How To Cook Skirt Steak 6 Ways

Rach explains how to cook skirt steak — and her favorite ways to serve it — in an answer to one viewer who asked for her advice for avoiding toughness.

Q: "I bought skirt steak because there wasn't much at my grocery. I read it can be really tough. Afraid to ruin it — help please!"

A: "Skirt is steak is delicious. It's very forgiving, actually, I find," Rach says. "As with any meat, you bring it to room temperature, cut into portions, freeze some if you're not going to eat it all that day."

Here are six different ways Rach suggests for serving up a skirt steak lunch or dinner.

How To Cook Skirt Steak

In general, Rach says, if you're just going to cook a piece of steak you bring it to room temperature, pat it dry and season it well. Then, get a cast-iron skillet—Rach's preferred pan of choice, but any skillet will do—nice and hot over medium-high heat. Drizzle a little bit of oil on the meat or in the pan, put the meat in and let it completely develop its sugars and "get that great reddish-brown, crispy, beautiful finish, then flip it," Rach says. 

The second side will cook quicker than the first. "It's a very thin steak, it won't take long," Rach adds. Once it's done, take it out and let it rest on a cutting board, then slice it against the grain.

1. Slice up and serve alongside Caesar salad and a frico egg

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TRY THIS RECIPE: Rachael's Caesar Salad with Sliced Steak and Frico Egg

Mexican-Style Skirt Steak

Skirt steak is perfect for any sort of taco, fajita or quesadilla, Rach says. 

2. Cook skirt steak fajitas 

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TRY THIS RECIPE: Skirt Steak Fajitas

3. Make carne asada tacos

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TRY THIS RECIPE: Carne Asada Tacos and Chipotle Guacamole

Asian-Style Skirt Steak

Another way Rach likes to serve skirt steak is "very thinly sliced and mixed with Asian ingredients or dropped into a ramen bowl with vegetables and a little bit of soy sauce and white miso to flavor the broth." 

4. Marinate, slice and serve with cold sesame noodles 

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TRY THIS RECIPE: Sliced Ginger-Garlic Steak and Cold Sesame Noodles

5. Mix into a ramen bowl with veggies, soy sauce and white miso

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TRY ADDING STEAK TO THIS RECIPE: Mushroom and Crispy Tofu Ramen Bowls

Skirt Steak Pinwheels

6. Stuff with shaved cheese + veggies, roll it up and cut into pinwheels

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TRY THIS RECIPE: Spanish-Style Skirt Steak Pinwheels

Here's a basic outline of how Rach makes her skirt steak pinwheels:

"Pound the skirt steak out to an even thickness, stuff it with shaved Parm, tons of parsley tops and celery tops, roll it up very tightly and cut it into pinwheels, brown in a pan, finish in the oven, drench it with lemon juice."