Grilled Black Pepper-Honey Marinated Skirt Steak
From Cook's Country
The loose grain of skirt steak makes it an ideal candidate for a flavorful marinade, but wet meat simply steams on the grill. To achieve a charred crust, we season our steak with salt, pepper, and sugar before searing and don’t marinate until after it comes off the grill. Poking the grilled steaks with a fork lets the bold, savory flavors penetrate into the meat, and since the marinade never touches raw meat, we also serve it as a sauce on the side.
Serves 4 to 6
Do not refrigerate the marinade after making it, or the steaks will be cold when served.
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 (12-ounce) skirt steaks, cut crosswise into 4-inch pieces and trimmed
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1. Combine soy sauce, honey, mustard, 2 teaspoons pepper, and thyme in bowl. Slowly whisk in oil until incorporated. Pat steaks dry with paper towels and sprinkle all over with sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper.
- 2A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vents fully. Light large chimney starter mounded with charcoal briquettes (7 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent fully. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
- 2B. FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave all burners on high.
- 3. Clean and oil cooking grate. Grill steaks (uncovered, and directly over coals if using charcoal; covered if using gas) until well browned and meat registers 125 degrees, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer steaks to 13- by 9-inch pan and poke all over with fork. Pour marinade over steaks, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes. Transfer meat to carving board and slice thinly against grain. Pour marinade into serving vessel. Serve, passing marinade at table.
Skirt Steak
Skirt steak has become very popular for good reason. It's well-marbled, which means it has great flavor. It's thin, which means it cooks quickly. And it has a loose, open grain, which means it readily soaks up marinades.
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A CUT ABOVE: The shape and texture of skirt steak are unmistakable.
