skirt steak mesquite smoked

[marauder]

i started out tonite wondering  what  meat should i buy for steak fahitas  the butcher at Sam's suggested  skirt steak. nothing on Jeffs site so i just thought well give the smoker a try. mesquite  wood ok  250 heat alright  most steaks  finish internal temperature 130 to 140  the wifey doesnt like the blood  so 140 was the goal. head country rub (salt Based) because i knew that the high sear at the end would burn the brown sugar types. smoked going strong on with the meat . 20 mins into it  put in  the MAV thermometer in the thickest part and wow already 120. got it to  130  fired up the grill to 400. kept the Mav  in and two turns the best steak  ever 1 hour total . forget the t bones the tenderloins this   is by far a  cut of steak far   worth its price!

 

[mbogo]

I love skirt steak, flank, all that stuff that used to be cheap!  Now they're gettin $8,$9 bucks a lb. around here....   I hate trendy stuff!!!!

 

[woodcutter]

Sounds great! Did you get a picture of that slab?

 

[pc farmer]

 

[noboundaries]

I was introduced to skirt steak for fajitas in south Texas in the mid-late 70s.  Okay, prices were a lot different back then, but I remember buying it for 39 cents/lb on sale, 69 cents/lb regularly, and feeling like I was being ripped off if I saw 99 cents/lb.  Skirt steak was considered junk meat.  At the time T-bones were $3.99 lb.

With the skirts I'd remove the silver skin, cut out a lot of the fat, marinate just for flavor, then grill.  I wasn't making much money back then and skirt steak was my protein go-to because I really didn't care for chicken in those days.  A 15" by 6" skirt would last me three meals.  Man, my mouth is just watering thinking about those marinated skirts.

Then the prices skyrocketed on skirt steak.  I asked the butcher at my local market back then what happened to the prices and his response was "the market in Japan discovered skirts.  Most are shipped over there now."  I have no idea if that was correct or not.  My local grocer now won't even carry it.  He says "if I order one hundred lbs I might sell five.  It's too fatty for this market."  I told him if he EVER ordered skirt steak again let me know.

I can buy skirts at a local butcher or upscale grocery store, but OMG, $8.99-11.99/lb!  I even saw $14.99/lb on one that was pre-prepared like a meat wrap.  Holy moly, all those prices are more expensive than ribeyes!   Flat iron steak is a decent substitute, very tender.  Not crazy about flank but it'll do.   I do miss skirt steak and eat it nightly when we go diving in Mexico.  Down there it is still considered cheap meat.     

 

[venture]

Yes, times have changed.

The so called "lesser cuts" of meat used to be dirt cheap.

Due to changes in demographics and the proliferation of cooking shows?  Previously dirt cheap meat is now selling for high prices.

Ones that come to mind?  Oxtails, brisket, skirt and flank steaks, tri-tip, pigs feet, tongue, heart, brains, pork jowls, tripe, beef cheeks, and marrow bones. 

Even the lowly pork butt?

Not to mention the price of guts for stuffing sausage?

Good luck and good smoking.