Does marinating steak make it more tender?

Contrary to popular belief, marinating doesn’t really make steak more tender. Marinade only permeates the outer layer of the meat , so it only really breaks down the outer cells of the steak. The texture difference will be negligible. Marinating is only mostly for flavor.

How to avoid overcooking the steak:

It is important to drain the coconut marinade and dry the steak with clean paper towels before you grill it. Moisture inhibits the browning of the grilled steak, so you'll want to blot the pieces of steak before they hit the grill. Cooking a skirt steak requires full attention. It happens so fast, you can easily overdo it. If you are using grass-fed beef, you can make the meat seize up really fast because it is leaner. The front edge of my gas grill or the outer edges of the kettle grill is where I position my thinnest cuts, and over the hotter areas is where the thicker ones go.

Storing & reheating instructions:

Store the steak in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 to 5 days. To reheat, simply microwave your portion until just warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes. Or slice and stir fry the leftover steak in a little oil until it is just hot.

Make-ahead instructions:

This is a great make-ahead recipe since it requires marinating the steak for several hours before cooking. You could even marinate the steak up to 24 hours in advance if you need to!

Thai Coconut Lime Grilled Skirt Steak

Name: Grilled Skirt Steak with Thai Flavors
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 4 h 30 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: ½ cup lite coconut milk; ¼ cup coconut sugar; 2 teaspoons lime zest; 2 tablespoons lime juice; 2 teaspoons Thai fish sauce; 2 teaspoons grated ginger root; 1 pound beef skirt steak, preferably grass fed, cut into 4-inch lengths; ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt

Description

This Thai coconut lime grilled skirt steak is so juicy and flavorful! Even better, this easy steak recipe requires less than 15 minutes of hands on prep work!

Ingredients

Units Scale

1/2 cup lite coconut milk
1/4 cup coconut sugar
2 teaspoons lime zest
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons Thai fish sauce
2 teaspoons grated ginger root
1 pound beef skirt steak, preferably grass fed, cut into 4-inch lengths
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

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Instructions

Whisk coconut milk, coconut sugar, lime zest, lime juice, fish sauce and ginger in a small bowl. Place skirt steak into a 1 gallon resealable bag. Pour marinade over the steak. Press out air and seal bag shut. Refrigerate the steak 4 to 12 hours.
Preheat grill to high heat.
Drain steak and discard marinade. Pat steaks dry and sprinkle with salt. Oil grill rack and immediately place steaks on the grill.
Cook 2 minutes and turn a quarter turn to create hash mark. Continue cooking 30 to 90 seconds more on first side. Flip steaks over and continue cooking 2 ½ to 5 minutes on the second side to desired doneness, 5 to 8 minutes total depending on thickness of the steaks.
Let steaks rest on carving board at least 4 minutes before cutting lengthwise across the grain.

Notes

Tips For Slicing Skirt Steak

To cut the grains into shorter lengths, you have to cut the steak first crosswise into steaks, grill it, then slice it lengthwise into strips.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Category: Main Course
Method: Grilled
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 3 1/2 ounces each
Calories: 302
Sugar: 13 g
Sodium: 611 mg
Fat: 14 g
Saturated Fat: 6 g
Carbohydrates: 15 g
Fiber: 0 g
Protein: 28 g