For years we’ve been huge fans of skirt steak given our penchant for home grilled fajitas (with our honest-to-goodness, best-you’ve-ever-tasted-ever, better-put-this-on-Chi Wulff marinade).
You could buy skirt steak years ago in San Antonio’s HEBs for under $2.99/lb., though with beef prices up so insanely in the past year and skirt steak now being quite fashionable and all, prices are more likely to be three times that.
No matter, the intense beefy flavor and almost perfect tooth of skirt steak is just about impossible to beat (though its kissing cousin, the hanger steak, comes damn close).
One October years ago several of us were sitting around a campfire on the South Fork of the Snake wolfing down a big batch of freshly-grilled fajitas after a 15-hour float when Ed, bless his heart, opined how great a skirt steak would be with a spicy, gingery, oriental-inspired marinade, though he insisted it had to have a bit of heat too.
We fiddled and tested over a few months to make Ed (an us) happy and this Ginger Soy Skirt Steak is what we’ve ended up with.
The winning combination of near perfect soy-ginger-garlic-sweet-heat with a simple as pie prep is just about unbeatable.
Obviously you could throw just about anything in this marinade: a true flank or London broil, a hanger steak, tri-tip (go 24 hours on the marinade time) or any other cut for that matter.
Perfection is reached when cooked just to medium-rare and sliced thinly across the grain. You’ll be glad you did.
1/2 cup soy sauce
6 or 7 green onions, white and pale green parts, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
3 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1.5 tbsp. olive oil
1.5 tbsp. packed brown sugar
1-2 tsp. sambal oelek chili paste
1.5 tsp. toasted sesame oil2-lb. skirt steak, cut into 4 pieces
Coarse sea or kosher salt
Marinade. Combine everything but the steak and salt in a medium bowl; stir to mix well.
Now pour the marinade into a large resealable bag, add the steak and mush around to coat all surfaces. Refrigerate overnight, turning the bag at least twice.
Fire the grill and remove the steak from the marinade and pat dry.
Grill ‘em up. Season both sides of the steak pieces lightly with salt. Over medium-high heat, grill until caramelized and crispy (4-6 minutes per side, pending thickness) yet pink in the middle; this is best medium-rare and you shouldn’t push it past medium or it’ll be tough.
Rest the meat, covered loosely, for 10 minutes. Slice thinly across the grain and prepare for a taste of beef heaven.
Enjoy.
