PRIME GRILLIN' TIME IS UPON US!
Chile-Rubbed Skirt Steak & Crunchy Jicama Slaw
Hello, and happy Thursdeee! It’s officially mid-to-late May, so that means it’s officially Prime Grillin’ Time™!! This week, we’re taking a page, well, several pages from Elizabeth’s latest cookbook Steak & Cake. Elizabeth is going to grill up a quick, easy, and super-beefy-tasting skirt steak, and Anthony is going to make a tropical jicama slaw that’s the perfect companion to it!
BICOASTAL SUMMER BBQ KICKOFF!
AU: As mentioned above, this is Prime Grillin’ Time™, and lucky for me and you, we’ve certainly got that topic covered thanks to my sistah-from-another-mistah, Elizabeth Karmel.
(Elizabeth, I know you hate this, but I’m gonna brag on you for a sec):
This wonderful woman has written FOUR incredibly informative bestselling cookbooks that center around grilling and/or barbecue. She was also Executive Chef of the highly successful, critically acclaimed, Hill Country Barbecue Market in NYC. Elizabeth’s stewardship and fresh take on Texas Barbecue, imaginative sides, and decadent desserts helped Hill Country stand out from the pack when the New York dining scene was being flooded with barbecue restaurants. She continues to be an authority on the subject, consulting for major brands and hospitality groups. She is beloved and respected by her peers in the food media, barbecue, and grilling industries, so when I say that Elizabeth knows what she’s doing, I mean SHE LITERALLY WROTE THE BOOK ON IT. FOUR OF ‘EM!! I feel so lucky to have someone with so much talent, experience, and insight by my side…
EK: Holy Moly! I am more than blushing, I am about to put my head inside my grill! :) Seriously, I feel the same about Anthony. We are lucky to have each other! In all truth, grilling and barbecue found me—and it hasn’t felt like work! Now, writing those books felt like work. ;-)
AU: I bet! But the point of all of this is… NOW YOU CAN HAVE A GRILLING/BBQ EXPERT AT YOUR FINGERTIPS, TOO! We want to be a resource for you, so that you live your best Summer Grilling Life!!
We are kicking off our Bicoastal Summer BBQ! Since I’m a novice on the West Coast and Elizabeth is an expert on the East Coast, she’s going to walk me through the basics of Summer Grilling via FaceTime, etc. Ain’t technology grand?
Tell us what kind of Summer grilling recipes you’d like to see us make! Whether you need a recipe for grilled meats, vegetables, sides, or desserts—send us your requests by clicking the button below!
SKIRT STEAK WITH CHILE-LIME RUB
EK: Skirt steak may be my favorite beefy food. Every time I make it, I marvel at just how beefy it is! Do you know what I mean?
AU: I do. It’s probably my favorite cut of beef, because it tastes so damn… beefy! I also love the way it quickly takes on a marinade, and is SO fast and easy to grill.
EK: Because skirt steak had a reputation as being “fajita” meat or something that only the butcher wanted—(because, obvs, he knew his beef!), we all have a tendency to gravitate to ribeyes, strip steaks, tenderloin or filet mignon. But if I did a blind taste test with all four, I know that I would choose skirt steak.
It is still less $$ than other steaks, but in recent years it has become widely popular, so much so that it is harder to find and more expensive than it used to be. Skirt steak is so flavorful that I rarely marinate it, because I love that rich beefy flavor. But I do like a dry spice rub!
The Skirt Steak with Chile-Lime Rub recipe in Steak & Cake was inspired by steak tacos that I had at a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Tulum, Mexico. It had a tangy lime and chile rub on it that I later learned was simply the Mexican spice mix, Tajin. Today, you can easily get it here in the States, but when I was writing “Steak & Cake” in 2017 and 2018 (it takes a long time for a cookbook to be written and published) it wasn’t easy to find. I made my own rub based on the prominent flavors and a few extras like onion, garlic and cumin.
In the old version, I used unsweetened lemon-lime Kool-Aid for the lime powder, and today, it’s really hard to find that in the grocery store—go figure! You can buy lime powder from real limes, from True Citrus, or many other dried lime powders including lime salt—just Google it and you will see.
So, I’ve adapted my recipe once again and this time I used Tajin to make the rub. And, when I tell you that it is my new favorite rub, I am not kidding! I tripled the recipe so that I would have it on hand. Tajin is mostly chiles, lime and salt and I use it for those three ingredients.
Now let’s talk about the meat!! The trickiest thing about skirt steak is that there are two kinds of skirt steak. The inside skirt steak which is larger and chewier, and the outside skirt steak which is smaller (can be ~2.5” to 3” wide) and is soft and almost delicate.
The smaller outside skirt steak should cook in 4-5 minutes. I usually cook the first side over direct medium-high heat for 2 minutes, then flip and grill for 3 minutes on the second side. If you have the larger, thicker inside skirt steak, it could take twice as long to cook. When you buy skirt steak at the grocery store, it’s usually folded up and you can’t tell until you get it home whether you have the smaller outside skirt, or the larger inside skirt, so we suggest you ask your butcher for the one you prefer.
They both taste great and the chewy factor is minimal if you cut the steak across the grain. You know that you’ve cut it across the grain when the texture of the meat looks like honeycomb. If all the fibers (grain) of the meat are going in the same direction, you are cutting it with the grain, if you see this pattern of short pockets of texture—kind of like honeycomb—then you have sliced it against the grain of the meat and it will be super tender.
And here is a million dollar hack for you. because cutting across the grain isn’t always easy, even chefs and food professionals mess it up all the time, I created this rule of thumb...
Cut the skirt steak into large chunks the same length. You can see how I cut the skirt steak in the photo above. Next, rotate one of the chunks so that one cut edge faces you, and the other faces away from you. Slice the skirt steak from north-to-south. This means that two of the slices will have a crusty edge along the entire length of the piece.
Once I slice the skirt steak, I either eat it on the plate like a traditional steak, or if I have a perfectly ripe avocado, I can’t resist making a Tex-Mex taco with the meat on one side, avocado on the other, and salsa in the middle. When you fold it in half, you have a perfect bite every time!
Skirt Steak with Lime-Chile Rub
I associate skirt steak with my favorite steak tacos from a little hole in the wall taco joint in Tulum, Mexico. Skirt steak is so rich and flavorful on its own, that I like to grill it up and serve it simply with sliced avocado and salsa, or with a crunchy and refreshing jicama slaw that Anthony made today, and beautiful fuschia-colored pickled onions.
Serves 2
Grilling Method: Direct/Medium-High Heat
For the NEW Chile-Lime Rub
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon Tajin
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon onion salt
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
10 grinds of black pepper
For the steak:
1 skirt steak, preferably outside skirt steak
Extra-virgin olive oil
The NEW Chile-Lime Rub above or Kosher salt
Combine all the rub ingredients in a bowl and stir to mix. Transfer to a covered jar. Store in a cool dry place. The rub will keep for several months.
Preheat the grill with all burners on high. Once preheated, adjust the temperature to medium-high for direct grilling.
Wrap the meat in paper towels to rid it of excess moisture. Replace the paper towels as needed.
Just before grilling, brush the steaks all over with olive oil and sprinkle both sides evenly with the rub.
Place the steak on the cooking grate. Cover, and grill until the meat begins to brown and shrink, 2-4 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of your skirt steak. Turn over, and grill for 3 to 4 more minutes more for medium-rare.
Let the meat rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing it across the grain and serving with the Jicama Slaw.
Note: I generally grill the smaller outside skirt steak and it takes me 2 minutes on the first side and 3 minutes on the second side. I also let it rest for 10 minutes to allow all the juices to fully reabsorb. If you carve it after 5 minutes, you can see the meat get pinker as it rests the extra 5 minutes.
CRUNCHY JICAMA SLAW
AU: Well, if you’re going to make that delicious skirt steak, you’re gonna want something bright, crunchy, and acidic to stand up to all that beefy flavor. So why not try Elizabeth’s Crunchy Jicama Slaw?
I’ll be honest, I’ve never made anything with jicama before. Sure I’ve had chile-dusted pieces of it alongside mango, papaya, and pineapple at a fruit cart, but I’ve never cooked with it myself.
AU: This side dish is like having a fruit cart on a plate! It’s packed with punchy, zippy flavors, crunchy textures, juicy fruit, and as much spice as you want. It’s the perfect dish to accompany any rich main dish (which is precisely why Elizabeth paired it with the skirt steak in her book!).
Elizabeth calls for 3 navel oranges, but I took some of my own liberties… There were some great blood oranges at the farmer’s market that I couldn’t resist. But use what you’ve got! I had never purchased a whole papaya before, so I actually had to google what the signs of a ripe one were… You want the yellow-to-orange ones, not the entirely green ones.
After making this, I’ll offer a few things I learned: I thought I’d be all cool and “chefy” and use my mandolin to julienne the jicama. I can tell you it’s more trouble than just cutting it with a knife or using the large grater on your food processor. But here’s another hack: all the grocery stores I visit offer jicama wraps. Buy those, and half the work is already done for you! All you have to do is cut the flat discs into strips!
The other tip I’ll offer is to save the pickling liquid from making pickled onions for this recipe—YOU CAN USE IT AGAIN!
Crunchy Jicama Slaw
“I love the crunchy fresh texture of jicama subbed for cabbage in this slaw. The jicama looks somewhat like a flattish, smooth, oval onion; it should be firm and its skin should be blemish-free and look shiny, very similar to fresh ginger. Jicama comes in sizes from apple to small cabbage yet the taste is not affected by size. A good jicama should be very crunchy to the bite—if it’s dry or soft and mealy with brown spots, discard it.” - Elizabeth Karmel; Steak & Cake
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
1 jicama (1 1/2 to 2 pounds, the size of a small grapefruit)
1 papaya
3 navel oranges
Juice of 2 limes, plus 4 to 6 lime wedges
1 papaya
1 recipe Pickled Red Onions (recipe follows)
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas), toasted
Leaves from 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh cilantro
Pinch of Chile-Lime Seasoning (like Tajin)
Method:
Peel the jicama with a sharp vegetable peeler or paring knife. (The skin is too thick for a standard potato peeler.) To steady the jicama for peeling, cut off a slice from the top and bottom. Set the jicama cut side down on a cutting board and cut off the rest of the peel like you would the peel of an orange from top to bottom.
Cut the peeled jicama into 1/8 to 1/4-inch-thick slabs, and then cut the slabs into French fry–like sticks. If the strips are very long, cut them in half. Alternatively, you can shred the jicama in a food processor or with a mandolin.
Peel, seed, and cut the papaya into matchstick strips (julienne).
Peel the oranges in the same manner as the jicama. Cut out each orange section from between the membranes, retaining as much juice as possible. Give the leftover membranes a squeeze with your hand to collect any remaining juice.
Mix the collected orange juice with the lime juice. Arrange the jicama, papaya, and orange wedges on a platter or on individual plates. Top with pickled onions, pour the orange and lime juice over them, garnish with whole cilantro leaves, lime wedges, and pumpkin seeds and sprinkle the chili-lime seasoning over all, if desired.
Pickled Red Onions
“A quick pickled onion scattered about the slaw adds welcome acidity that is the perfect counterpoint to a rich, beefy skirt steak” - Elizabeth Karmel; Steak & Cake
Makes about 2 cups
Ingredients:
1 large red onion, peeled and thinly sliced into rings (about ⅛” thick)
Kosher salt
¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
2 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
Juice of 2 imes
Method:
Place the onion rings in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cover with salted water and bring to a boil; boil for 1 minute. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and drain the onion rings. Return the onion rings to the saucepan.
Coarsely grind the cumin seeds in a mortar and pestle, or in a spice grinder. Add them to the saucepan along with the garlic, vinegar, lime juice, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Pour in just enough water to cover the onions, bring to a boil over medium heat, and let boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour into a small nonreactive bowl. Let stand for 3 hours to let the flavors meld. Drain the liquid and use the onions immediately or refrigerate, covered, for up to 2 weeks.
That’s it for this week! As always, if you make our recipes, tag us on the ‘gram (@kitchensitch & @elizabethkarmel), and use the hashtag #whats4dinner. Happy cooking!!