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Friday, June 26, 2020

ChezCindy: Quick Marinated Skirt Steak


The marinade for this skirt steak is a modified recipe adapted from Pat LaFrieda, well renowned New York City butcher.  He is author to the book simply titled Meat - Everything You Need to Know.  His book is more than a recipe book.  Each chapter is dedicated to the various meats, from lamb to poultry to beef.  Mr. LaFrieda informs the reader on how to source the meat, explaining each cut and how to prepare it.  My first favorite recipe from his book is his grandmother's Sunday Sauce, which is pasta with meat sauce.  This Italian meat sauce will make you and your family very happy, using beef short ribs simmering in tomatoes and aromatics for hours.  This recipe is a must make - buy the book if for no other reason than for this recipe.  However, the book brings a wealth of information and shines with recipes you will enjoy and share for years.

Now, back to the quick marinade.  Mr. LaFrieda offers a four ingredient, five-minute skirt steak marinade.  The recipe calls for 2 cups of brown sugar for 3 pounds of steak.  I usually always follow a recipe as written the first time I use it.  This time, I altered at first use.  I cut the sugar in half.  The grilled meat resulted in a sweet-salty goodness, almost like bacon but this is beef.  At first nibble, I blurted out with joy, "This is meat candy!".  I will make this recipe again and again.  The skirt steak can be marinated from 5 minutes, as stated in the recipe title, up to 2 hours.  The steak is grilled for roughly 3 minutes per side for medium rare, letting it rest for 5 minutes before cutting into it.  Serve this with a side dish that can soak up the sweet-salty juices from the steak and marinade, such as rice or even polenta.

Five-minute Marinated Skirt Steak
1 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
2 pounds skirt steak
1/2 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

Combine the sugar, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, chopped garlic and rosemary leaves in a re-sealable plastic bag.  Add the skirt steak, seal the bag.  Place in the refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

Heat the grill or indoor grill pan to high heat.  Remove the skirt steak from the marinade, allowing the excess to drip away.  Dab away the excess marinade from the meat using paper towels.  This will allow for a better sear on the meat.  Season both sides with kosher salt and black pepper.  Place the steak onto the grill, cooking the first side for 3-5 minutes, allowing the marinade to caramelize on the meat.  Turn the steak onto side 2 cooking for 2-3 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 125-130 degrees.  Set the steak onto a plate to rest for 5 minutes before slicing against the grain.


Click on the link for more detail on slicing against the grain.  Slicing against the grain.