The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science

(Nandana) #1

cook it over intense heat the entire time, you’d end up with
meat that burnt to a crisp on the outside before the center
reached the appropriate medium-rare. Skirt steak has the
opposite problem: it’s so thin that unless you cook it over
maximum heat, it’ll be overcooked before you get any
chance to develop a good sear on the exterior.
I like to light up an entire chimney of coals, pile them all
under one side of the grill, and then add a few more coals
on top just for good measure. As soon as those coals on top
are hot, throw the suckers on and cook them with a single
flip.† If you have hardwood coals, now’s the time to break
’em out. They burn faster and hotter than briquettes, making
them the ideal choice for grilling skirt steak.
Like hanger and other loose-textured cuts, skirt takes well
to rubs and marinades. At the very least, use plenty of salt
and pepper.


Slicing and serving: Take a look at the way the grain flows.
Slice the steak with the grain to divide it into 3- to 4-inch-
long segments, then rotate each one of those 90 degrees and
slice into thin strips.

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