Some steaks are about tenderness. Others are about flavour.
Outside Skirt sits very firmly in the second camp.
It is a long, relatively thin steak from the diaphragm, with a loose, obvious grain and one of the deepest beef flavours of any of the quick-cooking cuts. That combination makes it particularly good over charcoal, where it can develop plenty of colour and char before the centre has time to overcook.
Outside Skirt comes from the diaphragm area of the animal.
It is a long, relatively thin muscle with a pronounced grain running through it. Because it is a hard-working muscle, it develops considerably more flavour than many of the traditional prime steaks.
The outside skirt is different from the more general beef skirt cuts used for slow cooking. Properly prepared as a steak, it is ideal for very quick, high-temperature cooking.
Its shape is also part of its appeal. Because the steak is relatively thin, a large proportion of the surface meets the pan, grill or barbecue. That means plenty of browned, charred flavour without having to cook the centre for very long.
If you like strongly flavoured beef, this is where Outside Skirt really earns its place.
It has a much more pronounced beef flavour than fillet and a different sort of richness to a heavily marbled ribeye. The texture is looser, with a very visible grain that gives the steak plenty of character.
It is robust enough to work with garlic, chilli, herbs, vinegar, mustard and smoke without those flavours overwhelming the beef.
That makes it just as useful sliced into fajitas or flatbreads as it is served simply as a steak.
The basic principle is very simple:
lots of heat and not much time.
A barbecue is ideal, especially over direct charcoal, but a cast-iron pan, plancha or heavy frying pan works extremely well too.
Rare: around 50–52°C
Medium-rare: around 54–57°C
Rest: around 5 minutes
Because Outside Skirt is relatively thin, it cooks quickly. A thermometer is far more reliable than following a fixed cooking time.
Outside Skirt isn’t a steak that benefits from hovering over a lukewarm barbecue.
You want enough heat to create plenty of colour on the outside before the relatively thin steak has time to cook too far through the middle.
If the heat is too low, the steak simply spends longer cooking. It loses more moisture and the texture becomes noticeably firmer.
Over charcoal, don’t be afraid of a little charring. The smoke and caramelisation work particularly well with the deep flavour of the meat.
With some steaks, carving direction makes a small difference.
With Outside Skirt, it makes a very big one.
Look at the steak before cutting it and you will see long muscle fibres running in a clear direction.
If you slice along those fibres, every mouthful contains long strands of meat that you have to chew through.
Turn your knife through ninety degrees and cut across them and those fibres become much shorter.
The difference in tenderness is immediately noticeable.
Outside Skirt has enough flavour to cope with fairly bold accompaniments.
Chimichurri — parsley, garlic, chilli and vinegar are almost made for charred beef.
Salsa verde — herbs, capers and acidity cut through the richness beautifully.
Tomato and shallot salad — particularly good when the steak has come straight from the barbecue.
Charred peppers — easy to cook alongside the steak if the barbecue is already lit.
Flatbreads and yoghurt — slice the meat thinly and let everyone build their own.
Crispy potatoes — for something a little more traditional.
Outside Skirt is especially useful because it is so good cooked whole and then sliced.
Try it in:
Whatever you’re making, cook the steak whole first. Rest it properly, then carve across the grain just before serving.
Outside Skirt isn’t trying to imitate sirloin, fillet or ribeye.
That’s really the point.
It is a steak with its own character: deeply beefy, relatively lean, very quick to cook and particularly good when fire and smoke are involved.
It also rewards a little bit of knowledge. Get the heat right, don’t overcook it and carve it correctly and it becomes a superb eating steak.
If you already enjoy cuts such as Flat Iron, bavette and onglet, Outside Skirt is another butcher’s cut well worth getting to know.
Try Outside Skirt SteakOur Outside Skirt comes as two generous 284g steaks from native breed beef from North Yorkshire farms. Deeply flavoured, quick to cook and particularly good over charcoal or in a properly hot cast-iron pan.
Explore recipes for Outside Skirt, Flat Iron, bavette, onglet and other butcher’s cuts, with ideas for cooking them quickly, serving them simply and making the most of their deeper beef flavour.
