Perfect Skirt Steak Marinade with Chimichurri Recipe (2024)

by Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) · Updated

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Skirt Steak Marinade with Chimichurri Recipe – No grill is complete without my insanely flavorful skirt or flank steak marinade with chimichurri sauce! Easy, absolutely delicious and beyond flavorful!

Perfect Skirt Steak Marinade with Chimichurri Recipe (1)

Table of Contents

The Perks and Highlights for the Best Skirt Steak Marinade

Cuisine Inspiration: Latin American flavors

Primary Cooking Method: Marinating and grilling, baby!

Dietary Info: Gluten-free and absolutely full of protein.

Key Flavor: The dominant flavors are a tantalizing mix of zesty citrus, rich olive oil, salty soy sauce, tangy apple cider vinegar, aromatic garlic, and a splash of umami from the Worcestershire sauce. The chimichurri sauce adds a fresh, herby kick to round everything out.

Skill Level Required: Pretty easy

Sweet Highlights:

  • Zesty Citrus Magic: The citrus juices help tenderize the steak, ensuring every bite is mouth-wateringly soft.
  • Garlic’s Bold Embrace: Garlic adds a depth of flavor that transforms the marinade from good to “can I bathe in this?”
  • Chimichurri Charm: This sauce is the unsung hero of the recipe, adding a fresh, herby layer
  • Soy Sauce Savvy: A splash of soy brings all the ingredients together
  • Grill Marks for Days: There’s something undeniably magical about the smoky goodness that a grill imparts on steak, making this dish a summertime (or anytime!) favorite.

What is Skirt Steak?

Skirt steak is a long cut of beef that’s sliced thinly from the diaphragm muscles of the cow. It is one of the most flavorful cuts of beef but can be a little on the tougher side because of the connective tissue in the cow’s diaphragm muscles. That’s where marinades come in to help tenderize the meat.

Ingredients

The flavor is unreal. Because of the texture of skirt steak (I love to use it here in my carne asada as well) and flank steak, I wanted to make sure I used a marinade recipe that would really infuse a ton of flavor and also help to tenderize the meat. The texture is very different than this london broil, cube steak orribeye steak, which is much more tender.

The ingredients contained in this marinade including:

  1. olive oil
  2. orange juice
  3. lime juice
  4. soy sauce
  1. Worcestershire sauce
  2. apple cider or red wine vinegar
  3. minced garlic

Ingredients like lime juice and soy sauce add acid to really break down the toughness of the steak, and it couldn’t taste better if you ask me. That citrus essence gets right down in each and every bite. Put your completed marinade in a resealable plastic bag and add your steak pieces. Refrigerate and marinate for 6 to 7 hours.

Perfect Skirt Steak Marinade with Chimichurri Recipe (2)

Can You Marinate Too Long?

Optimally, for tough steaks like skirt and flank, it’s best to marinate it no longer than 24 hours in the refrigerator. Beyond overnight marinating is overkill. Also, never re-use a marinade.

How to Cook Skirt Steak

Before placing your marinated skirt or flank steak on the grill, it’s important to liberally season the meat on both sides with salt and pepper. Allow your charcoal or gas grill to get good and hot.

Place your steak on the grill and cook both sides for 4 to 6 minutes. The meat should be perfectly charred with wonderful grill marks and have a golden brown color. Remove from the grill and allow the meat to rest for around 5 minutes.

After grilling your steak and allowing it to rest is the best time to cut it. Take your steak and always cut against the grain in thin slices.

Adding Chimichurri Sauce

Adding my chimichurri sauce, takes this recipe to a whole new level y’all. This chimichurri sauce is so fresh with clean flavors. Cilantro and parsley are already so fresh but when added with fresh lime juice, the essence is just so wonderful. It is a lovely accent to this dish.

You can whip this chimichurri recipe up in your heavy duty blender or food processor. The flavors just come together so perfectly with the steak.

Perfect Skirt Steak Marinade with Chimichurri Recipe (3)

More Grilled Recipes

  • This Grilled Ribeye Steak with Tequila Glazeis everything!
  • These BBQ Baby Back Ribs are incredible!!!
  • Grilled Proscuitto Arugula Pizzais necessary!
  • What’s a grill without chicken? ThisTequila Lime Chickenis necessary.
  • ThisCarne Asadamakes my life every time I grill it!
  • And finally get this Grilled Catfish recipe on the grill immediately.

*Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating and leave comments below!*

Perfect Skirt Steak Marinade with Chimichurri Recipe (4)

Skirt Steak Marinade Recipe with Chimichurri Recipe

Skirt Steak Marinade with Chimichurri Recipe – No summer grill is complete without my skirt or flank steak marinade with chimichurri sauce! Easy, absolutely delicious and beyond flavorful!

4.45 from 390 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time: 6 hours hours

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 6 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 678kcal

Author: Jocelyn Delk Adams

Ingredients

For the Marinade and Grilling:

  • 2/3 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
  • 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 tablespoons apple cider or red wine vinegar
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 pound skirt steak
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the Chimichurri Sauce:

  • 1 cup fresh parsley
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro
  • 1/4-1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 medium onion diced
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • Optional: 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions

For the Marinade and Grilling:

  • Whisk all of the ingredients together and pour into a large ziploc bag.

  • Add skirt steak to ziploc bag with marinade and allow to marinade up to 6-7 hours max depending on how thick the meat is.

  • When ready to grill, liberally season with salt and pepper.

  • Grill until golden brown and perfectly charred then allow to rest before slicing on a cutting board.

For the Chimichurri:

  • Add all of the ingredients to a heavy duty blender or food processor and blend until everything is chopped up and smooth then serve. Seriously that easy.

Notes

After grilling your steak and allowing it to rest , is the best time to cut it. Take your steak and always cut against the grain in thin slices.

Nutrition

Calories: 678kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 58g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 1359mg | Potassium: 743mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1610IU | Vitamin C: 50.8mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 4.7mg

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Perfect Skirt Steak Marinade with Chimichurri Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How long can you marinate skirt steak for? ›

Add the steak to the bag, or bowl, and marinate for at least 20 minutes. I recommend 1-8 hours for the most flavorful, tender skirt steak. Note: I do not recommend marinating for more than 8 hours, or the acidity of the marinade will start to break down the proteins in the meat and can cause the steak to become mushy.

How do I make sure my skirt steak is tender? ›

Make sure to slice the skirt steak across the grain in thin pieces, about 1/4-inch thick. I like to hold my knife at a 45-degree angle to create a bias cut. This ensures additional tenderness by creating more surface area between the muscle fibers so they aren't stacked, making it easier to eat.

Can you leave steak in marinade too long? ›

Most recipes for marinating meat and poultry recommend six hours up to 24 hours. It is safe to keep the food in the marinade longer, but after two days it is possible that the marinade can start to break down the fibers of the meat, causing it to become mushy.

Can you marinate skirt steak too long? ›

In the skirt steak marinade, the lemon juice is our acid. It will weaken the tough fibers of the meat and enhance flavor. Creating tender flavorful meat. Do not over marinate, however, If meat sits in a marinade too long the meat will become mushy, dry, and actually tough.

How do you cook skirt steak so it isn't tough? ›

Skirt steak is thin and relatively lean, so it should be cooked quickly over high heat whether on the grill or in a cast iron skillet. Cooking over high heat will create an intensely flavored, signature crust while keeping the inside medium-rare and tender.

Should skirt steak be cooked fast or slow? ›

The best way to cook Skirt steak is quickly and over high heat. This thin cut is perfect on the grill, seared in a skillet, broiled in the oven, or even cooked in a smoker. You will just need to ensure your Skirt steak temperature is correct to not overcook your meat.

How long does chimichurri need to rest? ›

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

It's important to let the chimichurri rest for at least 20 minutes before using it; this allows the garlic, fresh herbs, and crushed red pepper flakes meld with the oil so your chimichurri is extra flavorful.

What if chimichurri is too thick? ›

Stir the herb mixture with olive oil. TIP: If the Chimichurri sauce is too thick, add one tablespoon of water at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.

What is chimichurri seasoning? ›

3 tablespoons dried oregano leaves. 3 tablespoons dried basil leaves. 2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes. 2 tablespoons dried thyme leaves. 2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt.

Why is my skirt steak so tough? ›

Skirt steak can be a little tough due to the amount of connective tissue, so it needs careful preparation when cooking to maximize tenderness. Skirt steak has a similar beefy flavor as flank steak but is a tougher cut in terms of texture.

Do you wash marinade off steak before cooking? ›

Remove Marinade Before Cooking: To prevent flare-ups on the grill and ensure properly browned meat when sautéing or stir-frying, wipe off most of the excess marinade before cooking. Keep just a little marinade on the meat surface to maximize flavor.

Should skirt steak be room temperature before cooking? ›

Season your steak on both sides with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Usually, you'd let a thick steak sit out at room temperature for about an hour before cooking to take the chill off, but since the skirt steak is so thin, it only needs to sit for about 15 minutes before it's good to go.

Is it OK to marinate skirt steak for 24 hours? ›

Optimally, for tough steaks like skirt and flank, it's best to marinate it no longer than 24 hours in the refrigerator. Beyond overnight marinating is overkill.

Is 24 hours too long to marinate skirt steak? ›

As long as your marinade mixture includes at least one tenderizing ingredient, you should get good results from a 24 to 48-hour soak in it. Soaking the meat beyond 48 hours will just leave the surface too soft and mushy.

Can you marinate skirt steak for 2 days? ›

Marinate tough steaks like flank, skirt, sirloin and round to tenderize the meat. Most marinades call for 24 hours, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service notes that you can marinate for up to five days.

Can you marinate skirt steak for 48 hours? ›

Yes. But you need to adjust salt and seasoning accordingly. A couple of times I have over marinated beef and also fish. Hey, if a little is good, a lot must be better.

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