How to Grill Skirt Steak for Beginners

Skirt steak is one of the great secrets of Argentine BBQ culture. While many beginners gravitate toward ribeyes or New York strips, seasoned asadores know that skirt steak — known as entraña in Argentina — delivers some of the most intense, beefy flavor of any cut on the animal. It is the staple of the parrilla, the beloved Argentine grill, and once you learn how to cook it properly, it will become a go-to in your own backyard rotation. The good news? It is one of the most forgiving and beginner-friendly cuts you can throw on a grill.

What Is Skirt Steak and Why Is It Perfect for Grilling?

Skirt steak comes from the diaphragm muscles of the cow, located in the plate section just below the rib area. There are two types — inside skirt and outside skirt. The outside skirt is more tender and has more fat marbling, making it the preferred choice for grilling. However, inside skirt is more widely available in most supermarkets and still delivers excellent flavor when cooked correctly.

What makes skirt steak ideal for the grill is its thin, flat shape and loose muscle fiber structure. That open grain absorbs marinades and seasonings beautifully, and the high fat content bastes the meat as it cooks over high heat. It cooks in minutes, which means less time waiting and more time enjoying. For beginner grillers, skirt steak is forgiving and fast — exactly what you want when you are learning the fundamentals of fire cooking.

Choosing and Preparing Your Skirt Steak

When shopping for skirt steak, look for a piece with good red color and visible fat running through it. Avoid cuts that look gray or have excessive amounts of silverskin (the tough, silvery membrane on the surface). If your butcher has not already removed the silverskin, use a sharp knife to carefully trim it away before seasoning — silverskin does not break down during cooking and will make the steak chewy and tough.

One of the most important preparation steps is letting your steak rest at room temperature before it hits the grill. Cold meat dropped onto a hot grill cooks unevenly — the outside chars before the inside has time to warm through. Pull your steak from the fridge 30 minutes before grilling and you will immediately notice more even, consistent results. Season the steak generously with coarse salt, pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and dried oregano. In Argentine cooking, the spice rub is often simple and honest — letting the quality of the beef speak for itself.

Mastering the Grill: Heat, Timing, and the Perfect Sear

The single biggest mistake beginners make with skirt steak is not getting the grill hot enough. You need high, direct heat to create a proper Maillard reaction — that gorgeous brown crust that locks in flavor and gives grilled beef its signature smoky, caramelized exterior. For charcoal grills, use a full chimney of lit coals and spread them in an even layer, or concentrate them on one side for a two-zone setup. For gas grills, crank all burners to high and close the lid for at least 10–15 minutes before cooking.

Once your grill is screaming hot, lay the steak down and resist the urge to move it. Let it cook undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes on the first side. You will see the edges start to change color as the heat climbs through the meat. Flip it once — just once — and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Skirt steak is at its best at medium-rare to medium, with an internal temperature between 130°F and 140°F (54–60°C). Overcooking this cut will make it tough and dry, so err on the side of slightly underdone if you are unsure.

The Secret to Tender Skirt Steak: Slicing Against the Grain

Even a perfectly grilled skirt steak will be tough and disappointing if you slice it the wrong way. Because of its long, prominent muscle fibers, skirt steak absolutely must be cut against the grain. Look closely at the surface of the rested steak and you will see lines running in one direction — those are the muscle fibers. Your knife should run perpendicular to those lines, cutting them short so that each bite requires minimal chewing.

A good practice is to cut your steak into two or three shorter sections first (following the grain direction to separate the sections), and then slice each section against the grain at a slight diagonal. This gives you beautiful, wide slices that are both visually impressive and incredibly tender. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice over the sliced meat — a classic Argentine touch that brightens all the smoky, savory flavors from the grill.

Serving Your Grilled Skirt Steak the Argentine Way

In Argentina, entraña is rarely eaten alone. It is served alongside chimichurri — a vibrant green sauce made from parsley, garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and chili flakes — that cuts through the richness of the grilled beef with bright, herby acidity. A good chimichurri is easy to make at home and transforms a simple grilled steak into something truly memorable. Pair your skirt steak with grilled provoleta cheese, a simple green salad, or crusty bread to soak up the juices.

Whether you are cooking for a weeknight dinner or firing up the grill for a weekend asado with friends, skirt steak is a cut that rewards you quickly and deliciously. Master this recipe and you will have one of the most important tools in any backyard griller's arsenal. Fire up the parrilla — this is just the beginning of your grilling journey with Asador.mx.