Grilled Marinated Skirt Steak (Arrachera)

Grilled skirt steak, or arrachera, has the robust flavors of cumin, cilantro, and garlic plus some heat from the jalapenos. The cut of meat is very popular in Mexican cooking. Any steak lover will relish the flavorful grilled meat. it is important not to puree the cilantro in the marinade for too long, or it will detract from the fresh flavor and dull the bright green color. Rolling up the steak during marination helps the meat to absorb the flavors and and makes it easier to store in the refrigerator. Serve with salsa, beans, Mexican corn on the cob and plenty of warm tortillas.

Ingredients

1/4 cup cumin seeds		1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice		4 jalapeno chiles, cut in half lengthwise
4 cloves garlic		1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper		3 bunches cilantro, including stems
3 pounds skirt steak, trimmed and cut into 6 serving pieces

directions

Try Kitchen View! Take your computer to the kitchen and view this recipe full-screen, with step-by-step directions.

Enter Kitchen View

1
Lightly toast the cumin seeds in a dry skillet over high heat until their aroma is released, 1 to 2 minutes, shaking the pan taking care not to burn them. Combine the cumin seeds, olive oil, lime juice, jalapeno chiles, garlic, salt, and black pepper in the jar of an electric blender and puree until smooth. Scrape down the sides, add the cilantro, and pulse until just blended. Rub the meat generously with the marinade, roll the pieces up into tight logs, put them in a resealable plastic bag, and refrigerate for 24 hours to 48 hours, turning once or twice.
2
Heat a gas or charcoal grill or broiler until it is very hot. Position the rack about 4 inches from the heat. left the steaks from the marinade and grill each side until seared, 3 to 4 minutes, turning once. Discard the marinade. Remove to a warm platter, let rest for 5 minutes, and then transfer the steaks to a cutting board, slice across the grain into thin strips, and serve.