The outside skirt is cut worth knowing. Thick with buttery marbling and packed with rich with flavor, this is becomes a favorite of everyone who tastes it.
Double R Ranch outside skirt steak is rich with marbling for a wonderful beef flavor and tender texture. This cut surprises with deep flavor that rivals much more expensive cuts and is perfect for the grill. Cook over high heat, turn once and cut against the grain for a steak that will amaze at the dinner table. Our skirt steak is also the perfect starting point for mouth-watering and authentic fajitas is perfect for carne asada.
WHAT IS SKIRT STEAK?
Skirt steak is a cut of beef sourced from the diaphragm muscle. The long, thin steak has a thick coarse grain that is tender when it’s cutting across the muscle fibers.
Beef Grading 101
This steak is USDA Choice, the second highest level of marbling recognized by the USDA.
Beef sold in the U.S. is graded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). There are eight total grades and Choice is the second highest level
The USDA describes Choice as “high quality, but has less marbling than Prime” which means our beef at this level is excellent. Whenever possible, we work to use beef from the top one third of Choice for the highest quality possible within the grade.
Marbling, or intramuscular fat, is the most important factor used to grade beef in the U.S. and around the world. This is determined by a visual inspection of the amount and distribution of intramuscular fat between the 12th and 13th rib. Historically, this single inspection provides a correct indicator of the entire carcass.
Meatology
Skirt steak can be found in the plate primal. There are actually two skirt steaks, and although they look similar, they are different in several key ways. The inside skirt is the transversus abdominus muscle and is named for its location inside the body cavity. The outside skirt is the diaphragm muscle and is full of flavor because it is constantly in motion. The outside skirt is more desirable because it is more tender than the inside muscle. The outside skirt has a very pronounced, coarse grain that runs across the narrow portion of the cut. It is very important to cut this steak against the grain to maximize its tenderness
Fast fact: The skirt steak was the original cut for fajitas. The word fajitas translates to “little skirts” or “little bands” and is derived from the way skirt steak looks. As fajitas, and skirt steak, grew in popularity, restaurants started using other beef cuts for this popular dish.
