How To Tenderize A Skirt Steak

Skirt steak is cut from the plate area of a cow which is just under the rib. It’s a tough cut of steak that’s thin with a visible grain which makes it great for cutting into strips or chunks. Skirt steak is a cheaper cut of beef and usually not served like a traditional steak. They’re typically cut up and used in a recipe like stir fry or served with a sauce. Some of the most flavorful and popular beef dishes, like fajitas or steak tacos, are cooked with skirt. The best way to tenderize a skirt steak is by pounding it with a mallet or marinading it in an acid based marinade. Both methods break down tough muscle fibers which tenderizes the meat. Tenderizing a skirt steak makes it easier to chew and maximizes the meat’s flavor.

Skirt steak is a tough cut of beef, but it varies based on the age of the cow, how they were raised and what they were fed. Although you could cook skirt without tenderizing it first, it’s highly recommended that you do. Without tenderizing the meat, skirt can be a bit tough and chewy.

There are several techniques you can use to tenderize a skirt steak, the best being a mallet or a good marinade. But the very best results come from combining the two methods. A mallet and marinade tenderize a steak in different ways so it’s beneficial to do both when the steak is very tough.

In this article we’ll discuss the different step-by-step ways you can tenderize a skirt steak along with some tips and information about skirt steak.

What Is Skirt Steak?

Skirt steak is cut from the plate area of a cow which is just under the rib. It’s a tough cut of steak that’s thin with a visible grain which makes it great for cutting into strips or chunks.

Skirt steak is a fairly inexpensive cut of beef that’s usually not served like a traditional steak. They’re typically cut up and used in a recipe like stir fry or steak tacos.

The best way to tenderize a skirt steak is by pounding it with a mallet or marinading it in an acid based marinade. Both methods break down tough muscle fibers which tenderizes the meat.

Skirt steaks are a long, thin strip of meat cut from the plate area of the cow. They look very similar to a flank steak, but have a grain that runs cross ways rather than long ways. This is how you can tell a skirt and flank steak apart.

Skirt is also known as short plate.
Has a thin membrane that’s removed before cooking.
Has a strong, beefy flavor.
Thinner than ribeye which makes it great for serving in strips rather than as a whole steak.

Skirt steaks aren’t typically served as a standalone steak dinner, but when they are flash frying in a really hot pan is the best way to cook them. This locks in what little juices they have and prevents them from drying out.

Skirt is best served as part of a steak dish or slow cooked on low heat in a stew or sauce.

What Makes Skirt Steak Tough & Chewy?

Steaks are actually muscles cut from a cow.

Muscles that get used a lot are denser with less fat marbling. This makes them tougher and harder to chew. But areas of a cow that don’t get much exercise are softer with more marbling. This makes the meat more tender and flavorful.

Muscles at the top of the animal, around the backbone and ribs, don’t get much exercise so the meat is soft and tender with more marbling. These are your high-end cuts like prime rib, tenderloin, porterhouse, etc. Unfortunately these areas tend to be smaller which is why an entire cow only provides a few prime steaks. This increases the price of the meat.

The working parts of the animal like the legs, neck and lower muscles get more exercise so the meat is tough and sinewy with more strips of fat and less marbling. There are more tough cuts on a cow than tender cuts so the price is much lower. These include chuck, brisket, skirt, etc.

Muscle is made up of long strings of connective tissue called fibers. Surrounding the muscle fibers are a thin gelatinous substance called collagen and fat.

Tenderizing beef before you cook it breaks down and weakens the fibers which makes the meat softer and more tender.

If you look at a skirt steak you can clearly see the muscle fibers running throughout the meat. These fibers are tough and chewy unless you tenderize the meat before cooking it.

Now let’s take a look at the different ways to tenderize skirt steak.

Tenderize Skirt Steak With A Mallet

Skirt steaks are thin, fairly lean and a bit tough. But they have good flavor and taste great in beef dishes like stir fry, fajitas, tacos or a stew.

The age of the cow, how they were raised and what they were fed helps determine how tough a skirt steak is. So buying skirt steak that’s premium grade will be less chewy than lesser grade beef. But all skirt is a little tough no matter how premium the cow.

Skirt is cut from an area of the cow that gets a lot of exercise as it walks around and stands, which makes the meat tougher. This is why skirt steak benefits from tenderizing before you cook it.

The best way to tenderize a skirt steak is by pounding it with a mallet.

Use either a flat or spiked mallet. Repeatedly pound the beef on both sides. This not only tenderizes the beef but also makes it a little thinner.

If you’re worried about juices splashing off the steak as you hit it, place the steak in a large plastic bag. This will contain the juices as you tenderize the meat.

The blunt force of the mallet helps break the bonds which hold muscle fibers together.
Pounding the meat enhances the tenderizing effects of a marinade by opening up the beef’s muscle fibers. This allows flavors to penetrate deeper into the steak.
If you use a spiked mallet, the spikes create small dimples for marinade to soak into.

As you pound the steak, tough muscle fibers are broken down and torn apart. This makes the beef softer, more tender and easier to chew. And it makes the beef taste better if you also use a marinade, rubs or sauces.

How To Tenderize Skirt Steak With A Mallet

Use a good quality dish-washer-safe cutting board that’s well sanitized.

I wrap the beef in some wax paper or plastic wrap to avoid cross contamination of surfaces. But you can tenderize the meat without wrapping it. Just make sure you clean up thoroughly afterwards.

Meat mallets come flat and spiked. The spiked end works better for tenderizing steaks. The flat side is better if you want to flatten the meat a little.

Hit the beef hard with the mallet but not too hard. You don’t want to damage the meat. Just soften it a little by creating dimples with the mallet.

As you hit the beef you’ll notice dimples on the surface from the mallet spikes. This means you’re breaking down and penetrating into the muscle fibers. When you’re all done, turn the steak over and do the same on the other side.

If you hit the steak too hard it’ll start to get slimmer. You don’t want this to happen because skirt steak is already thin and dense. Just hit it hard enough to form some deep dimples and break up those muscle fibers a bit.

Once both sides are pounded you’re all done.

Remove the steak from the wax paper or plastic wrap and either cook it or place it in a marinade.

Tenderize Skirt Steak With A Marinade

A great way to tenderize a skirt steak is with an acidic marinade. Not just any marinade will tenderize a steak, it has to contain some acid like lemon, lime or kiwi. Fruit is actually a really good tenderizer because many contain acids.

Acids break down proteins and tough connective tissue which tenderizes the steak. Lemon juice, wine, vinegar, beer and soda are all strong tenderizers. Even liquids like buttermilk and yogurt will help tenderize meat because of their acidic qualities.

You can combine a tenderizing marinade with pounding the meat for an even more tender steak. Pounding the meat with the spiked edge of a mallet creates dimples which allow the marinade to penetrate deeper into the steak.

Marinade only tenderizes the surface of the meat it touches. So if you don’t pound the beef first you’ll only tenderize the outer edges. But because skirt is so thin, this is often enough to soften the entire steak.

Here’s how you do it:

Place your steak in a food-safe container and add your favorite marinade over it. This works better if you pound the meat with a spiked mallet first.
Both sides of the steak should be bathed in marinade.
Place the steak in the refrigerator.
Let the steak rest for at least an hour.
Remove the steak and start cooking.

Use a clean paper towel to blot the steak dry before cooking or grill it while still wet.

The drawback to using marinade is that you can overdo it. Leaving the meat soaking too long can actually make the meat tougher. Stick to around an hour or two.

Pro Tip: When marinating with acids, use a non-reactive container like glass or Ziploc bags. A metal bowl can react with the acids giving your steak a strange metallic flavor.

Tenderize Skirt Steak With Salt

Coating a skirt steak with salt is another good way to tenderize it.

Don’t use regular table salt to tenderize a steak. It contains iodine which can give the meat a strange chemical flavor. It’s also too fine which makes it hard to wash off later. Table salt usually results in a weird tasting over salted steak. Use coarse kosher or sea salt instead.

You can use salt along with a pounding to tenderize a steak. The dimples created when you pound the meat allow the salt to penetrate deeper into the steak.

Tenderizing a skirt steak with salt is easy, here’s how:

Sprinkle coarse salt generously over both sides of the steak.
Allow the steak to rest for at least an hour.
Rinse off the excess salt.
Dry the steak with a clean paper towel.
Cook.

Salt draws out the steak’s natural juices which then dissolve the salt creating a brine solution. The brine then absorbs into the meat, adding in moisture while tenderizing.

In addition to tenderizing the meat, salting also gives it great flavor. Just remember not to add too much additional salt when you grill the meat. It’s easy to over salt a steak that’s already been tenderized in salt.

When you tenderize a skirt steak with salt it will turn a little brown in color. Don’t be worried, this is normal and harmless.

Tenderize Skirt Steak With An Enzyme Tenderizer

Natural enzymes are another good way to tenderize a Skirt Steak while also adding some additional flavor.

You can buy powdered meat tenderizer at the grocery store. Meat tenderizer contains a naturally derived enzyme powder. The enzyme most commonly used is papain, which comes from papayas or bromelain, which comes from pineapples. Sprinkle the steak with tenderizer and allow the enzymes to break down those tough meat fibers.

Meat tenderizing powder works fast. Usually the meat just has to sit with the powder on for a minute or two before cooking. The enzymes do most of the work while being cooked.

Use less salt on your steak if your enzyme-based tenderizer comes with salt in it.

If you prefer using fresh fruits instead of a powder, use a marinade of kiwis, pineapple, papaya and mango instead. These fruits are good sources of tenderizing enzymes and more natural than a powder.

The enzymes found in certain fruits do an excellent job of breaking down tough muscle fibers and connective tissue. They’ll tenderize the meat making it softer and less chewy.

Even though enzymes are effective, they only work on the meat’s surface. To make them more effective, pound the beef first with a spiked mallet. The dimples created by the mallet allow the enzymes to penetrate deeper into the meat.

When enzyme tenderizers are used too long the steak can get mushy on the outside.

If you use the powder let it sit for just a minute or two before cooking.
If you use the fruits let the steak marinade for about an hour.

Pro Tip: When marinating with enzymes, always use a non-reactive container like glass or Ziploc bags. A metal bowl can react with the enzymes giving your steak a strange metallic flavor.

Tenderize Skirt Steak On The Grill

Slow-cooked meat is tenderized by hours of cooking at low temperatures. It can be achieved with dry heat on the grill or in the smoker. Or you can use wet heat where the meat is braised in liquid for several hours. Both methods produce a more tender skirt steak.

When you slow cook steak, the collagen surrounding tough muscle fibers melts which breaks apart and loosens the muscle.

Slow cook a steak long enough and the meat will literally fall apart.

Heat and time are essential when slow cooking. But get the temperature wrong and the beef can actually get tougher and more dried out.

Below we’ll go over how to slow cook tenderize a skirt steak in both dry and wet heat.

Dry Heat

Season your meat, and if you used a marinade, pat it dry with paper towels. Make sure the steak is dry before placing it on the grill.

Get the grill or smoker to around 225-250 °F before you place steaks on the grill. Once the steaks are in place let them sit and slowly cook. Slow cooking a steak is a great way to make the meat tender. The slower and longer you cook it, the softer it generally becomes. In some cases a skirt can become so tender you can cut it with a fork.

Use a meat thermometer to check for an internal temperature of around 160 °F or higher. At this temperature the meat becomes moist and tender.

Cooking to a lower temperature than 160 °F, makes the collagen shrink and tighten which results in a dry and tough steak.

Once the internal temperature has reached 160°, check out the steak’s appearance and color. If the outside isn’t crisp and caramelized do a quick reverse sear on it.

Take the meat out to rest for a few minutes, then turn up the grill to 500+ °F and put the steak back on for a few minutes each side to sear the edges.

Wet Heat

Slow cooking a skirt steak with wet heat can produce meat so tender it falls apart. It also creates some great tasting beef because you can create flavors not possible with dry heat. Try slow cooking your steaks with wine, spices, herbs and vegetables for even more flavor.

The key to this type of cooking is low heat for a long period of time.

Start by browning the meat on all sides over high heat in your Dutch oven or a cast iron skillet. This achieves a rich flavorful surface like the sear on a grill.

Remove the meat and deglaze the pan with liquid. Try wine, beer, broth or water. Add in your seasonings, veggies, onions, spices, potatoes, etc. Then put in the beef and cook with the lid on tight at around 300 °F for about 2.5 – 3 hours.

Make sure the lid stays on tight. If it’s open steam can release which dries out the meat.

Slow cooking in the oven generally works best, but a stovetop can also work as long as you keep the heat low and steady.

How To Quickly Tenderize A Skirt Steak With Baking Soda

One of the fastest ways to tenderize a Skirt Steak is with a Baking Soda bath. Baking soda mixed with water creates a solution that can tenderize skirt in only 15 minutes. Baking soda causes the steak’s pH level to increase while neutralizing acid found in the meat.

As pH levels rise toward the outside of the meat, proteins on the inside loosen their bonds. This results in a more tender and juicy steak.

Once you’re done tenderizing the meat, thoroughly rinse it off before adding spices and cooking. You don’t want to cook the meat if it still has baking soda on it.

Even though a Baking Soda bath can quickly tenderize a tough steak, it doesn’t do much for its taste. Add all your spices, herbs, rubs and sauces after the meat is removed from the baking soda and rinsed.

To add even more flavor, let the meat rest in a traditional marinade for 30 minute to an hour before cooking it. This will add more flavor and juices to the beef.

Here’s how to create a baking soda bath for your Skirt Steak:

Dissolve 1 tablespoon of baking soda in a ½ cup of water for every 12 ounces of steak.
Place your meat in the solution and soak it for 15 minutes.
Rinse with water and pat dry.
Season the meat and cook as desired.

Remember, a baking soda bath is a fast and easy way to tenderize a Skirt Steak. But it doesn’t add flavor like a traditional marinade does. So you have to spice the meat after its been removed from the bath and rinsed.

Tenderize A Skirt Steak By Slicing It

The final way to improve the tenderness of a skirt steak is done after you cook it. Once it’s off the grill and on the plate, cut it into thin slices. Thin slicing helps shorten tough muscle fibers making the meat a little softer and easier to chew.

Always cut steak against the grain. This makes the meat more tender and easier to chew.

Here are a few more tips that can help tenderize a steak:

If your steak was stored in a freezer, bring it to room temperature before grilling.
Rest your steak for at least 5 minutes before serving. The steak continues to cook while it rests and consolidates its juices.

Letting a steak rest and slicing it against the grain are the final things you can do to tenderize it before serving.

How Do You Make Skirt Steak Tender?

It’s a quick and easy process to make skirt steak more tender. The best way to do it is by pounding both sides of the meat with a spiked mallet. This will created small dimples in the meat which break apart and soften tough muscle fibers.

The dimples also allow marinade to penetrate deeper into the beef if you use one.

Here are the steps you need to follow to make skirt steak more tender:

Pound both sides of the skirt steak with a mallet to tenderize it.
Marinading the steak in an acid based marinade isn’t required but it’s beneficial.
Cook the meat quickly over high heat in a pan, pot or on the grill.
Let it rest tented with foil for 3 – 5 minutes before slicing to retain its juices.
Slice the meat against the grain into thin strips (about ¼ -inch thick).

Are You Supposed To Tenderize A Skirt Steak?

Skirt steak should be tenderized with a spiked tenderizing mallet before cooking. You can cook skirt without tenderizing it first, but it will be tough and chewy. Pound the steak on both sides hard enough to create dimples in the meat. These dimples will break up tough muscle fibers which makes the beef softer. It also allows marinade to penetrate deeper into the steak if you use one.

Some skirt steak is sold pre-tenderized. I prefer to tenderize skirt steak myself instead of buying them pre-tenderized. And even if I buy a pre-tenderized cut, I still pound it a bit with my mallet before cooking.

I recommend using a marinade on Flank along with a meat tenderizing mallet because Flank is a very lean and tough steak that’s benefits from added fats and moisture.

How Do You Cook Skirt Steak So It Isn’t Tough?

Skirt steak is thin, lean and tough meat, so it needs some tenderizing before you cook it. Pound both sides with a spiked mallet to soften up those tough muscle fibers.

Because skirt is so lean, it benefits greatly from marinades. Soak it in an acid based marinade with some olive oil to tenderize the meat while adding moisture and fat.

Slow cooking with wet heat is the best way to cook skirt steak so it isn’t tough.

Start by browning the meat on all sides over high heat in your Dutch oven or a cast iron skillet. This achieves a rich flavorful surface like the sear on a grill.
Remove the meat and deglaze the pan with liquid. Try wine, beer, broth or water.
Add in your seasonings, veggies, onions, spices, potatoes, etc.
Then put in the beef and cook with the lid on tight at around 300 °F for about 2.5 – 3 hours.

When skirt is slow cooked on low wet heat it becomes so tender you can cut it with a fork.

If you plan on grilling skirt or cooking it in a pan, don’t go past medium-rare or medium doneness or the meat will be dry and chewy. Cook skirt fast on extremely high heat. This will sear the outside while preserving what little juices it has inside.

I always add fats to skirt when cooking it in a pan. Throw in some butter or olive oil. Skirt doesn’t have much of it’s own so you need to add some yourself.

Finally, a way to cook skirt steak so it isn’t tough is by slicing it against the grain. This makes the meat easier to chew.

How To Tenderize Skirt Steak Fast

The fastest way to tenderize skirt steak is with a spiked mallet. Pound both sides of the meat until dimples appear. This can be done in as little as a minute. Pounding a skirt steak with a spiked meat tenderizer break up tough connective tissue and muscle fibers which softens the beef.

Next, rub some meat tenderizer on the meat. Meat tenderizers contain enzymes which soften the meat while it cooks. They’re faster than a marinade but produce a similar effect. This can be done in as little as a few minutes.

A pounding combined with a meat tenderizer can tenderize a skirt steak in as little as 2 – 3 minutes.