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1
Trimming and seasoning the meat (for the best flavor, do this in advance, about 4 hours for skinny skirt steak, up to a day ahead for stumpy hanger steak):
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2
Trim any fat or discoloration from the meat, then press lightly between dry towels to wick away surface moisture.
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3
Season evenly all over with salt (we use a scant 3/4 teaspoon sea salt per pound).
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4
Cover loosely and refrigerate.
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5
Just before cooking, press the meat dry between towels and rub with olive oil.
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6
Sear over high heaton a preheated grill or in a hot skillet with a few additional drops of oil.
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7
Sear each side of the meat until splotched with a little color, a minute or so per side, then move to slightly lower heat, or reduce the burner heat, to cook to the desired doneness.
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8
Skinny skirt steak will take only minutes more at most; a thick hanger steak may take 8 more minutes to cook to medium-rare.
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9
But these times are hugely affected by the cooking medium, size of cut, how cold it is when you begin cooking it, how thoroughly you sear it, and so on.
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10
Hanger steak benefits from resting for a few minutes before slicing.
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11
Slice straight across the grain, rather than on a uniform indiscriminate steep anglethis popular habit produces wide, elegant looking slices, but they can be pretty chewy, regardless of how well the meat is cooked.
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12
Cutting strategically across the grain minimizes the chewiness problem.
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13
Also in view of chewiness, I like to slice both skirt and hanger steak no more than 3/8 inch thick.
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14
Cutting skirt steak across the grain is easy, since the fibers run in regular, parallel formation across the full width of the muscle.
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15
Try to forgive the skinny slices and enjoy the improved texture.
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16
The grain of hanger steak is not so ruly; and most cooks puzzle over the cooked thing, flipping it a few times, before making a calculated, counter-intuitive stab.
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17
It may help to study the direction of the fibers before you cook the meat, when they are much easier to make out.
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18
The grain does alter course within the cut; be prepared to change the angle of your knife accordingly.
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19
Cutting the hanger steak this way you will get a collection of oval and oblong slices.
