Quality Grill Parts

Beef Cut Comparison

Skirt Steak vs Flank Steak: Which Cut Should You Actually Buy?

Most home cooks should buy flank steak for general use — it's leaner, more uniformly tender, more forgiving on the grill, and easier to find at any grocery store. Buy skirt steak specifically when you're making fajitas, carne asada, or anything else that wants the deepest possible beefy flavor in a thin, fast-cooked strip. The cuts get confused constantly because they look similar in a butcher case, but they come from different muscles, have different grain structures, and behave differently under heat. This guide covers the real differences and commits to a recommendation for every common use case.

9 min readUpdated May 2026
Jump to VerdictQuick Comparison
Skirt steak and flank steak side by side showing the long fibrous grain of skirt and the wider grain pattern of flank
Two cheap-but-flavorful cuts. Constantly confused. Different jobs.

Quick Answer

Skirt vs Flank at a Glance

Six numbers and one recommendation per cut. If you're standing in front of the meat case right now, this is the table you want.

AttributeSkirt SteakFlank Steak
Cut locationPlate primal (diaphragm muscle, between rib and belly)Flank primal (lower abdominal muscle)
Typical price (US, 2026)$14–22/lb (outside skirt premium)$10–15/lb
TendernessChewier if mis-sliced; tender if sliced thinMore uniformly tender
Flavor intensityPronounced beefy, ~18–22% fatMilder, leaner, ~8–10% fat
Best cooking methodVery high heat, 1–2 min/side, then sliceHigh heat, 3–5 min/side, then slice
Classic dishesFajitas, carne asada, Korean BBQ-styleLondon broil, stir-fry, steak salad, pinwheels

One-line rule of thumb: if you're making fajitas or any thin-strip Tex-Mex or Mexican preparation, buy skirt. For literally everything else — including your first attempt at "a cheap steak that grills well" — buy flank.

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Anatomy

Where Each Cut Comes From (And Why It Matters)

The two cuts come from different muscles doing different work. That's the whole reason they cook differently.

Skirt Steak (Plate Primal)

Skirt steak is cut from the cow's diaphragm — the thin, sheet-like muscle that pulls the lungs down to breathe. It sits in the plate primal, between the rib and the belly. Because it's a constantly-working postural muscle, it has heavy connective tissue, intramuscular fat (around 18–22% in outside skirt), and very long parallel muscle fibers running the entire length of the strip.

That long, obvious grain is the reason slicing technique matters so much. A 12-inch piece of skirt has 12-inch fibers. Slice with the grain and you're chewing rope. Slice across it and you get short, tender pieces packed with rendered fat and connective tissue flavor.

Outside skirt comes from the outside of the rib cage and is the better cut. Inside skirt comes from inside the rib cage and is thinner, more variable, and chewier.

Flank Steak (Flank Primal)

Flank steak is cut from the cow's lower abdominal wall, just behind the plate. It's a wider, flatter, more rectangular muscle that does less work than the diaphragm. The result: a leaner cut (around 8–10% fat), with a wider, looser grain pattern that runs in a single visible direction across the steak.

Because there's less connective tissue and less intramuscular fat, flank is more uniformly tender than skirt — but it's also less forgiving of overcooking. Without the fat to render and lubricate, flank turns chalky fast above medium-rare.

Almost all flank steak sold in the US is essentially the same cut — there's no "inside" and "outside" version. What you see is what you get.

Flavor & Texture

How They Actually Taste and Chew

Both cuts taste like beef, but they hit different. The fat and fiber differences explain why.

Skirt has more pronounced beefy flavor. A 4-ounce portion of outside skirt typically carries 18–22% intramuscular fat plus heavy connective tissue. Under high heat, that fat renders fast and the connective tissue starts breaking down — both contribute the deep, slightly funky, almost mineral beef flavor you taste in a great fajita. It's the reason restaurant skirt tastes more "beefy" than the average steakhouse ribeye to a lot of people: the flavor compounds are more concentrated.

Flank is leaner and milder. 8–10% fat means less rendering, less lubrication, and a cleaner, less assertive beef flavor. It's still very much a beef-forward cut — much more so than tenderloin or sirloin tip — but it's not the in-your-face flavor explosion that skirt is. Flank takes marinades better than skirt because the leaner fibers absorb more liquid; this is why teriyaki flank, Korean-style flank, and lemon-garlic flank are all standard preparations.

Texture is where the order flips. Sliced correctly (thin, against the grain), flank is more uniformly tender bite-to-bite. Skirt sliced correctly is tender too, but the texture is more variable — some pieces hit a strand of connective tissue and chew differently from the next bite. For diners who prize predictability, flank wins. For diners who like a steak with character, skirt wins.

If you want to compare these against other "cheap-but-flavorful" cuts, see our deep dive on Traeger picanha — picanha (Brazilian sirloin cap) sits in roughly the same flavor-per-dollar territory but has fat-cap mechanics that change the entire cooking approach.

Price & Availability

What You'll Actually Pay in 2026

Both cuts have climbed since 2015. Skirt has climbed faster.

Skirt steak used to be one of the cheapest cuts in the cow — under $5/lb in the early 2000s. Restaurants discovered it, fajitas exploded, then chefs started using it on tasting menus, then food TV got involved. By 2026, US grocery store prices for inside skirt run roughly $12–16 per pound, and outside skirt at a real butcher shop can hit $18–22 per pound — comparable to entry-tier ribeye and well above sirloin. It is no longer a "cheap" cut by any reasonable definition.

Flank steak has also climbed but more slowly. Expect $10–15 per pound at most US grocery stores in 2026, often closer to $12. Costco and warehouse club pricing typically runs 10–20% lower per pound for whole flank steaks (often 2–3 pounds each). Flank stays cheaper than skirt because demand never reached the same hype cycle — skirt got rediscovered by chefs in the 2010s and prices climbed faster than supply changed.

Availability matters too. Flank is reliably stocked at most US supermarkets — Kroger, Safeway, Publix, HEB, Costco. Skirt is harder to find: large chains usually carry inside skirt, but outside skirt typically requires a butcher shop, a Hispanic grocer (often labeled arrachera), or a Costco Business Center. If you want outside skirt and you don't have a butcher, you'll likely be ordering it online or driving 30+ minutes.

Buying tip: if a label just says "skirt steak" with no inside/outside specification at a regular grocery store, it's almost always inside skirt. That's fine — it's still good — but don't pay outside-skirt prices for it.

Cooking Method

How to Cook Each One (The Practical Section)

Wrong cook = ruined steak with either cut. The methods are similar but not identical.

Cooking Skirt Steak

  1. 1.Get the grill brutally hot. Charcoal at full air, gas grill on max for 10 minutes, or a cast iron pan on the burner until it smokes. Surface temp wants to be 600°F+. Skirt cooks for so few seconds that anything cooler will overcook the interior before getting crust.
  2. 2.1–2 minutes per side, max. A 3/4-inch thick skirt steak hits 130°F internal in roughly 90 seconds per side at this temperature. Use an instant-read thermometer in the thickest spot. If you're guessing, you're overcooking.
  3. 3.Pull at 130°F for medium-rare. Skirt above 135°F gets noticeably tougher. There is no version of well-done skirt that's worth eating.
  4. 4.Rest 5 minutes. Cover loosely with foil. Resting is non-negotiable — slicing immediately bleeds out the juices that just rendered.
  5. 5.Slice thin against the grain. Immediately. Find the long parallel fibers, hold knife at 90 degrees to them, slice into 1/4-inch strips. Skirt's grain is the most obvious of any common steak — if you can't see it, you didn't cook the right cut.

Classic dishes: Tex-Mex fajitas, Mexican carne asada tacos, Korean bulgogi-style marinated skirt, Argentine entraña.

Cooking Flank Steak

  1. 1.High heat, but slightly less extreme. 450–550°F surface temp is plenty. Flank is thicker (1 to 1.5 inches), so you need more time on the grill — the extra heat from a 600°F+ surface just chars the outside before the middle gets there.
  2. 2.3–5 minutes per side. A 1-inch thick flank takes about 4 minutes per side over high heat to hit 130°F internal. A 1.5-inch piece needs closer to 5–6 minutes per side. Use a thermometer.
  3. 3.Pull at 130°F for medium-rare. Same temperature target as skirt. Above 135°F, flank turns dry and chalky fast — there's not enough fat to save it.
  4. 4.Rest 8–10 minutes. Flank's thicker cross-section needs longer rest than skirt. The internal temp will rise another 5°F during the rest.
  5. 5.Slice thin against the grain. Flank's grain runs across the wider dimension of the cut. Slice into 1/4-inch strips, knife held at 90 degrees to the visible fibers.

Classic dishes: London broil-style preparation, stir-fry, steak salads, pinwheel rolls (matambre), Korean BBQ.

Want a dialed-in low-and-slow approach to flank? Our smoked London broil reverse-sear method walks through exactly how to take a flank steak to deli-thin perfection.

For other temperature targets and probe options, see our roundup of the best grill thermometers.

Decision Guide

Which One to Buy for Which Dish

Definitive recommendations. No hedging.

Fajitas, carne asada, tacos al pastor

SKIRT

The fat content and flavor concentration in skirt is what makes Tex-Mex and Mexican beef preparations taste right. Substitute flank if you must, but you'll notice the difference.

London broil-style preparation

FLANK

London broil is a cooking method, not a cut — but the cut every recipe specifies (and the cut grocery stores label as 'London broil') is flank or top round. Stay with flank.

Stir-fry

EITHER (lean flank)

Both work, but flank slices into more uniform stir-fry strips. Skirt's grain makes for stringier strips that tangle in the wok.

Steak salads (Cobb, Thai beef, etc.)

FLANK

Lean, slices clean, takes a vinaigrette well. Skirt's fat content overwhelms the salad dressing.

Pinwheel/rolled preparations (matambre)

FLANK

Flank's flat rectangular shape is essentially designed for stuffing and rolling. Skirt is too narrow and too uneven to roll.

Marinade-heavy preparations (Korean BBQ, bulgogi-style)

SKIRT

The fat helps the marinade penetrate and the high-heat sear caramelizes the sugars in Korean marinades faster than flank can handle.

First-time steak experiment / dinner for picky eaters

FLANK

More forgiving on temperature, more uniformly tender, milder flavor that doesn't push anyone away. The safer pick if you've never grilled either before.

Argentine-style with chimichurri

SKIRT (entraña)

Outside skirt is what the Argentine tradition calls 'entraña' and is the standard cut for chimichurri presentations.

For a different cheap-cut comparison, see our smoked eye of round roast guide — eye of round is the cheap cut for slow-cook deli-style roast beef, the opposite end of the spectrum from these two quick-cook cuts.

Avoid These

Common Mistakes With Both Cuts

Overcooking past medium

Both cuts turn tough fast above 135°F internal. There's no recovery — once the proteins seize, you can't undo it. Pull at 130°F, every time. A good thermometer pays for itself the first cook.

Slicing with the grain

The single most common reason home-cooked skirt and flank come out 'tough.' Look at the muscle fibers, hold the knife at 90 degrees to them, slice. If your slices are stringy, you sliced wrong — turn the steak and try again.

Under-marinating skirt

Skirt's heavy connective tissue benefits from acidic marinades — lime, vinegar, citrus, yogurt. 2–4 hours minimum. Flank takes marinade well too, but skirt actively needs it for the carne asada / Korean / Argentine preparations it shines in.

Trying to slow-cook either cut

These are quick-cook muscles. Smoking flank for 4 hours doesn't make it tender — it makes it dry. Use chuck, brisket, or short ribs for low-and-slow. Skirt and flank want max heat and minimum time.

Buying 'fajita meat' that isn't skirt

Pre-cut grocery store fajita meat is often inside round, flank, or chuck — whatever's cheapest that week. Buy whole skirt steak and slice it yourself. The texture and flavor difference is immediately obvious.

Skipping the rest

Cutting into either cut immediately off the grill loses 30%+ of the juices to the cutting board. Rest skirt 5 minutes, flank 8–10 minutes, then slice.

Seasoning

Salt, Pepper, or a Real Rub?

Both cuts taste great with just kosher salt and coarse black pepper applied 30+ minutes before cooking — the salt has time to penetrate and the surface dries enough to crust properly. For everything beyond that, a real BBQ rub does more than home-mixed seasonings.

Working through a comprehensive seasoning library? Start with our best BBQ rubs guide — it covers seven category winners (Meat Church Holy Gospel for all-purpose, Holy Cow for beef, Killer Hogs for ribs) plus three DIY recipes you can mix from pantry ingredients.

FAQ

Skirt Steak vs Flank Steak: FAQ

Is skirt steak the same as fajita meat?

Yes — traditionally, fajita meat is skirt steak. The original 1970s Tex-Mex fajita at Ninfa's in Houston was outside skirt, marinated in lime and oil and grilled hot and fast. Modern grocery stores often sell pre-cut 'fajita meat' that's actually flank, sirloin, or even chuck — cheaper cuts the store wants to move. If you want authentic fajita texture (loose, tender, juicy strands), buy a piece labeled 'skirt steak' and slice it yourself.

Can I substitute skirt steak for flank steak (or vice versa)?

In most recipes, yes. Adjust cook time: skirt is thinner (3/4 inch or less), so it needs 1–2 minutes per side over very high heat. Flank is thicker (1 to 1.5 inches), needs 3–5 minutes per side. Both want medium-rare (130°F internal), both must be sliced thin against the grain. The flavor and texture won't be identical, but the substitution works fine for fajitas, stir-fries, salads, and tacos.

Why does my skirt steak come out tough?

Three causes, in order of likelihood. First, you sliced with the grain instead of across it — skirt has very long, very obvious fibers running the length of the cut, and slicing parallel to them gives you ropes of chewy meat. Second, you overcooked it past medium (135°F+) — skirt turns to leather above medium-rare. Third, you cooked it too slowly at moderate heat instead of fast over high heat. Skirt wants 1–2 minutes per side at 600°F+, then immediate slicing across the grain.

What's the difference between inside and outside skirt?

Outside skirt is the diaphragm muscle on the outside of the rib cage — longer (24–36 inches), thicker, more uniform, more tender, with better marbling. It's the premium cut and runs $18–22 per pound when you can find it. Inside skirt is the muscle on the inside of the rib cage — shorter, thinner, more variable in thickness, and chewier. It's still good but runs $12–16 per pound. Most grocery store skirt is inside skirt; outside skirt is usually only at butcher shops or restaurants.

How do I know I'm slicing against the grain?

Look at the raw or cooked steak from above and find the lines of muscle fibers — they look like long parallel pencil lines running in one direction. Hold your knife perpendicular (90 degrees) to those lines and slice. On skirt, the grain is obvious — long fibers run the entire length of the cut. On flank, the grain is wider and slightly less obvious but still clear. If your slices come out as long stringy pieces, you sliced parallel to the grain — turn the steak 90 degrees and try again.

Is flank steak good for grilling?

Yes — flank is one of the better steaks for grilling because it's lean, takes marinade well, and cooks quickly. Use direct high heat (450–550°F), 3–5 minutes per side for a 1-inch thick cut, pull at 130°F internal, rest 5–10 minutes, slice thin against the grain. The same approach works on a Weber gas grill, Weber kettle, or pellet grill cranked to max. Avoid cooking past medium-rare — flank gets noticeably tough at 140°F and above.

The Bottom Line

Final Verdict: Which One Should You Buy?

If you can only buy one of these for general use, buy flank. It's leaner, more uniformly tender, more forgiving on the grill, easier to find at any grocery store, and noticeably cheaper than outside skirt. It works for stir-fry, steak salads, London broil, Korean BBQ, marinated grilled strips, and pinwheel preparations — covers about 80% of the use cases anyone has for a thin, fast-cooked beef cut.

Buy skirt steak when fajitas, carne asada, or tacos are the actual goal. The pronounced beefy flavor from the higher fat content and connective tissue is exactly what those dishes want, and substituting flank is a noticeable downgrade. If you're cooking Tex-Mex or Mexican beef preparations more than once a month, keep skirt in the freezer.

Don't overthink the inside-vs-outside skirt question unless you have access to a real butcher. Inside skirt at the grocery store cooks fine, slices fine, and tastes great in fajitas. Outside skirt is better but the difference matters most to people cooking these cuts professionally.

Whichever cut you buy, the three things that determine success are the same: high heat, pull at 130°F, and slice thin against the grain. Get those right and either cut delivers results that punch well above their price.

Related Reading

Smoked London Broil (Reverse Sear)

Traeger Picanha (Brazilian Sirloin Cap)

Smoked Eye of Round Roast

Best BBQ Rubs (2026)