The Flavorful, Budget Steak Cut Bobby Flay Makes Gourmet

If you're in the market for a steak that tastes more expensive than it really is, take some advice from Bobby Flay and grab skirt steak. He calls the cut "fabulous" when well-seasoned and cooked on high heat: His move is to marinate it in a garlicky Argentinian chimichurri before searing it so it's charred outside and rosy inside.

Skirt steak is made for this kind of treatment: It comes from part of the cow below the ribs and near the diaphragm, and is long, thin, and with a coarse grain, somewhat similar to flank steak but thinner overall. That thinness means that a marinade will work better on it than thicker cuts (as it doesn't need to soak in so deeply). Meanwhile, the coarse grain makes it somewhat chewier, which means you'll want to cook it on super high heat. (A skillet or grill are ideal settings.) Keep it on the medium-rare side so that it doesn't get any tougher. When it's done, Flay recommends cutting it against the grain: This breaks up those muscle fibers (which contribute to chewiness) and makes for a more tender and less stringy steak. And don't treat this slicing as an afterthought: For Flay, it's as important as what happens on the grill, since he's been known to say that slicing with the grain will give you a tougher steak no matter how much you nail the cooking.

That chimichurri we mentioned earlier is just one of Flay's many skirt steak tips. His recipe brings together a bunch of herbs: Parsley, oregano, and (breaking from Argentinian tradition) mint, plus a hit of garlic, tangy vinegar and oil, then grilled around four minutes per side until medium rare. The residual chimichurri on the steak should form a nice crust as it cooks. Don't forget to let it rest when it's off the grill: This gives the juices a chance to redistribute within the steak, for a more tender bite. Flay has yet another chimichurri up his sleeve: This one is a red chimichurri that adds some heat, with chipotles in adobo, smoky paprika, and red chili flakes, plus parsley, oregano, garlic, and vinegar. (Some versions of this also lean on roasted red peppers, but Flay leaves this out.) This is spooned over the steak at the end.

If chimichurri just isn't your thing, you can take another route with a dry spice rub. In line with his signature southwestern flavor palette, Flay recommends a rub made from paprika, chili powder, mustard, cumin, coriander and brown sugar. This should give a nice crust with a hint of caramelization; flay tops it with salsa macha, a sweet-spicy Mexican sauce of toasted chile, garlic, peanut, sesame, and honey. It's served with guacamole and corn tortillas.