Quick Summary: A fast-cooking skirt steak glazed with a sweet and spicy blackberry sauce made with honey, red wine vinegar, and serrano chiles. Once the sauce is made, the steak cooks in under 10 minutes. Prep: 2 hrs marinating | Cook: 25 min | Serves: 6
Jump to: RECIPE | Flank Steak vs Skirt Steak | Ingredients | Best Cooking Method | How to Grow Blackberries | FAQ
Skirt steak and flank steak are lean, intensely flavored cuts that turn tough if you overcook them. The solution is high heat and short cooking time. This recipe pairs a quick-seared steak with a sweet and spicy blackberry sauce made from berries, honey, vinegar, and serrano chiles. The sauce can be made ahead and kept in the fridge for a few days, so the actual dinner comes together in under 10 minutes.
Flank Steak vs Skirt Steak
Flank steak (also called “jiffy steak”) is a cut from the cow’s side abdomen, close to the muscular thigh. It is famous for its intense flavor and for how tough it can be if improperly cooked. It is a lean steak that is best cooked rare or medium-rare (never medium). I
Skirt steak is also a lean cut of meat (cut from the muscular cow’s abdomen) that has the potential to become too tough to eat if cooked for too long.
Grilling or a quick pan-searing over high heat is the best way to cook these tough cuts of meat. The trick is to keep the cooking time to a minimum. A marinade helps to keep these cuts tender, or you can tenderize either cut of meat with a mallet prior to cooking them to make them less chewy.
*Important tip: Always cut against the grain of the muscle fibers when you are cutting either of these steaks. It will make the meat much more tender and easy to chew.
Flank steak or skirt steak can be extremely tender, melt in your mouth steaks when cooked properly. These cuts of meat are often used interchangeably in popular dishes like fajitas or carne asada tacos.
Ingredients
Here is a photo of the needed ingredients for the steak and the spicy blackberry sauce. Specific measurements are found in the recipe below.
How to Make Skirt Steak with Blackberry Sauce
The ingredient and recipe details are listed in the recipe card below. In short, marinate the steak in salt, pepper, scallions, oregano, and oil for at least 2 hours. Make the sauce by pureeing blackberries with honey, vinegar, and chiles, then simmering and straining. Sear the steak in a hot cast iron skillet for about 2 minutes per side, brush with sauce, and cook another minute.
Growing Blackberries
There are many varieties of blackberries that can grow in different microclimates. When I lived in Oregon they grew wild on our hobby farm and they were actually quite a nuisance.
When I moved to Minnesota, I was so disappointed that I couldn’t grow them in this climate. Then in 2021 I found a variety that grew well here, called Black Satin and life in the berry patch was good again!
Below is a photo of the Black Satin thornless variety that I grow in Minnesota. I followed the guide for growing the sweetest raspberries and they are thriving. For specific details on growing Black Satin blackberries, this chart is quite helpful.
FAQ
Both are lean cuts from the cow’s abdomen. Skirt steak is thinner with more fat marbling. Flank steak is thicker and leaner. Both work in this recipe and cook quickly over high heat.
For medium-rare (recommended for these cuts), the internal temperature should be 130 to 135°F. These steaks become tough if cooked past medium. When in doubt, pull it early and let it rest
These cuts have long muscle fibers that are chewy if sliced with the grain. Cutting across the fibers shortens them and makes each bite more tender.
Yes. The blackberry sauce keeps in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Reheat gently before brushing on the steak.
Yes. Frozen berries work well in the sauce since you’re cooking and straining them anyway. No need to thaw first
Jalapeños are a good substitute with slightly less heat. For more heat, use a habanero. Adjust the amount based on your spice tolerance.
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Blackberry Sauce for Flank Steak
Equipment
- cast iron skillet or cast iron griddle or grill
- Food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 1 pound flank steak can use skirt steak
- 1-2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup scallions thinly sliced
- 1 ½ tablespoons fresh oregano minced
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup blackberries fresh or frozen
- 1 cup honey
- 1 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 chile peppers I used serrano chiles, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Cut the meat into 3-4 filets, depending on how long it is. Marinate the meat by tossing it in a bowl (or coating it in a ziplock bag) with the salt, pepper, scallions, oregano and oil. If using a bowl, cover with plastic wrap.Place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking1 pound flank steak, 1-2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1/4 cup scallions, 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh oregano, 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- In a food processor or blender, puree the berries, honey, vinegar and peppers until thoroughly blended. Pour into a saucepan and cook mixture over medium heat for about 20 minutes.Strain it through a fine-mesh colander or cheesecloth to remove the blackberry seeds and set aside to cool.1 cup blackberries, 1 cup honey, 1 cup red wine vinegar, 2 chile peppers
- Add a little oil to a cast iron skillet or griddle and heat it up over fairly high heat until it is just starting to smoke. Place the room temperature steaks on the skillet and cook (sear) on each side for about 2 minutes, flipping them with tongs.Brush the blackberry sauce over the tops of the steaks and cook for another minute.
- Spoon any remaining blackberry sauce over the steaks before serving.
Dorothy Stainbrook says: 
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