Learn how to sous vide skirt steak to help you make tender, juicy delicious fajitas. Find out how long you should cook the skirt steak.
Sous Vide All the Beef!
If it's beef, I am going to sous vide it! I love cooking beef to the perfect temperature in my immersion circulator. Don't be surprised one day when I have a sous vide recipe for every cut, every steak, every roast on this blog!!! It's a goal!
With today's post you can add to the list skirt steak. See how I made skirt steak sous vide so that I could enjoy the perfectly cooked beef fajitas. I even use the proper cast iron pan to serve the meal - restaurant style!
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Which Type of Skirt Steak?
When it comes to skirt steak, you have two choices: inner or outer skirt steak. The outer skirt is longer and tends to be a bit thicker than the inner. It's also more tender. Either type can be used for sous vide fajitas, but I find that sous vide really helps with the tougher inner skirt steak. So, when I have both on hand, I usually go with the inner for this recipe.
🛒 If you are looking for a good source for skirt steaks, then try out the inner skirt steaks or outer skirt steaks from Porter Road. They are one of my favorite meat sources, out of Nashville, Tennessee.
Quick Cooking Tips
When I sous vide beef for fajitas, I cook it to 130–135°F, which is perfect for medium-rare. I don’t want to go beyond that, or the meat can become too tough. At the end, you'll be browning the outside of the meat, which will raise the temperature slightly—so you definitely don’t want to start at medium, or heaven forbid, already well-done!
I use pre-made vacuum sealer bags instead of the plastic roll that’s made for my sealer. I find it cheaper, and I love that I can get them on Amazon for a great price.
I cook the bell peppers and onions first in my cast iron skillet before adding the steak. At the end, you’re basically just reheating the peppers and onions while you brown the beef, so you want them fully cooked ahead of time.
When browning the steak, I get my cast iron skillet as hot as possible. The goal is to sear it quickly so we don’t overcook that perfectly medium-rare steak we were so patient to sous vide just right.
Sous Vide Skirt Steak for Fajitas
Ingredients
- 1-1.5 lbs inner skirt steak
- 2 2 bell peppers (any color) cut into strips
- 1 large yellow or sweet onion sliced
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked parika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- oil for searing at the end
- corn or flour tortillas for serving
Instructions
- Place the skirt steak in a sous vide bag and add all the seasonings.
- Remove as much air as possible from the bag, being careful not to draw out any liquid when using a vacuum sealer.
- Set your immersion circulator to 130–135°F for medium-rare.
- Place the steak into the water bath. Set a timer for 3 hours.
- Remove the steak with a pair of tongs after the 3 hours is up.
- Heat up your cast iron pan and cook the onions and bell peppers over medium heat until soft, about 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside.
- Add some oil to a cast iron pan and set it over high heat. Wait until the pan is sizzling hot, then cook the steak for 30–60 seconds per side, just until browned. Remove the pan from the heat and add the peppers and onions back in.
- Slice the steak against the grain at an angle and add it to the pan with the peppers and onions. Serve with tortillas and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
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