all perfect for skirt steak. As long as whatever you’re using is hot before slapping the steak on it or in it.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
My husband and I have been using this recipe for multiple summers in a row now. He is a HUGE steak eater and insists this is the best steak he has ever had!! Amazing flavor!
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. Enjoy happy life with your husband and keep impressing him with our blog recipes:)
Great flavor!
We made this today for dinner…my family loved it…definitely a keeper!! Not a piece left on the cutting board..lol
Good to know. Thanks for the feedback.
Hello!
I’m about to try this. I don’t see salt on the ingredients. Is no needed?
No need to add salt. You can always add after cooking , if you feel it needs more seasoning.
We are big fans of skirt steak, and looking for a marinade, I found your site for the first time! We had this last night, and pan grilled it (no barbecue here in our little Japanese apartment) and it was divine exactly as is. Now I’m going to explore more of your recipes… I have some crab claws in the freezer…. Maybe your Crab Rangoon! Thanks, Imma, I’m a new fan!
Aww, thanks so much Lyn! Glad to hear this . Can’t wait to hear what else you try.
Happy Cooking!!!
Thanks for the reply, Imma! I’ll be sure to let you know! (lovely site)
the tomato salsa in the picture looks great, do you have the recipe for that, it looks so fresh
Not at the moment Diane. Will work on a salsa recipe pretty soon.
Flavourful, best marinate I found so far!
Thank you for the compliment, Natalie. =)
My husband followed the recipe but it was very tuff- although we did cut it in correctly. Or maybe it was a bad cut of meat?
Sorry to hear that. I can’t say for sure how it went wrong since I’ve been using this recipe a lot of times and turns out well all the time. But I suspect it could either be a bad cut of meat or the heat of your grill.
Yes. I’m sure it was the meat… We have had this happen to us as well.
Next time, before marination, gently rub the meat with oil (until it is firm to the touch) and maybe add just a touch of honey for sweetness. Also, make sure your cooking box is hot and sizzling before inserting your beef…
Happy cooking!
I would definitely try this skirt steak marinate. I love grilled food. I grilled in the middle of winter as long as no rain or snow. Thank you.
Me too Clarita. I live in Southern California so you I grill any time of the year.
My family loved it. We used Bavette steak which I prefer over skirt or flank when the butcher has it. I really loved the flavor of the white pepper.
Forgot to buy Pineapple juice, but it was fine without it.
Since the recipe called for 2-3 TBSP soy sauce, I used 2 TBSP soy sauce and 1 TBSP worcestershire sauce.
Added 1/2 tsp smoked paprika.
Glad you and your family loved it, Stephen! And thank you for sharing those tips. I appreciate it.
This was excellent! I had all of the ingredients on hand and marinated the meat for just an hour. It came out tender and flavorful. I will definitely make this again. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Woot! Woot! Glad it turned out amazing for you, Shauna! Now you got me wanting to fire up the grill tomorrow. 😉
Hi, just came across your great site and love the sound of this recipe, however can you tell me the two salsas you are serving with the beef in the photo. Thanks
Hi Jo! I served it with tomatillo (green tomato) salsa and red salsa.
I love this marinade! But the only problem is I do not have a grill. I’ve been making my steaks in the oven but I don’t think I’ve ever tried to make a skirt steak in the over. The low/slow method usually gets it pretty tender for me. Would be able to make this using the oven method?
Hi Nadiya! I have not tried cooking this Low and Slow . What I do is use the oven broiler to cook it . Almost the same way I would outside. And it works for me. Or I do it stove top. Hope this helps.
Can you marinade it longer then a hour?
Yes you can. Refrigerate when you marinade for more than an hour.
Yummy and gorgeous!! Will give this a try next time I make Mexican food! A delicious change from boring ground beef!
Beautiful recipe and photos. I nearly always sneak some soy sauce into a miranade. Love all that umami especially with the char grill flavours too.
I love bbq beef, I love spices, I love this recipe. Willl definitely try with burrtos!
A seriously beautiful shot. Makes me want to drop everything and dive right in. I really love the combo of pineapple juice and garlic and since we have some venison in the fridge , we are going to try it.
Bring on summer grilling season! I really love this marinade – I’ve never made one with soy and pineapple before but of course – it makes so much sense! I can’t wait to try this!