Flank Steak vs. Skirt Steak – What’s The Difference?

Consuming delicious meals is the only happiness that fixes your mood or can turn your bad day into a good day. It is said that good food is a good mood. Steaks are similarly one of the most enjoyed food which we all consume on a regular basis.

There are two delicious steaks that you must consume, including flank steak and skirt steak. Both of the steaks come from the cow but in different regions. Both steaks are expensive and taste different from one another.

To help you guide more, we have mentioned further details related to flank steak and skirt steak below.

Flank Steak

Flank steak is a meat cut extracted from a flank part of a cow in the lower abdominal area. Or in other words, we can say that it is the sirloin and loin area of the cow. Cow uses this muscle in movement and twisting.

This makes this part tough, thin and long. The thickness of the flank steak is three by four inches thickened and one and a half inches elongated. The flank steak is lean and contains a very little amount of fat. If you want to buy flank steak from grocery stores, you can get it under the title of London broil.

In the French language, it is called bavette steak, and in the Spanish language, it’s called arrachera. This part of the meat is tough, so it requires a special preparation method to soften it and cook properly. Otherwise, you can wind up eating a hard and uncooked piece of meat.

Taste

Suppose we talk about the taste of flank steak that would be beefy and enriched flavor. The taste is strong and intense and similar to the taste of beef. Also, if we compare its taste with skirt steak, it’s less strong as compared to it. Make sure to cook the flank steak to overcome its toughness properly.

Cooking method

To cook the flank steak properly, follow several tips me as mentioned. Overcook it a little bit to give crusty and brownish touch. As the flank part of meat contains muscle fibers and stingers, more cooking is required for at least ten to fifteen minutes in tinfoil.

One can cook the flank steak on the grill or in the oven for about ten to twenty minutes. To enhance the taste, marinate the steak and put it overnight. You a meat tenderizer to soften the steak and enhance its qualities and salt is the most important ingredient that is added to flank steak.

Usage of flank steak

Some of the ways in which flank steak can be served are mentioned: Try to cook the flank steak in the braciola recipe. Slice the flank and grill it just like barbecue and serve with the sauce. Add peppers and onions and serve with salsa and avocados.

One can also serve the flank steak with roasted potatoes and veggies. Cut into small pieces and add them to salads, One can also marinate the flank steak and make beef jerky. Serving with mushrooms is also a good choice.

Skirt steak

Skirt steak is also a piece of meat that is extracted from the diaphragm and abdominal muscle of the cow. Skirt steak is one of the most delicious tasty pieces of meat, and it is very pricy. This piece of meat is thin and tender.

There exist two kinds of skirt steak which includes inside and outside skirt, and they are different on the basis of the places they belong from. The inner skirt is extracted from the transverse muscle of the abdomen, while the outside skirt is extracted from the diaphragm.

A whole skirt meat piece is twenty inches long and four inches thick. It includes fat and lean muscle mass, both that’s why it doesn’t require much oil while cooking.  The skirt meat has connective tissues in between, giving a unique taste.

Taste

The taste of skirt steak is slightly more intense than flank steak and is harder to cook. There is a need for the optimum temperature to cook the skirt steak. Don’t cook it for long to enjoy its super delicious and tender taste.

Cooking method

Similarly, it requires little processing to cook skirt steak as it is cooked on high heat, and the best medium would be a grill. Cooking on high temp for less time gives a more brownish texture from the outside and juicy and tender touch from inside.

The total time this steak takes to cook is ten to fifteen minutes. Give direct heat to the steak just like we do in barbecue, and this helps cook the skirt steak more deliciously. Marinating the skirt steak with delicious ingredients helps in enhancing the taste.

Usage of skirt steak

How you consume the skirt steak is more important than what ingredients are used. Anyways we have mentioned below some ways to use the skit steak and enjoy your delicious steaks in different ways. It can be used for fajitas to enhance the taste and is cooked in a skillet.

One can also stir fry the skirt steak in oil or butter. The broiled taste of the steak also tastes good and smoky. To give intense flavors, sear the steak and consume it as a main course meal. Cut the skirt meat into pieces and serve it with salad.

So, what’s the difference between flank steak and skirt steak?

Summarizing the information mentioned above into key points, we would like to move on to tell about the differences between flank steak and skirt steak.

1. The flank steak is sirloin and loin part of the cow and is extracted from the lower abdomen region, while the skirt steak comes from the diaphragm and transverse abdomen region.
2. The flank steak is a hard part as compared to flank steak.
3. Talking about the taste, the skirt tastes better than flank steak.
4. The flank steak is lean muscle mass, while the skirt steak is fat and muscle both.
5. Lastly, flank steak requires more cooking as compared to skirt steak.

Sources:

1. Sevenssons
2. Theonlinegrill