Hanger Steak vs Skirt Steak

PattyO

I pride myself in knowing the anatomy of the beast. So, when I bought hanger steak (which "hangs" from the last rib next to the kidney) and did all the right things to it for marinating and grilling (on the old Webber gasser) it smelled and tasted like it was marinated in urine. Yuck. My friend and I hated it. Stunk even worse grinding up in the disposal. Sure don't want to revisit that again. Now I see in a lot of TV programs and recipes that some cooks are interchanging these two cuts, and misnaming them. But to make matters even more confusing, according to Wikipedia, the Britains say Skirt when referring to what we know as Hanger.
ALSO, Wikipedia also says they are both part of the diaphragm muscle separated by an inedible piece of membrane. Ugh.
So the hanger looks like flank and the skirt is long and thin according to the pictures.
When you guys get a real skirt, are you happy with the results? How do you use them? I'm going to a specialty store in a few weeks and want to give it a go again. I'll pick up some flat irons there too.
Thanks
PattyO

thebtls

Don't buy it and my meat guy doesn't recommend it...says they won't even put it in their ground beef mix.

The wikipedia defines it as:

A hanger steak is a cut of beef steak prized for its flavor. Derived from the diaphragm of a steer, it typically weighs about 1 to 1.5 lbs (450 to 675g). In the past it was sometimes known as "butcher's steak" because butchers would often keep it for themselves rather than offer it for sale.[1]

Hangar steak resembles flank steak in texture and flavor. It is a vaguely V-shaped pair of muscles with a long, inedible membrane down the middle. The hanger steak is not particularly tender and is best marinated and cooked quickly over high heat (grilled or broiled) and served rare or medium-rare, to avoid toughness.

Anatomically, the hangar steak is said to "hang" from the diaphragm of the steer.[2]. The diaphragm is one muscle, commonly cut into two separate cuts of meat: the "hanger steak" traditionally considered more flavorful, and the outer skirt steak composed of tougher muscle within the diaphragm. The hanger is attached to the last rib and the spine near the kidneys.

Occasionally seen on menus as a "bistro steak", hanger steak is also very traditional in Mexican cuisine, particularly in the North, where it is known as "arrachera" and is generally marinated, grilled and served with a squeeze of lime juice, guacamole, salsa and tortillas to roll tacos. In South Texas this cut of beef is known as "fajitas arracheras".

The hanger steak has historically been more popular in Europe. In Britain, it is referred to as Skirt. In French it is known as the onglet, in Italian the lombatello, and in Spanish the solomillo de pulmon.[2] Elsewhere in the United States it is slowly starting to become popular; formerly it was not separated as an individual cut.

Its U.S. meat-cutting classification is NAMP 140.

mad max beyond eggdome

patty,

maybe you got a bad one ...no steak should smell like urine. ...

i do hangers all the time. ..for my money the beefiest, most flavorful steak on the cow. .. and once you know how to trim it up properly to get that nasty piece of tendon out of it, its very versatile. ...it takes marinade like a champ....but you can also grill them without marinade if you want. .. its more tender than either flank or skirt steak. ...and don't ever confuse it with either one as, like you noted, its a completely different muscle, being the muscle that 'hangs' between the diaphram and the last rib. .. .

sometimes i simply grill them whole, usually marinaded in a little soy sauce and shallots, grilled direct at 500 degrees till done. .. other times i'll trim them, butterfly and pound in the traditional french bistro style (onglet). ... and flash grill them. .. .

either way, they are always fantastic. ..and i think much better than skirt steak. ....

you also need to realize which way the grain runs and cut against the grain, as it tends to run "east to west" when looking at the steak,so you need to slice in long thin slices 'north to south' to get the most tender slices....

Florida Grillin Girl

What Max says. It's truly a great steak. I grilled two tonight, and everyone loved it.

It is difficult to find, I called all around asking for it, and even the larger, well known butchers don't carry it. One told me "there is only 1 per cow, and we would never be able to accomodate everyone if we put it out in the case".

The only place that carries it for sure in my area is Restaurant Depot, You may want to call around to see who may stock it.

Here is what it looks like - notice the membrane that runs down the middle:



Slice it longways against the grain:





Here is a comparison I did between ribeye and hanger steak:

http://eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=886121&catid=1#

If you can find it, give it a try. I think you will really enjoy it.

Faith

mad max beyond eggdome

beautiful, faith!!. ..and sliced exactly as i described it!!.. .a lot of people tend to slice it the short way. . .trouble is, then its both across the grain, and it will include the nasty membrane, which fidel so aptly described one time as being like the waist band of a pair of men's skivies!! . .. .

and when grilled and sliced like you have done, its WAY more tender than either a flank or skirt steak. ..