14 replies to this topic

[Cheater]

Based on a dish you'll find in many Rio de Janeiro restaurants, this recipe uses few ingredients but packs a lot of bold flavor. If your garlic has a green sprout growing in the center (the "germ"), be sure to remove it, because it will impart a bitter flavor to the final dish.

This is way better than you might think it will be.


 
Ingredients:

6 medium cloves garlic
Kosher salt
1-1/2 lb. skirt steak, trimmed and cut into four pieces
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs. canola oil or vegetable oil
2 oz. (4 Tbs.) unsalted butter
1 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
 
Preparation:

Peel the garlic cloves and smash them with the side of a chefs knife. Sprinkle the garlic lightly with salt and mince it.

Pat the steak dry and season generously on both sides with salt and pepper. In a heavy-duty 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until shimmering hot. Add the steak and brown well on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium rare. Transfer the steak to a plate and let rest while you make the garlic butter.

 

In an 8-inch skillet, melt the butter over low heat. Add the garlic and cook, swirling the pan frequently, until lightly golden, about 4 minutes. Lightly salt to taste.

 

Slice the steak, if you like, and transfer to four plates. Spoon the garlic butter over the steak, sprinkle with the parsley, and serve.

 

Serve with something that would also benefit from a hit of garlic, such as spinach or mashed potatoes.

[MattD]

In my early days of butchering, we used to leave a 3-inch tail on T-bone steaks. The skirt is that piece of meat. Around 1985 or so, we started cutting that tail off the steak. The company had us to cut those tails into stew meat, $1 something a pound. I always cut them up and put them all in one pack and bought them myself. The skirt is actually more tender than the T-bone or strip. We made kabobs with them and they would melt in your mouth. 

 

Skirt is a great cut, if you can find it.

[Cheater]

Skirt steak is pretty easy to find in the Atlanta area, as it it is very popular with Hispanic cooks.

[MattD]

Man, that's a long drive for me, about 9-10 hours. Guess I'll just go to White Castle.

[Lou E]

Skirt steak is my favorite to cook because of how forgiving it is to grill and how easy it is to get it to taste awesome. Now I need to find some for this weekend to try out this recipe!

If you can find it “peeled” you will save yourself a lot of work, trust me!

[MattD]

They have it in Atlanta!

[Ecurie Martini]

A hint - when preparing steak like this that will be sliced for serving, a really sharp knife makes a difference - cuts without "squeezing" out the juices. (I keep a tin of Band-Aids in my kitchen for guests who ignore my admonition against testing the blade with a thumb!)

[andyw]

AKA Fraldinha in Brazil. It is very popular there because it's an inexpensive and tasty cut!

[don.siegel]

Sounds excellent - too bad we can't find skirt steak here... something similar but less fatty. 

 

Two hints: smash the garlic gloves first with the flat of a knife, makes it easier to peel them. And if you're cutting the steak, don't hold the knife vertically, but at a rather flat angle, almost parallel to the table (learned that making London Broil), and always cross-grain. 

 

But sounds like you guys are pretty experienced and probably know all that already! 

 

Don 

[boxerdog]

I did a lot of improvising because I am lazy, but the results were very tasty. I used chopped garlic and chives, and cooked the meat in garlic olive oil, salt and pepper in a big iron pan. And rice on the side. I was sucked in by the picture, but I was very happy with everything. Thanks!

[Jesse Gonzales]

Skirt and flank steak are even hard to find on the internet, mostly sold out. Has anyone tried substituting flat Iron steak for these? Flat Iron are more available.

 

Jess Gonzales

[Cheater]

Sorry you have trouble finding skirt steak. It's pretty readily available in the Atlanta area, probably because of the significant Hispanic population we have here.

[Jesse Gonzales]

Phoenix's Valley of the sun has it's share of Hispanics and even some Myspanics, heck I grew up here in a Barrio and I guess we were all too poor to eat steak. I still love beans and tortillas even though they were on the table for every meal in one form or another. My Mom & Dad grew up on cattle ranches in eastern AZ and western New Mexico and they did not eat much beef as it was their cash crop so lots of beans, tortillas, eggs etc.

 

Jess Gonzales

[Bill from NH]

The best Mexican food I ever ate was in the mountains of Leadville, CO. A Mexican lady who lived in a small tar-papered shack set up a restaurant for 10-12 people in one of her rooms, I forget what I ate there, bur it was first class. Fifteen years ago, a Mexican man working in my work cafeteria, told me about a similar restaurant in a Manchester, NH, house, but he left the area before I got its inner city directions. I doubt either restaurant was licensed.

[Pablo]

I like black beans with green chilis and cheese in a flour tortilla. Maybe some steak or chicken in there.