Skirt steak

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Skirt steak
BeefCutPlate.png
Beef cuts
Alternative namesRomanian tenderloin; Romanian steak; Philadelphia steak; Arrachera (Mx).
Type Plate cut of beef
Arrachera is a popular Mexican dish of skirt steak that is tenderized and/or marinated, then grilled Skirt steak grilled arrachera style.jpg
Arrachera is a popular Mexican dish of skirt steak that is tenderized and/or marinated, then grilled
A tlayuda in Oaxaca, Mexico, served con falda ("with skirt") topped with a piece of grilled skirt steak Tlayuda con falda.jpg
A tlayuda in Oaxaca, Mexico, served con falda ("with skirt") topped with a piece of grilled skirt steak
Grilled skirt steak Homemade Grilled Skirt Steak 05-24-2021.jpg
Grilled skirt steak

Skirt steak is the US name for a cut of beef steak from the plate. It is long, flat, and prized for its flavor rather than tenderness. It is distinct from hanger steak (US), also called skirt (UK) or onglet, a generally similar adjacent cut also from the plate.

Contents

Though it is from a different part of the animal, its general characteristics and uses cause it to be confused with both flank steak, taken from the flank behind the plate, and the flap meat from the bottom sirloin behind the flank and above the rear quarter.

Characteristics

Both the inside and outside skirt steak are the trimmed, boneless portion of the diaphragm muscle attached to the 6th through 12th ribs on the underside of the short plate. This steak is covered in a tough membrane that may be removed before cooking. By keeping the membrane it will be more tender but would require the eater to remove it which is why many remove it prior to cooking.

The inside skirt steak is often confused with the flank steak, which is the tail of the porter house and T-bone steaks of the short loin found on the flank, and hanger steak. It has similar cooking properties.

In the United States, the North American Meat Processors Association (NAMP) classifies all skirts steaks NAMP 121. [1] NAMP 121 is further subdivided into the outer (outside) skirt steak (NAMP 121C) and the inner (inside) skirt steak (NAMP 121D). The beef flank steak (NAMP 193) is adjacent to the skirt, nearer the animal's rear quarter. [2]

History

The name "skirt steak" for the butcher's cut of beef diaphragm has been in use since at least the 19th century. The cut is defined as extending to the 10th rib in the early 20th century. [3] [4] It was formerly considered a less commercially mass-salable cut in America, hence its use for fajitas by the vaqueros in Texas. [5] [6]

The U.S. Food Safety and Quality Service established in 1977 (now the Food Safety and Inspection Service) by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) had designated the cut as "beef skirt diaphragm" (with the adjoining cut being called "hanging tender diaphragm"). [7] But the diaphragms were treated as "offal" rather than meat by the Japanese government, thus exempt from any beef import quota restrictions. [8] These cuts of U. S. beef (and Canadian beef) could consequently be exported to Japan without quota restrictions, and constituted a major portion of the U.S. beef trades there from ca. 1975 into the 1980s, [9] [10] until the beef import deregulation in Japan lifted the quotas in 1991.

Uses

Skirt steak is also traditional in Mexican cuisine, particularly in the north where it is known as arrachera , and is generally marinated, grilled and served in tortillas, and with a squeeze of lime juice, guacamole, salsa, and onions as a taco. [11] It is also the cut of choice for making fajitas and Cornish pasties.

Preparation

To minimize toughness and add flavor, skirt steaks are often marinated before grilling, pan-seared or grilled very quickly, or cooked very slowly, typically braised. They are typically sliced against the grain before serving to maximize tenderness.

See also

Related Research Articles

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A fajita, in Tex-Mex cuisine, is any stripped grilled meat, optionally served with stripped peppers and onions usually served on a flour or corn tortilla. The term originally referred to skirt steak, the cut of beef first used in the dish. Popular alternatives to skirt steak include chicken and other cuts of beef, as well as vegetables instead of meat. In restaurants, the meat is usually cooked with onions and bell peppers. Popular condiments include shredded lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, pico de gallo, shredded cheese, refried beans, and diced tomatoes. "Tacos de arrachera" is applied to the northern Mexican variant of the dish.

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Carne asada is grilled and sliced beef, usually skirt steak, flap steak, or flank steak though chuck steak can also be used. It is usually marinated then grilled or seared to impart a charred flavor. Carne asada can be served on its own or as an ingredient in other dishes.

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Flap steak, or flap meat is a beef steak cut from the obliquus internus abdominis muscle of the bottom sirloin. It is generally very thin, fibrous and chewy, but flavorful, and often confused with both skirt steak and hanger steak.

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The bottom sirloin steak is a steak cut from the back of the animal below top sirloin and above the flank. This cut can also be referred to as sirloin butt and thick flank. The meat is further cut into three different portions called ball tip, tri-tip and flap steak for consumption. Ball tip cuts are used for common steaks in restaurants and are often advertised as sirloin. Tri-tip is found in roasts or used for barbecue since it is common for it to be cooked over long periods of time. Flap portions are found in hamburger meat or can be made into stews or even fajitas since it is too tough to be used in steaks.

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References

  1. "Beeffoodservice.com". Beeffoodservice.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-21.[ dead link ]
  2. "Beeffoodservice.com". Beeffoodservice.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-21.[ dead link ]
  3. "Market Classes and Grades of Meat". American Meat Trade and Retail Butchers Journal. 14 (444): 12. 22 December 1910.
  4. Furneaux, William S. (1888). Everyone Eats: Understanding Food and Culture. London: Longmans, Green. p. 61.
  5. Anderson, E. N. (2005). Animal Physiology. NYU Press. p. 133. ISBN   9780814707401.
  6. Pilcher, Jeffrey M. (2004) [2001], "Tex-Mex, Cal-Mex, New Mex, or Whose Mex? Notes on the Historical Geography of Southwestern Cuisine", On the Border: Society and Culture between the United States and Mexico Latin American Silhouettes, Rowman & Littlefield, ISBN   9781461639718 ; originally Pilcher (Winter 2001) in Journal of the Southwest43 (4, Border Cities and Culture): 674JSTOR   40170174
  7. Longworth (1983), p. 304.
  8. Longworth (1983), p. 52.
  9. Hay, Keith A. J (1989). Expanding Markets, Diminishing Shares?: Canadian Food Sales to Japan. Canada Japan Trade Council. p. 56.
  10. Coyle, William T. (July 1986). Animal Physiology. USDA Foreign Agricultural Economic Report, No. 22. GPO. p. 2.
  11. "Arrachera (Mexican Skirt Steak for Tacos)".

Bibliography