One cut of beef that isn’t talked about a lot, but is delicious and easy to prepare is skirt steak. This cut is sometimes called Hanger steak. In fact, it’s one of our favorites of the less utilized cuts of beef. Skirt steak comes from the plate or the belly of the beef animal. It’s great for making stir-fry or fajitas, or just slicing thinly and eating. Skirt steak isn’t super tender, but it’s flavorful. It works best if it’s marinated prior to cooking. Most of the time I just pour some things together to form a marinade—some spices, a little oil and some sort of acid like juice or vinegar. This time I asked my daughter to look up a recipe and see what she could find. She found one on the Food Network and it basically is everything I already used, but it gives some actual measurements. Here are the ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil (I don’t use this much-more like 1/4 c.)
1/3 cup soy sauce
4 scallions, washed and cut in pieces
2 large cloves garlic
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar or Mexican brown sugar (I used light because it’s what I keep on hand)
2 pounds inside skirt steak, cut into two equal pieces

The directions say to mix all ingredients then blend until smooth. We’ve actually made this recipe twice so far. We really like the combination of flavors in this marinade. It has a little sweetness, but with a kick. *The second time I made it I didn’t blend the ingredients, which I really do recommend. They combine better and give the meat even better flavor.*

This is what the skirt steak looks like. I usually slice it in two pieces. It makes it easier to fit in the plastic bag to marinate and it fits on the grill better. In the essence of full disclosure, we have a freezer full of beef, so I don’t have to buy meat at the store. I do, however, enjoy looking through the meat counter to see what they are offering. I did look at one of the local groceries this week and skirt steak was selling for $6.98/lb. I saw packages ranging from .87 lb. to 1.28 lbs. Two pounds of meat easily feeds our family of six.

After meat is split, I drop it into a large plastic baggie then pour in the marinade. I close it up tightly to get all the air out, move the bag around to coat all the meat, then place it on a plate in my fridge to marinate.

I usually marinate meat either all day and sometimes overnight. I try to plan meals so that I thaw meat first thing in the morning, then it can marinate in the fridge during the day so we can cook it that night. Sometimes I’ll prep a few meat dishes at the same time then all I have to do is grab them from the fridge each night and they are ready to cook. This recipe said to marinate at least one hour.

We have a gas grill so my cooking method was different than the original recipe. I took the bag out of the fridge to come up in temperature while I lit the grill. You don’t want very cold meat to be thrown directly onto a hot grill. I light the grill and let it heat up to 375-450 degrees. If you can hold your hand about five inches over grill for about 4-5 seconds, it’s hot enough. I put the meat on then I DON’T TOUCH IT! I want to wait long enough for the meat to get a good sear on the first side and not stick to the grill before I turn it. This usually takes 7-8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the meat. Once it is nice and brown, turn it over and repeat on the other side. You can use a meat thermometer to get an accurate measure. (For rare, remove the steak(s) at 120°F – 125°F; medium rare 125°F – 130°F; medium 130°F – 135°F.)

If the meat is browned properly on both sides, but not quite cooked enough in the middle, I’ll place it to the side and shut off one burner then close the lid to let it cook a little longer.

Once it’s ready (we like our meat medium to medium rare), I’ll take it off grill and let it rest on a platter so juices can redistribute. Then I slice it thinly and against the grain of the meat. (If the meat gets long and stringy, chances are you’re cutting with the grain.) Now you’re ready to enjoy!

 

I hope you try this recipe and enjoy!

We found the original recipe here at this link, and we adapted from it.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/skirt-steak-recipe.html

From our ranch to you, we wish you a fun weekend!

I’m the kind of person who thinks that everybody has something that they “nerd out” about. You know, the thing people have that deep, fiery passion for, and will never be able to learn enough about. For some it’s a general topic, such as sports; for others it’s something much more specific, like knowing every possible factoid about Abe Lincoln.

I have a few different subjects I enjoy learning about, one of which is agriculture…what a surprise 🙂 I find it absolutely fascinating that I’ve been in the ag industry for 24 years and STILL have crops or animals that I know hardly anything about! Dairies, flower farms, orchards, wineries…you name it, I want to tour and learn more about it!

Earlier this week, I got to do just that! All of our work at home was caught up, so we spent the morning helping some friends, T&C, plant bell peppers starts, by hand! There are implements that can do a majority of the work, but in this field, a tractor would have done more harm than good. In the three hours we were there, we managed to plant more than 2,000 starts!

When these little guys start producing, T&C will sell them to smaller markets in the Treasure Valley. They expect to yield an average of 5 peppers off each plant, although others in the area have seen as many as 8-10.

 

 

So how is this related to cattle? A recipe, of course! I’ve been dying to make some beef-stuffed bell peppers, so this gave me the perfect excuse!

  Fiesta Beef Bells

 •1 lb ground beef

•4-6 large bell peppers, halved and deseeded – I ended up using 3

•1/2 onion, chopped

•1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

•1 can corn, rinsed and drained

•4 oz. Cream Cheese

•1 cup of shredded cheese

•Chili Powder, to taste

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a skillet, add the ground beef and cook thoroughly. Be sure to drain any grease during this process. While your beef is cooking, take a moment to cut the top of your peppers off, spoon out what’s inside, and rinse them out.

Next, add the corn, black beans, onion, and chili powder to a separate bowl.

Once beef is fully cooked, add the corn/bean/onion mixture to the skillet. Next, add the cream cheese, mixing with the other ingredients until melted.

Now it’s time to fill the peppers, topping them off with shredded cheese! Because I only ended up having 3 peppers, I had lots of filling leftover. Instead of letting it go to waste, I grabbed some tortillas, spooned the filling inside, rolled them up, and placed them on their own cookie sheet.

I put both dishes in the oven, cooking them for 15 minutes.

 

Yummy! You could top with sour cream and a garnish of chopped cilantro if you’d like, or just enjoy as is. They were delicious. Enjoy!

~J

 

 

 

 

We hope you have a safe and Happy 4th of July! While we’ll be celebrating with beef on our barbeques, we’ll also remember the great sacrifices for our freedom and the liberties we experience as Americans. We are very thankful for those who defend those rights!

What better way to enjoy this day with family and friends, than with some Cucumber Ranch Steaks. It’s an easy recipe that utilizes fresh ingredients and an economical beef cut that tastes great!

CUCUMBER RANCH STEAKS – 25 minutes

4 beef shoulder center steaks (ranch steaks), cut 3/4″ thick (5 oz each)
1/2 cup finely chopped seeded cucumber
1/4 cup ranch dressing
1 Tbsp garlic-pepper seasoning
Diced tomato

1. Combine cucumber and dressing. Set aside.
2. Press garlic-pepper seasoning onto beef steaks. Prepare either charcoal or gas grill as directed. Grill, covered, 9 to 11 minutes for medium rare to medium doneness, turning once. Serve with cucumber sauce and tomato.

4 servings

Recipe Courtesy of the Beef Checkoff

From the ranch to you, we hope you enjoy a safe and Happy 4th of July!

It’s July and with that comes Idaho Beef Month. We celebrate the ranching and cattle feeding families who raise beef for your plates and contribute to the economy of our state, as well as summer grilling. Beef is always great on the BBQ, and we’ll have some tried and true recipes to share with you.

We’re excited to welcome you to the blog and website of the Idaho CattleWomen Council!

Here you’ll find more about women who are passionate about the Idaho cattle industry and who support the beef industry. Many of us may be your friends and neighbors. We work hard every day to raise beef for your table, as well as our own. We hope to share with you the diversity of the women and their families who make up our cattle community here in the West. We welcome comments and questions, and hope you check back often!