This skirt steak marinade is an easy marinade recipe with flavors of lemon, savory garlic and cumin. The results are an ultra-tasty, juicy and tender grilled steak!
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Grilled Skirt Steak Marinade
This easy skirt steak marinade is simply the best! Simple ingredients, including garlic, lime, and cumin gives the meat so much flavor whether it marinates for 20 minutes or 24 hours. It’s cost-effective and healthier with no added sugars and preservatives often found in store-bought marinades.
Seasoning meat with a dry steak rub is great but allowing it to marinate and permeate the meat for hours adds amazing flavor and caramelization. This recipe and my marinade for carne asada are great for summertime grilling and also work for pan searing and roasting as well!
Ingredients for Marinating Steak
These pantry staple ingredients are perfect for mixing together and creating a deliciously flavored marinade that gives this steak a tender and juicy cut!
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Beef skirt steak: Skirt steak is long and flat compared to other steaks. It is flavorful but not too tender. Using this marinade recipe you will see a difference in the skirt steak.
- Olive oil: This helps soak in all the flavors and connect it to the cut of beef. This helps tenderize it and give it that added flavor.
- Lime: Take a fresh lime and squeeze the lime juice out. Zest the outer skin of the lime and make a refreshing flavor with it. You can do this will lemon juice as well.
- Garlic: Always a delicious add-in to any marinade.
- Kosher salt: This is a thicker salt. It helps penetrate the steak and breaks down the tough muscle fibers leaving it tender and juicy.
- Ground cumin: An earthy seasoning that gives the steak a savory and flavorful flavor.
- Black pepper: A hint of spice but also balances out all the flavors together.
How to Make Steak Marinade
Take your steak recipes to the next level with the best skirt steak marinade recipe!
- Whisk. Combine the olive oil, lime, garlic, salt, cumin, and pepper in a large bowl. Add the steak and marinate for at least 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. Set out 30 minutes before cooking.
- Grill. Use tongs to transfer to a preheated grill and cook until it reaches desired doneness (about 3 to 4 minutes per side over high heat). Remove from grill and allow to rest 5 minutes before slicing.
- Slice and serve. Cut against the grain and serve as desired.
Grilling Tips
These helpful tips will only better your grilling as well as your cut of meat! Using a meat thermometer is a MUST plus learn the best way to grill steak. These quick tips will take your grilling to expertise!
- Bring steak to room temperature if you’re marinating it in the fridge. Take it out of the fridge for about 30 minutes before grilling.
- Prevent grill flare-ups. Gently shaking excess marinade or lightly patting steaks with a paper towel should be all you need to do to prevent flare-ups on the grill.
- Add steak to a preheated grill, otherwise, you risk the meat sticking to the grill. You want to hear that initial sizzle as soon as it hits the grill.
- Allow the steak to rest before slicing it open to keep the juices in.
- Slice against the grain to keep each bite nice and tender.
What to Serve Skirt Steak With
We love to switch up the side dishes every time we make this marinated skirt steak!
- Veggies: Cut onions, bell peppers, zucchini, and squash to make a vegetable medley to go alongside the skirt steak.
- Salads: The salads are endless from pasta to green salads. You can’t go wrong with a delicious salad and homemade dressing alongside a steak.
- Potatoes: Slice red or yellow potatoes into wedges or fries for a delicious steak and fries dinner.
- Sauce: Chimichurri sauce over top is delicious or a homemade BBQ sauce is perfect for dipping the steak in.
Recipe FAQs
Skirt steak is generally a tougher cut of meat due to the number of connective tissues, but it’s also one of the most flavorful. What the marinade does is break down those fibers, tenderizing the meat, so once it’s grilled, it becomes a perfectly juicy, melt-in-your-mouth piece of meat.
There is no right answer here. Anywhere from 30 minutes to 24 hours, which is a large window. I wouldn’t marinate it longer than 24 hours though.
If I am hosting a BBQ and I know I have a lot of other sides and dishes to take care of, I will allow it to marinate for the entire day and pop it on the grill just before serving. No matter what you do, just like in my carne asada recipe the lime juice will help break down the fibers and the garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper will give it a delicious flavor.
Unless your skirt steak has been sold as pre-tenderized, this is a great step to ensure that your beef is tender. A simple meat mallet works great to tenderize the steak before marinating.
You can’t have too many easy marinades at your fingertips, especially during grilling season. It comes together in minutes, so it’s a great one to have for skirt steak tacos, steak tacos, steak fajitas, or grilled steak kabobs.
You can also use it on grilled chicken, grilled salmon, and pork.
5 star review
“This is delicious! We served this with some veggie Kabobs and it was the perfect summertime meal!”
-Hanna
Make Ahead + Storing
Marinating is always a bonus for making ahead! Plan to grill the day before and learn the best way to keep your steak fresh and flavorful. Storing these leftovers are simple and easy too!
- Make ahead: The marinade can be made up to 3 days in advance and kept until you’re ready to add the meat. I don’t recommend marinating the meat longer than 24 hours, so I like to add the meat in the morning and grill that same evening.
- Storing: Once you remove the meat from the marinade, discard the marinade. Store cooked meat in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat on the grill or in the oven to warm through or slice and enjoy cold over top of a salad.
More Steak Marinade Recipes
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Easy Skirt Steak Marinade
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless beef skirt steak
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 lime , juiced and zested
- 3 garlic cloves , 1 1/2 teaspoons minced
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Combine the olive oil, lime, garlic, salt, cumin and pepper in a large bowl. Add the steak and marinate for at least 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. Set out 30 minutes before cooking.
- Use tongs to transfer to a preheated grill and cook until it reaches desired doneness (about 3 to 4 minutes per side over high heat). Remove from grill and allow to rest 5 minutes before slicing.
- Cut against the grain and serve as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: 4th of July, Condiments, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Grilling, Low Carb, Nut-Free, Whole 30
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is also the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook. Here you will find easy family-friendly recipes for every occasion.
This marinade gives the steak such a rich flavor. Love how easy it is to make something so delicious!
This is a great marinade! It added some delicious flavor and really did make a difference in the level of tenderness in my meat. Awesome!
My dad really wanted to try a homemade marinade and he needed a recipe to try so I sent him this one! Thanks for the easy instructions!
This is delicious! We served this with some veggie Kabobs and it was the perfect summertime meal!