Why This Recipe Will Become Your Go-To Grilled Steak!

Mastering Grilled Skirt Steak with Black Bean, Corn and Tomato Salad

Essential Recipe Ingredients:

Gathering your ingredients is the first step to culinary success! Here’s everything you’ll need to create this fantastic grilled skirt steak and vibrant salad. Exact quantities for each ingredient can be found on the comprehensive recipe card further down this page.

Ingredient Notes and Expert Substitutions:

• Skirt Steak: Understanding skirt steak is key to grilling success. There are two types: inside skirt and outside skirt. The outside skirt, typically more tender due to better marbling, is often favored by restaurants and can be harder to find at standard grocery stores. If you find yourself with an inside skirt, don’t fret; it’s still delicious, especially when properly marinated as in this recipe. Alternatively, a flank steak makes an excellent substitute and is widely available. Remember to trim any excess fat from your chosen cut before marinating.
• Orange Juice: While fresh is always lovely, there’s no need to squeeze your own for the marinade. High-quality bottled orange juice works perfectly fine, providing the necessary acidity and a hint of sweetness to tenderize the meat.
• Lime Juice: For both the marinade and the salad, we highly recommend freshly squeezed lime juice. Its bright, zesty acidity elevates the flavors significantly compared to its bottled counterpart, adding a noticeable freshness to the overall dish.
• Chili Powder: This versatile spice blend is a cornerstone of Southwestern cuisine. Chili powder typically combines ground, dried chiles (such as New Mexico, Ancho, or Cascabel) with other aromatic spices like cumin, oregano, and paprika. The exact flavor profile can vary between brands, so choose one you enjoy for its depth and warmth.
• Hot Sauce: A dash of hot sauce adds a fantastic kick and complexity to the marinade. Cholula, with its balanced heat and distinct flavor, is an ideal choice for this Southwestern-inspired recipe. Adjust the amount according to your preferred spice level.
• Black Beans: Canned black beans are a true pantry hero, offering incredible convenience. For the best results in your salad, be sure to drain and rinse them thoroughly under cold water. This removes excess sodium and any canning liquid, ensuring a cleaner flavor.
• Corn: The beauty of this salad is its flexibility with corn. While leftover grilled corn imparts a wonderful smoky sweetness, blanched fresh corn kernels, thawed frozen corn, or even well-drained canned corn will work beautifully. Choose what’s most convenient and in season for you.
• Tomatoes: We favor plum (Roma) tomatoes for this recipe due to their firm flesh and lower water content, which helps prevent the salad from becoming soggy. However, halved cherry or grape tomatoes are also excellent alternatives, offering bursts of juicy flavor and vibrant color.
• Jalapeno: For those who enjoy a bit of heat, the jalapeño is indispensable. Most of the pepper’s heat resides in its seeds and the white, fleshy membrane (pith). If you prefer a milder salad, simply remove these parts. Always exercise caution when handling hot peppers; wearing disposable gloves is advisable to prevent skin irritation.

Step-By-Step Culinary Journey:

Follow these easy instructions to create your perfect Grilled Skirt Steak and Black Bean, Corn, and Tomato Salad.

For the Marinade and Skirt Steak:

1. Begin by gathering and precisely prepping all your marinade ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine the canola or vegetable oil, fresh lime juice, orange juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce (to your tolerance), minced garlic, chili powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Whisk thoroughly to create a well-blended marinade.
2. Carefully transfer the prepared marinade to a 1-gallon zipper-top bag. Add the trimmed skirt steaks to the bag. Ensure the marinade is evenly distributed by gently massaging the bag, coating every surface of the steak.




3. Refrigerate the marinating steaks for a minimum of 2 hours, and ideally up to 12 hours, for maximum flavor and tenderness. Periodically, move and massage the bag to ensure the marinade remains evenly distributed over the steak, allowing it to penetrate deeply.

For the Black Bean, Corn, and Tomato Salad:

1. In a large bowl, combine all the salad ingredients: the rinsed and drained black beans, corn kernels (fresh, frozen, or grilled), diced tomatoes, chopped jalapeño pepper, finely chopped red onion, fresh lime juice, olive oil, and chopped cilantro. Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Toss gently to combine all the vibrant ingredients.
2. Cover the salad and refrigerate it until you are ready to serve. This allows the flavors to meld beautifully.

Grilling and Serving the Skirt Steak:

1. Preheat your outdoor grill or indoor grill pan to medium-high heat. Ensure it is hot enough to achieve a good sear.
2. Remove the steaks from the marinade, allowing any excess liquid to drip off. Pat the steaks thoroughly dry with paper towels. This crucial step helps create that desirable crust and prevents steaming on the grill.
3. Place the steaks on the preheated grill. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium-rare to medium doneness, or adjust cooking time to achieve your desired level of doneness. Skirt steaks are thin and cook quickly, so watch them closely!




4. Once cooked, transfer the grilled steaks to a clean cutting board and let them rest for at least 5 minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, ensuring a more tender and flavorful result.
5. Slice the steak thinly against the grain. Skirt steak has a very pronounced grain, and slicing it correctly is paramount for tenderness.




6. Arrange the perfectly grilled and sliced skirt steak on a platter and generously top with the vibrant black bean, corn, and tomato salad. Garnish with extra lime wedges and fresh cilantro sprigs for an added touch of freshness.
7. Serve immediately and enjoy this incredible meal!

Chef Tips and Tricks for Perfect Grilled Skirt Steak:

• The Importance of Resting: After grilling, always allow your skirt steak to rest for at least 5-10 minutes before slicing. This seemingly small step is crucial! Resting allows the juices, which concentrate in the center during cooking, to redistribute throughout the entire cut of meat. The result is a steak that is significantly more tender, juicy, and flavorful. If you cut it too soon, those precious juices will simply run onto your cutting board.
• Mastering the Slice: It is absolutely critical to slice skirt steak against the grain. Skirt steak is known for its long, tough muscle fibers (the “grain”). Slicing perpendicular to these fibers shortens them, making each bite incredibly tender and easy to chew. Because skirt steaks are typically very long, a pro tip is to first slice them into more manageable 3-4 inch sections with the grain, and then turn each section and slice thinly against the grain.
• Quick Cooking Caution: Skirt steaks are characteristically thin, which means they cook incredibly quickly. High heat is great for achieving a beautiful sear, but you must monitor them diligently to prevent overcooking. Aim for medium-rare to medium for the most tender and juicy results (internal temperature of 130-135°F for medium-rare, 135-140°F for medium). Even if yours gets a little overdone due to its thinness, as mine occasionally does, it will still be delicious if you’ve used a flavorful marinade, achieved a smoky char, and most importantly, sliced it against the grain!

Savvy Money-Saving Tip:

• As discussed in the ingredient notes, there are two types of skirt steak: inside skirt and outside skirt. The outside skirt is often considered superior in tenderness but also commands a higher price, sometimes double that of the inside skirt. While the outside skirt offers a slightly more tender bite, you can save a significant amount of money by opting for the inside skirt. This cut greatly benefits from the tenderizing properties of a flavorful, acidic marinade like the one in this recipe, yielding a delicious and economical meal.

Storage & Reheating Tips:

• Any leftover grilled skirt steak and black bean salad should be stored separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator. Consume within 3-4 days for best quality.
• To reheat leftover steak, gently wrap it in aluminum foil and warm it in an oven or toaster oven preheated to 350°F (175°C) until just heated through. Be careful not to overcook, as this can dry out the steak.
• The black bean salad is delicious cold, straight from the refrigerator.

Elevate Your Meal: Delicious Serving Companions:

While this recipe is a complete meal on its own, here are some fantastic side dishes that perfectly complement the Southwestern flavors:

• Patatas Bravas Chilenos
• Green Chile au Gratin Potatoes
• Southwestern Summer Squash Casserole
• A simple side of warm tortillas or fluffy rice.
• Fresh avocado slices or guacamole.

More Irresistible Grilled Beef Recipes You’ll Love!

If you’re a fan of grilled beef, be sure to explore these other mouth-watering recipes from our kitchen:

• Grilled Marinated Skirt Steak with Peperonata
• Indian-Style Beef Kabobs with Cilantro Coconut Sauce
• Asian Beef Skewers with Shishito Peppers
• Bloody Mary Skirt Steak

Discover a wide array of inspiring beef recipes at Beef Recipes – From A Chef’s Kitchen.

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