Grilled Spiced Skirt Steak is the summer dinner to cook when you don’t want to cook.
It’s made outside on your grill, it uses only a few ingredients, and it doesn’t mess up your kitchen. Oh, and it’s freaking delicious.
Why is Grilled Spiced Skirt Steak the book-inspired recipe for Ultra-Processed People?
Ultra-Processed People exposes the dangers of the ultra-processed food (UPF) industry and encourages readers to explore healthier, whole food options.
One of the reasons people gravitate toward UPFs for meal options is that they think UPF ingredients make for a quicker, tastier meals. They also think that restaurants are the only way they can eat truly delicious food, even though it means giving up control of what goes into your meal.
Grilled Spiced Skirt Steak is here to prove all that wrong. This is a dish that I make regularly at Tartlet Cottage. It embraces whole, natural, fresh ingredients, and it doesn’t incorporate any ultra-processed foods. It also happens to be easy and quick to make, and you end up with restaurant-quality results right in your own kitchen.
Technically, the book-inspired recipe for Ultra-Processed People is Grilled Spiced Skirt Steak with Avocado Chimichurri. For searchability and SEO purposes, though, I’ve broken this recipe into two posts. Very much like I did with the book-inspired recipe for Old Country, which also featured steak.
Skirt Steak is a great cut of beef
I think skirt steak is one of the best cuts of beef. Unlike a lot of people, I hate fatty meat. Porterhouse steaks, rib-eyes, and prime rib are never options for me when I’m cooking dinner. Filet mignon is my favorite, but ya girl doesn’t have the money for that every month.
Skirt steak is a nice compromise. It’s a tender, juicy cut with very little fat. It’s also pretty thin compared to many steaks, which means it cooks up evenly and quickly on the grill. Like, we’re talking 5-8 minutes, and we’re ready to eat! That’s my kinda meal.
Skirt steak is also a great main course for entertaining. Since a 1-lb cut often comes in one long strip that varies in thickness, you can cut it down to smaller pieces that cook more evenly. People who like more well-done meat will probably like then thinner skirt steak, and people who love rarer beef will love the thick pieces.
Why I love Grilled Spiced Skirt Steak
You guys, the flavor on this Grilled Spiced Skirt Steak is unreal. It’s a little zesty and a little salty, which I love. A good quality piece of meat doesn’t need pre-packaged seasoning mixes or bottled sauces that are full of preservatives and additives to make it delicious.
My favorite skirt steak seasoning is simple: onion powder, ground paprika, pepper, and salt. That’s it. I whisk all the spices together into a dry rub and schmear it all over the pieces of skirt steak. The spice rub makes an excellent crust and gives the meat tons of flavor.
Even though my husband doesn’t like beef, he loves this spice rub mixture. He’s put it on turkey burgers and chicken, and I imagine it would taste great on grilled shrimp, too, since the seasonings are the same as what’s in my Paprika Shrimp recipe.
What do you serve with Grilled Spiced Skirt Steak
Obviously, I think the best thing to serve Grilled Spiced Skirt Steak with is Avocado Chimichurri. All the “green” in that sauce and its natural acidity cut through the richness of the steak and make for a wonderful meal.
Side dishes that go great with Grilled Spiced Skirt Steak are Tomato, Corn, and Torn Basil Salad or Caprese Farro Salad. If you want a little meat-and-potatoes action, try serving up a batch of Potato and Onion Knish.
For surf-and-turf, try the Lobster Tortellini Pasta Salad or Chilled Seafood Salad. The side salad pictured here is actually the Herby Potato Salad from Pamela Anderson’s cookbook, I Love You (psst! stay tuned for my book review of that one later this summer!).
No delicious meal is complete without a beverage. In true Ultra-Processed People style, skip the soda and instead whip up some Super Simple Lemonade, Mint Iced Tea, or a Pineapple Agua Fresca.
Grilled Peaches with Cinnamon and fresh Whipped Cream are about as natural as you can get with dessert, but you could also try your hand at making homemade Peach Ice Cream or Citrus Breeze Ice Cream. For a quicker frozen dessert, try blending up a Roasted Pineapple Milkshake.
Grilled Spiced Skirt Steak
Ingredients
- 1 lb skirt steak
- 1 tbsp ground paprika
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Mix together the paprika, onion powder, salt, and ground black pepper in a small bowl until combined.
- Pat the skirt steak dry on both sides with paper towels. If the steak is long and of varied thickness, cut the steak into smaller pieces so that each piece is of uniform thickness. Use clean hands to rub the spice mixture all over both sides of the skirt steak.
- On a gas grill: carefully oil the grill grates and heat the grill to around 500F.
- Place the thickest pieces of steak on the hottest part(s) of your grill, and the thinnest pieces on the cooler part(s) of your grill. For medium-rare to medium doneness: grill the steak for 4 minutes on one side, then flip and grill for 3 minutes on the other side. Grill a little longer on one or both sides for additional doneness.
- Remove grilled skirt steak to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
