Plate primal (diaphragm) · Beef cut guide
Skirt Steak
Skirt steak is a long, thin cut from the diaphragm muscles of the steer, located in the plate primal under the rib cage. There are two skirt cuts - "outside skirt" (the classic, heavier-flavored, harder to find at retail) and "inside skirt" (more common, slightly milder, equally usable), and both are prized for concentrated beefy flavor and a coarse, well-defined grain that requires across-the-grain slicing.
Anatomy and naming
The diaphragm is a constantly-working muscle (it breathes), which produces extreme grain definition and concentrated flavor, the muscle has more myoglobin per unit than the loin or rib muscles, making skirt one of the most "beefy"-tasting cuts on the steer. Outside skirt (transversus abdominis) is a thicker, denser, more flavorful cut typically reserved for restaurants and Argentine asado; inside skirt (transversus thoracis) is the more common retail cut, slightly thinner and milder but identical in handling.
Skirt is a fast-cook cut with a small window, 2-3 minutes per side over screaming-hot heat, pull at medium-rare, slice across the grain at a sharp diagonal. Past medium it turns from tender-with-bite to inedibly tough. Argentina's entraña is the country's most-loved cut for asado; in the US, skirt is the original fajita meat (the term "fajita" literally meant "skirt steak" before becoming a generic). Marinating is standard practice and genuinely improves the texture.
Also known as
Inside skirt / outside skirt · Entraña (Argentina) · Fajitas meat (US, classic) · Onglet (France, hanger steak, different)
USDA beef carcass diagram - Skirt Steak sits in the Plate primal (diaphragm)
How to spot a good one
Visual markers
Long, thin, ribbon-like shape, typically 50-60 cm long, 10-15 cm wide, 1.5 cm thick
Coarse, well-defined grain running lengthwise, more pronounced than flank
Deep red, almost dark-brown lean color when fresh, skirt has high myoglobin content
Light marbling visible as small white flecks distributed along the grain
A thin layer of silver skin that should be trimmed before cooking, peel it off with a thin knife
Cooking, on Pro
Cook skirt steak like its grade
MeatGrader Pro gives you a cooking guide tailored to the exact cut and quality grade in front of you. Temperature, time, primary and alternative methods, resting, pairings.
A USDA Prime skirt steak gets a different guide than a Choice skirt steak, and an A5 BMS 9 wagyu cut gets something else again. Generic recipes do not know which one you have. Pro does.
Free with 3 analyses on signup. Pro is $1.99/month for unlimited analyses + the cooking guide.
How it grades
Grading skirt steak
Skirt grades like flank, the cut's anatomy means it rarely reaches top-tier marbling grades, and the grade level matters less than freshness and handling. A USDA Choice skirt and a USDA Prime skirt cook nearly identically. MeatGrader scores skirt on color, grain visibility, freshness, and silver-skin trim, with marbling as a secondary factor.
FAQ
Common questions about skirt steak
What people ask most about picking, cooking, and grading this cut.
Score any skirt steak from a photo
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