| PREP TIME | REST TIME | COOK TIME |
| 20 mins | 6 to 24 h | 30 mins |
If you love skirt steak tacos but don’t want to fire up the grill, this recipe is a great way to make them right on the stovetop. They’re made with dry-brined outside skirt steak, seared hot in a pan until the surface forms a nice crust while the inside stays juicy and tender. Once cooked, the steak is diced into bite-sized pieces, placed into warm corn tortillas, and finished with a spoonful of salsa roja, some chopped onions, and a bit of fresh, chopped cilantro. It’s simple, quick, and every bite tastes as good as the grilled version.
Important
This recipe is only for outside skirt steak, not the inside skirt. If you’ve got an inside skirt, look for a recipe that uses a marinade instead. Inside skirt is a tougher, chewier cut, and the only way to make it tender is by marinating it first. Outside skirt steak, on the other hand, doesn’t need that extra step. A good sprinkle of salt and pepper is all it needs since it’s naturally tender and full of flavor.
See my Grilled Skirt Steak (Marinated) recipe or browse the full list of steak taco recipes for more ideas.
Most skirt steak taco recipes use a marinade, and that makes sense if you’re using inside skirt steak. It’s the tougher, chewier type of skirt steak that really needs to be marinated to help break down the fibers so the meat turns out tender. But if you’re using outside skirt steak, it’s a different story. This cut is already tender, juicy, and full of flavor, so there’s no reason to marinate it. A good sprinkle of salt and pepper is all it needs.
That’s exactly what I do for my skirt steak tacos. I dry-brine the steak for a few hours. It deepens the flavor and helps dry out the surface, which gives you that beautiful crust when it hits the pan. From there, it’s simple. A quick sear in a hot pan until the outside is nicely browned and the inside reaches medium doneness (that’s how I like this cut). The best part? You can do it all right at home, no grill, no special tools, and no worrying about the weather.
After that, slice the steak, build your tacos, and add your toppings. I keep mine simple: a spoonful of salsa roja, some diced onions, a bit of cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. That’s all you really need. However, if you prefer something different, feel free to try it. Use the same method for cooking the steak and change up the toppings to your taste.
The Ingredients You’ll Need
For steak:
- Skirt steak (outside skirt): 1 to 1½ pounds (454 to 680 grams). Use outside skirt steak, not inside skirt. The outside skirt is much more tender and flavorful, while the inside skirt is naturally tough and requires marinade.
- High-smoke-point oil: 1-2 tablespoons (15-30 ml). I highly recommend refined avocado oil. It has a neutral flavor and a high smoke point of about 500°F (260°C).
- Kosher salt: 1–2 teaspoons (5–10 g), depending on the steak size. As a general rule, use about 1% of the steak’s weight in salt, or up to 1.5% if you like a more salty flavor. Always use kosher salt. It spreads evenly and gives you much better control than table salt.
For salsa roja:
- Tomato: 1½ pounds (680 g).
- Onion: 1 small white onion (about 110 g).
- Pepper: 2–3 jalapeño peppers for mild heat, or 5–6 for spicier salsa. You can also use 2 serrano peppers or 2 árbol chiles as an alternative.
- Garlic: 4-6 cloves.
- Cilantro: ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves.
- Lime juice: 1 tablespoon (15 ml).
- Olive oil: 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil.
- Salt: 1 teaspoon (or more to taste).
For serving:
- Tortillas: 10–12 corn tortillas, about 6 inches (15 cm) each.
- Onion: Finely diced small white onion, to taste.
- Cilantro: Fresh cilantro leaves, to taste.
- Lime: A squeeze of lime juice, to taste.
- Salsa: A spoonful of salsa roja on top of each taco.
How to Make Stovetop Skirt Steak Tacos
First, gather all the ingredients, then follow the steps below.
Step 1: Trim the Outside Skirt Steak (Optional)
Pat the outside skirt steak dry with paper towels, then trim off any thick or loose pieces of fat. Don’t overdo it, just clean it up a bit. Flip the steak to the other side and run your fingers along the surface; you may notice a thin, silvery membrane (see note below). If you find it, grab an edge with a paper towel and peel it away. It usually comes off in big pieces. If you can’t find it, don’t worry about it and move on.
Remember, skirt steak is a thin cut, so it’s better to undertrim than overtrim.
Note
That thin membrane is tough and won’t break down as it cooks, so it’s best to remove it before cooking. Inside skirt steak usually comes with it already removed, but the outside skirt often doesn’t. If you can’t find the membrane, it means your butcher has already removed it for you (lucky you).
Step 2: Dry-Brine the Skirt Steak
If you have a whole skirt steak muscle, cut it into a few smaller pieces, about 4 to 8 inches (10–20 cm) long, and ensure they’re even in thickness. That way, they’ll cook more evenly and fit better in the pan (see note below). Season both sides generously with kosher salt, then place the pieces on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Leave them uncovered in the refrigerator for at least 4 to 6 hours, or ideally overnight.
While the steak is resting in the refrigerator, make the salsa roja so it’s ready to go when you start cooking.
Note
A whole skirt steak is longer than any pan you’ll cook it in, so cutting it into smaller pieces makes the cooking process easier. Another reason to cut it down is the thickness. A full skirt steak can range from about ¼ inch to almost 1 inch (0.6–2.5 cm) thick, depending on how the butcher trimmed it. Keeping the pieces close in thickness helps them cook evenly. A ½-inch (1.27 cm) piece will cook much faster than a 1-inch (2.5 cm) one, so keeping them consistent really matters.
Dry-brining is one of the easiest ways to improve the flavor of the steak. It also helps tenderize it slightly and dries out the surface, allowing for a better sear (moisture is the enemy of a good crust). Normally, with thicker steaks (like strip or ribeye), I stick to a 4–6 hour dry-brine to avoid getting a big gray band inside. However, for skirt steak tacos, I don’t worry about that at all. I’m looking for flavor and tenderness, so for this recipe, I highly recommend an overnight dry-brine.
To clarify why I’m dry-brining instead of using a marinade, this recipe uses outside skirt steak, which is naturally tender and flavorful, so it doesn’t require a marinade like inside skirt does. Plus, I’m pan-searing the steak. Wet marinades make it almost impossible to get a good sear because they leave the surface too wet. Dry-brining, on the other hand, dries the steak’s surface, resulting in a much better crust later, even on a thin cut like skirt steak.
Step 3: Make the Salsa Roja
Wash all the ingredients first. Cut the tomatoes in half, quarter the onion, and peel the garlic cloves. Then choose the method you prefer and follow the steps below:
In a pan: Preheat a 12-inch (30 cm) pan over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and peppers, and cook them for a few minutes, flipping as needed, until they’re nicely blackened. Transfer everything to a food processor and blend until smooth. Taste and add salt if needed.
In the oven (broiler): Place the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and peppers on a baking sheet and set it just under the broiler. Turn the broiler to high and cook for a few minutes, flipping as needed, until all the ingredients are blackened. Transfer the ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. Season with salt to taste, if needed.
Note
Adjust the salsa roja to your preferred level of spiciness. Feel free to tweak the recipe a bit, but try to keep the overall amounts close so the flavor stays balanced. If the salsa turns out a little thin, you can simmer it on the stove for a few minutes to thicken it.
I recommend making a larger batch and storing it in the fridge for up to a week. You can use it right after blending, but it tastes even better if you let it sit for at least an hour. You can even prepare it the day before while the steak is dry-brining, then cook the steak the next day, and everything will be ready to go.
Step 4: Preheat the Pan
Remove the steak from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. When you’re ready to cook, place a clean pan (preferably a cast-iron skillet, carbon steel or heavy-bottomed stainless steel skillet) over medium-high heat and let it heat up for about 3 minutes. Add a bit of high-smoke-point oil and let it heat for another minute. After roughly 4 minutes total, the pan should be hot enough for a good sear, and you’re ready to cook the steak.
Note
Searing is a cooking method where the steak is cooked over high heat to quickly brown the surface. That’s what gives you the flavor and the crust. For that to happen, the pan needs to be hot, at least 400°F (204°C), and ideally 450–500°F (232–260°C). Use a pan that can handle that kind of heat. Avoid non-stick. Cast iron, carbon steel, or a heavy stainless-steel skillet are your best options because they hold heat well. On my gas stove with a cast-iron skillet, it usually takes about 4 minutes of preheating to reach 450–500°F (232–260°C). If you have an infrared thermometer, you can use it to check, but it’s not required.
For the oil, choose one with a high smoke point, ideally around 500°F (260°C). I like refined avocado oil because it has a neutral flavor and doesn’t burn easily. If you prefer something different, that’s fine, just make sure it can take the heat. Here are a few good options:
| Type of Fat | Smoke Point ºF | Smoke Point ºC |
|---|---|---|
| Refined Avocado Oil | 520ºF | 270ºC |
| Refined Safflower Oil | 510ºF | 266ºC |
| Beef Tallow | 480ºF | 250ºC |
| Pecan Oil | 470ºF | 243ºC |
| Refined Peanut Oil | 450ºF | 232°C |
Step 5: Pan-Sear the Skirt Steak
Pat the skirt steak dry again with paper towels, then carefully place it in the pan so the oil doesn’t splash. Cook it based on its thickness:
For steaks about ½–1 inch (1.3–2.5 cm) thick: Flip the steak every 30 seconds. Use a meat thermometer to monitor the internal temperature and remove it from the heat when it’s about 10–15°F (5–8°C) below your target doneness (see the temperature chart below). Let it rest for about 5 minutes before slicing. Skirt steaks in this thickness usually take 3–6 minutes total to reach medium-rare to medium doneness.
For thinner cuts (½ inch / 1.3 cm or less): Flip the steak every 30 seconds and slide it around the pan every 15 seconds to move it over the hotter spots (this helps build a better crust). Thin pieces are difficult to check with a thermometer, so go by time instead. For medium-rare to medium, cook 60–90 seconds total for a ¼-inch (0.6 cm) piece, or 2–3 minutes total for a ½-inch (1.3 cm) piece. Let the steak rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
| Doneness | Remove at temp: | Final temp: |
| Rare | 105–115°F (40–46°C) | 120–130°F (49–54°C) |
| Medium Rare | 115–125°F (46–52°C) | 130–140°F (54–60°C) |
| Medium | 125–135°F (52–57°C) | 140-150˚F (60–66°C) |
| Medium-Well | 135–145°F (57–63°C) | 150-160˚F (66–71°C) |
| Well Done | 145–155°F (63–68°C) | 160°F+ (71°C+) |
Note
Always pat the steak dry with paper towels right before placing it in the pan. That’s one of the keys to getting a really good crust. Forget the old “flip once” advice. It doesn’t do anything useful. Flipping often helps the steak cook evenly on both sides and actually helps it cook a little faster.
As for removing the steak early, that’s because the cooking doesn’t stop the moment the steak leaves the pan. The heat inside the steak continues to cook the meat as it rests. In those 5 minutes, the internal temperature can rise another 10 to over 20°F (5–11°C), depending on the steak’s thickness, cooking temperature, and total cooking time.
For skirt steak:
- ½-inch (1.3 cm) thick: expect about a 10°F (5°C) rise
- 1-inch (2.5 cm) thick: it’s more like 15–20°F (8–11°C).
This kind of temperature jump occurs with high-heat, direct-heat cooking methods like pan-searing or grilling because the outside of the steak becomes very hot, and that heat continues to cook the inside (even after you remove it from the heat). With gentler methods (sous vide, reverse-searing, smoking), the carryover is much smaller.
For more on this, see my article: Resting Steak After Cooking: Why You Should and for How Long.
Step 6: Assemble the Skirt Steak Tacos
Once the skirt steak has rested, slice it thinly into strips, then dice those strips into small, bite-sized pieces. Warm the tortillas briefly, flipping them occasionally, until they are pliable. You can do it in a hot pan, in the oven, in the microwave, or right over a gas burner using tongs. Divide the steak between the tortillas, then top with salsa roja, finely chopped onion, chopped cilantro, and a squeeze of lime juice. Serve and enjoy.
Note
I like to slice the skirt steak for tacos into very small pieces. It’s easier to eat, and you don’t have to worry about slicing against the grain. But if you prefer the longer strips, make sure to slice the skirt steak against the grain. See the photo below for an example of how to slice skirt steak against the grain.
Stovetop Skirt Steak Tacos Recipe (Dry-Brined)
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Rest Time: 6 to 24 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 10-12 Tacos
Description
These stovetop skirt steak tacos are quick, flavorful, and easy to make at home. Outside skirt steak is dry-brined, seared hot in a cast-iron skillet, and chopped into tender, juicy pieces with a great crust. Served on warm corn tortillas with salsa roja, diced onions, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.
Ingredients
For Steak:
- 1 to 1½ pounds (454 to 680 grams) skirt steak (outside skirt)
- 1–2 tablespoons (15–30 ml) high-smoke-point oil (I recommend refined avocado oil)
- 1–2 teaspoons (5–10 g) kosher salt, depending on the steak size (go with about 1% of the steak’s weight in salt, or up to 1.5% if you like a stronger, more seasoned flavor)
For salsa roja:
- 1½ pounds (680 g) tomato
- 1 small white onion (about 110 g)
- 2–3 jalapeño peppers for mild heat, or 5–6 for spicier salsa (you can also use 2 serrano peppers or 2 árbol chiles as an alternative)
- 4–6 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lime juice
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
- 1 teaspoon table salt (or more to taste)
For serving:
- 10–12 corn tortillas, about 6 inches (15 cm) each
- Finely diced small white onion (to taste)
- Fresh cilantro leaves (to taste)
- A squeeze of lime juice (to taste)
- A spoonful of salsa roja on top of each taco
Instructions
To Trim the Outside Skirt Steak (optional)
- Pat the outside skirt steak dry with paper towels, then trim off any thick or loose pieces of fat. Don’t overdo it, just clean it up a bit.
- Flip the steak to the other side and run your fingers along the surface; you may notice a thin, silvery membrane (see notes). If you find it, grab an edge with a paper towel and peel it away. It usually comes off in big pieces. If you can’t find it, don’t worry about it and move on. Remember, skirt steak is a thin cut, so it’s better to undertrim than overtrim.
To Dry-Brine the Skirt Steak
- If you have a whole skirt steak muscle, cut it into a few smaller pieces, about 4 to 8 inches (10–20 cm) long, and ensure they’re even in thickness (see notes).
- Season both sides generously with kosher salt, then place the pieces on a wire rack set over a baking sheet.
- Leave them uncovered in the refrigerator for at least 4 to 6 hours, or ideally overnight. While the steak is resting in the refrigerator, make the salsa roja so it’s ready to go when you start cooking.
To Make the Salsa Roja
- Wash all the ingredients first. Cut the tomatoes in half, quarter the onion, and peel the garlic cloves. Then choose the method you prefer and follow the steps below:
- In a pan: Preheat a 12-inch (30 cm) pan over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and peppers, and cook them for a few minutes, flipping as needed, until they’re nicely blackened. Transfer everything to a food processor and blend until smooth. Taste and add salt if needed.
- In the oven (broiler): Place the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and peppers on a baking sheet and set it just under the broiler. Turn the broiler to high and cook for a few minutes, flipping as needed, until all the ingredients are blackened. Transfer the ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. Season with salt to taste, if needed.
To Preheat the Pan
- Remove the steak from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. When you’re ready to cook, place a pan (preferably a cast-iron skillet, carbon steel or heavy-bottomed stainless steel skillet) over medium-high heat and let it heat up for about 3 minutes.
- Add a bit of high-smoke-point oil and let it heat for another minute. After roughly 4 minutes total, the pan should be hot enough for a good sear, and you’re ready to cook the steak.
To Pan-Sear the Skirt Steak
- Pat the skirt steak dry again with paper towels, then carefully place it in the pan so the oil doesn’t splash. Cook it based on its thickness:
- For steaks about ½–1 inch (1.3–2.5 cm) thick: Flip the steak every 30 seconds. Use a meat thermometer to monitor the internal temperature and remove it from the heat when it’s about 10–15°F (5–8°C) below your target doneness (see notes for the temperature chart). Let it rest for about 5 minutes before slicing. Skirt steaks in this thickness usually take 3–6 minutes total to reach medium-rare to medium doneness.
- For thinner cuts (½ inch / 1.3 cm or less): Flip the steak every 30 seconds and slide it around the pan every 15 seconds to move it over the hotter spots (this helps build a better crust). Thin pieces are difficult to check with a thermometer, so go by time instead. For medium-rare to medium, cook 60–90 seconds total for a ¼-inch (0.6 cm) piece, or 2–3 minutes total for a ½-inch (1.3 cm) piece. Let the steak rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
To Assemble the Skirt Steak Tacos
- Once the skirt steak has rested, slice it thinly into strips, then dice those strips into small, bite-sized pieces.
- Warm the tortillas briefly, flipping them occasionally, until they are pliable. You can do it in a hot pan, in the oven, in the microwave, or right over a gas burner using tongs.
- Divide the steak between the tortillas, then top with salsa roja, finely chopped onion, chopped cilantro, and a squeeze of lime juice. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
- That thin membrane is tough and won’t break down as it cooks, so it’s best to remove it before cooking. Inside skirt steak usually comes with it already removed, but the outside skirt often doesn’t. If you can’t find the membrane, it means your butcher has already removed it for you (lucky you).
- A whole skirt steak is longer than any pan you’ll cook it in, so cutting it into smaller pieces makes the cooking process easier. Another reason to cut it down is the thickness. A full skirt steak can range from about ¼ inch to almost 1 inch (0.6–2.5 cm) thick, depending on how the butcher trimmed it. Keeping the pieces close in thickness helps them cook evenly. A ½-inch (1.27 cm) piece will cook much faster than a 1-inch (2.5 cm) one, so keeping them consistent really matters.
- Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to a week. I like using the leftover steak to make more tacos, but it also works great in burritos, quesadillas, or even a quick steak sandwich.
More Steak Recipes To Try
- Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
- Steak and Potatoes
- Garlic Butter Steak Bites
- Steak Sandwich Recipes
