Skirt vs Flank: Difference and Comparison

With a decent juicy steak, there’s still plenty to enjoy. Steak may be identified by how it is sliced and also what portion of the creature it comes from.

Skirt steaks and flank steaks are the two most popular steak cuts originating from the same part of a cow — the area between the rib and the hip.

The qualities of skirt steaks versus flank steaks are comparable. Both are sturdy, tall, narrow, and flattening.

They have similar appearances and are frequently confused. So, whether there is any distinction between both, what is it?

Because flank and skirt are so similar, most people get confused.

Key Takeaways

  1. Skirt and flank are both cuts of beef from the lower part of the cow.
  2. Skirt steak is long and thin, while flank steak is wider and thicker.
  3. Both cuts can be tough if not cooked properly, but they have distinct flavors and textures.

Skirt vs Flank

The skirt steak is a long, flat, and thin cut beef that comes from the diaphragm muscle of the cow. It is a flavorful cut of beef used in Latin American cuisines. The flank steak, is a thicker cut of beef that comes from the lower abdominal area of the cow. It is used in stir-fry dishes, tacos etc.

Skirt vs Flank

Skirt steak is among the super delicious steaks and beef, and despite being one of the toughest cuts with such a lot of fibrous tissue, it makes a superb grilled steak. Skirt steaks are made from one of the muscle bundles found inside the chest and abdominal region, underneath the ribs, in the beef plates fundamental cut part of a cow.

The diaphragmatic muscular region, also known as the outside skirt, as well as the transversus abdominis muscle, known as the inside skirt, are the two musculatures that make great skirt steak cuts.

A flank fillet steak cut isn’t a steak in the traditional sense. Rather, the cow’s stomach muscles are used to make this renowned cut of beef.

It’s a tasty cooking method, but it’s also incredibly fit, with practically no fat. Despite its harshness, if you properly prepare it ‘correctly cook it’ to be precise, it can be a pleasant and delicate dish.

Flank beef is ideally barbecued at high temperatures or soft-braised, and it improves from marinade.

Comparison Table

Parameters of ComparisonSkirtFlank
RecipesSome of the famous recipes for skirt steak portions include; Korean Bulgogi-Style Grilled Steak and Straccetti con Rucola E Funghi.Balsamic Marinated Stuffed Flank Steak, Bibimbap Tacos and Chili-Lime Steak Fajitas are some of the delicacies.
Flavour and TextureSkirt steak has a meaty taste that is even stronger than flank steak, however, because it has more rough and tougher musculature than flank steak.The taste of flank steak is powerful, although it can be a touch rough.
PriceSkirt variant cuts are cheaper than Flank cuts.Flank cuts are costlier than skirt cuts.
TypesInner skirt and Outer skirt.No types.
NamesRomanian tenderloin, Romanian steak, Philadelphia steak, etc.Beef flank, Jiffy steak, Fraldinha (in Brazil), and Sobrebarriga (in Colombia).

What is Skirt?

Cooked or consumed early to very rare flames, skirt steaks are the most delectable. Skirt cuts offer a complete meat taste and are deliciously tasty.

It may also be replaced for typical beef slabs tasty recipes and then used identically. Additionally, skirt-cut meats can be presented entirely as a whole, alone, or combined with other foods.

Respectively the inside and outer skirts are long, flat musculature with just a fairly thick line that spans the amount of muscle. Until they’ve been cut, these skinny slabs of beef could be 20 to 24 inches in length and three to four inches wide.

Because each half of beef has just two skirt fillets, one within and one outside, almost every outer skirt from every side of beef wound up in a professional and commercial food establishment. So, whenever you see skirt steak at the meat shop, you can nearly only be sure it’s an inside skirt.

Skirt steak can also be separated into two stylized categories. The ‘outer skirt steak’, sliced from the stomach or plated musculature, will be the first and the most commonly used cut utilized by restaurants and hotels.

The second option is the inner skirt steak, used commonly by self-serving people and cut out from the cow flank. Both skirt steaks are boneless, however, the outer skirt slab had to have a thick membranous layer removed before grilling.

There are no membranes or lipids in the inner skirt steak.

skirt recipes

What is Flank?

Flank steak is a cheap, tasty, yet adaptable beef cut originating from the cow’s chest area or abdomen musculature. It’s roughly a foot long as well as an inch wide, and it’s served complete rather than in portion sizes.

Jiffy steaks, bavette (in French), and British broil are all names for the same type of meat. The apparent orientation of cross-grain on flank-cut steak can be used to identify it.

As mentioned earlier, bavette is another name for flank steak. This meat cut is popular among Mexican, French, and Southern American dishes.

This slice of steak is commonly used in Asian meals, primarily Chinese, as well as the British broil preparations and common recipes include the process of marination and the addition of herbs and citrus mixed with the barbequed flank pieces.

In addition, flank steak has a reputation for being a cheap cut of beef. Today, flank steak is among the most popular iron cuts. The fibres in the flank steak are well pronounced.

If you’re cutting itself against the grains, this will make things simpler. The fibres are closely combined, making it harder for the marinate and other spices to enter the meat thoroughly.

Heavy seasoning, on the other hand, can alleviate this problem, resulting in a thick, flavorful, fibrous steak.

flank steak 1

Main Differences Between Skirt and Flank

  1. Skirt steak has the chest and upper abdomen musculature meat whereas the flank cut contains the belly and lower abdomen meat of the beef.
  2. Skirt-cut steak is softer and more delicate than Flank cut steak.
  3. Skirt-cut steak is of two types, inner and outer, whereas flank cut is just one of its types.
  4. Skirt steak is cheaper per pound than the Flank cut steak.
  5. The skirt steak is cut in the front of the spot, and the flank steak is cut below it once the skirt steak is removed.
Difference Between Skirt and Flank
References
  1. https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-skirt-steak-995253
  2. https://www.newidea.com.au/what-is-flank-steak

Last Updated : 11 June, 2023

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10 thoughts on “Skirt vs Flank: Difference and Comparison”

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