James Kenji Lopez-Alt
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Grilled Skirt Steak with Herb Sauce: A Simple Formula for a Winning Cookout
🕑 Added 2025-08-19 09:55:07 +0000 UTCYou know that feeling you got the first time you played Street Fighter II at the arcade? When winning meant holding your ground for the next round, and losing meant coughing up another quarter—or worse, standing on your tiptoes behind the older kids, trying to reverse-engineer their Hadoukens? Back when you didn’t have muscle memory or strategy, just pure panic and furious button-mashing?
That’s what I felt like about a decade ago competing on an episode of Guy’s Grocery Games. Cooking under pressure on a familiar restaurant line is one thing. Cooking under pressure in a totally unfamiliar kitchen while Guy Fieri whispers uncomfortably in your ear and a giant countdown clock looms is a whole different beast.
Before the show, a former contestant gave me two pieces of advice as we walked past each other in the studio lot:
Keep it simple—stick to flavor combos you know work.
If you panic, grill some meat and throw an herb sauce on it.
Solid advice. An herb sauce, like chimichurri, chermoula, or salsa verde is a very smart move when you want to add a ton of flavor on a tight timeline with minimal work. Chopped herbs, an allium or two, maybe a chili or fermented item like capers or anchovies, an acid like lemon juice or vinegar, and olive oil is a pretty foolproof formula for bright, fresh flavor that pairs with virtually any grilled meat or seafood.
During the show, I nailed the second bit: I made a killer herb sauce for my pork tenderloin. But I completely forgot the first piece of advice. Instead of keeping it simple, I panic-sprinted to get as much on the plate as possible: brown butter mashed sweet potatoes, sautéed mushrooms, caramelized cippolini onions, grilled kale (stems on, because panic), and of course, the herb sauce. It was the culinary equivalent of button mashing.
Fast forward to a couple months ago when I offered to cook dinner for my partner Tessa’s family at her brother’s place in Havre de Grace, Maryland. This time, I had some key advantages: a charcoal grill, ten more years of experience, no clock ticking, and a complete dearth of Fieri-breath in my ear. Her folks are meat-and-potatoes people, so I stuck with griled skirt steak with a cilantro chimichurri to punch up the flavor, along with riffs on a couple of tried-and-true recipes I developed years ago at Serious Eats: Grilled Potato Salad with Charred Lemon Vinaigrette, and a Mexican-style Grilled Corn Salad with Cotija and Lime.
Hopefully Tessa's parents were more impressed than Guy.
These recipes are simple, satisfying, and designed for real life—especially if you knock out the sauces and garnishes ahead of time. You can find the steak and chimichurri recipe below. The rest are coming soon (assuming no surprise competitions break out between now and then.)
Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri
Skirt steak is one of my favorite cuts for grilling—flavorful, forgiving, and perfect for a hot fire. It’s the cow’s diaphragm muscle, which means it’s constantly in use. That translates to a ton of rich, beefy flavor and a loose, open grain that makes it both quick-cooking and surprisingly tender when handled right.
I like to set up a two-zone fire for this kind of grilling: one side with blazing hot coals for searing, the other cooler so I can move things over if they start to cook too quickly or flare-ups get out of control. Skirt steak is thin, so you want high heat to build up a nice char without overshooting your doneness. I flip it frequently—every 30 seconds or so—which promotes more even browning and gives you better control over the final texture.
For the marinade, I use olive oil, lime juice, garlic, cumin, coriander, ancho chili, oregano, and plenty of salt. With most steaks, a marinade mostly clings to the surface—flavor molecules are too big to penetrate dense muscle fibers in a meaningful way. But skirt steak is a little different. Its grain is looser, with a greater surface area allowing more marinade to cling to it and start working its way in between the bundled muscle fibers. That translates to more flavor in less time.
Once it’s cooked, slicing correctly is key: skirt steak has long, visible grain lines, so you want to cut it across the grain to shorten those muscle fibers. I start by cutting the steak into shorter sections with the grain, then slice each one thinly against the grain. That’s what gives you tender, juicy pieces with every bite.
To finish, I top it with a simple cilantro chimichurri—cilantro, parsley, shallots, chili, vinegar, garlic, and olive oil—to cut through the richness and bring some brightness to the plate. It’s great hot off the grill, but just as good sliced cold the next day.
Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Recipe
Every recipe I publish here is personally tested, tasted, and approved.
What I like about this recipe:
Using a two zone fire delivers maximum char and control.
Skirt steak is packed with flavor that is amplified with a simple marinade.
The cilantro chimichurri comes together very quickly and adds brightness and punch.
Yield: 4–6
Active Time:
Total Time:
Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri
Ingredients
For the steak:
2 pounds (900 g) skirt steak, trimmed
3 tablespoons (45 mL) olive oil
Juice of 2 limes
1 teaspoon (2 g) ground cumin
1 teaspoon (2 g) ground coriander
1 teaspoon (2 g) ancho chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon (1 g) dried oregano
Kosher salt
For the chimichurri:
1 cup (25 g) cilantro leaves, chopped
1 cup (25 g) parsley leaves, chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 small red chili, or a pinch of chili flakes
2 tablespoons (30 mL) red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon (5 mL) Dijon or whole grain mustard
½ cup (120 mL) olive oil
Salt, to taste
Instructions
1. Marinate the steak: In a bowl, whisk together olive oil, lime juice, cumin, coriander, ancho chili, garlic, oregano, and a generous pinch of salt. Massage the mixture into both sides of the skirt steak. Let it sit for at least 15 minutes at room temperature, or up to 4 hours in the fridge.
2. Prep the Chimichurri: Toss cilantro, parsley, shallot, garlic, chili or flakes, vinegar, and mustard in a bowl. Drizzle in olive oil while whisking. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. Set Up a Two‑Zone Fire:
Light one full chimney of charcoal. When all charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange coals on one side of charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill, and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. (If using a gas grill, set half the burners to high and half the burners to low). Clean and oil the rilling grate.
4. Sear the Steak: Place the steaks on the hot side of the grill and cook, flipping frequently, until a deep char has developed and internal temperature registers 115°F (47°C) for medium-rare or 125°F (52°C) for medium, 2 to 3 minutes total. If the fire flares up too much, transfer the steaks to the cool side of the grill until the flare-up dies down.
5. Rest & Slice: Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let it rest for a few minutes. Slice into manageable lengths, then cut against the grain into thin strips. Pile the steak onto a platter and spoon chimichurri generously over the top. Serve.
Comments
Nancy Walker
I don't have a BBQ. Directions for cooking that skirt stake in a skillet?
Jeff Herald
I can only find flank steak currently, do you have any recommendations on how to modify it for a slightly different cut?
James Kenji Lopez-Alt
I’ve never used a pellet smoker but yes, the idea is keep it in a relatively cool zone after it’s done cooking. You want to keep it warm but not overcook.
Glen
He said in the YT comments that it was a non-alcoholic
Paul
Kenji, I couldn’t help but notice that your partner offered you a Stella. Is everything ok?
Richard Boehme
If you have a pellet smoker that's either on or off (no zones), so you just transfer to an upper grate instead of the cool side?
