Skirt Steak - Entraña
By Asado Argentina on Jan 23, 2006 in Beef
One of the least expensive cuts of meat used in an asado, entraña is what many know as the skirt steak. The cuts are exactly the same. The meat is rich in flavor and extremely juicy, but can be at times be rather chewy and tough. If you are familiar with skirt steak then you will know that it usually comes with a slightly thick layer of fat and muscle membrane; similar to what coats the cuts of vacio. Although trimming the surrounding membrane will make the meat easier on the teeth, it is typically left on. Leaving it on will help to keep the juices inside with a tasty crispy exterior.
Buying:
Since this is a cut of meat, factor the amount you need with the weight of the other cuts you will be cooking so that you have half a kilo, or one pound, of meat in total per person.
Cooking:
A good rub of coarse salt is all that is needed for the entraña. However, a generous rubbing of chimichurri can also do wonders. The cuts are usually quite thin and therefore should be on the grill near the end along other meats that do not require lengthy times. Flip when the side facing the grill is golden and crunchy. Cooking time usually only takes about 20-30 minutes over a hot grill.
Update:
A couple readers thought that I blew it and burned the meat upon seeing the first photo I posted here. View it here. As you can see with the photo below, the true original, there is a bad blue shadow and glow going on due to bad lighting. The meat had no charring whatsoever. I tried my best to edit it out while keeping the meat true to the original color. The meat ended up looking burnt in some areas and I made a bad judgement to upload it until I could get another photo. I should have posted an disclaimer but didn’t. My apologies.
Here’s how I make Entraña. After a good rub of salt, I place the entraña folded in half on the grill. See, when you purchase entraña, most times the meat guy will fold it in half to place it in a bag. The entraña itself will stay like that and that’s how I place it on the grill. Thicker side on the bottom. On high heat so that it sears it and keep the juices in. Once that side is golden and crisp, I flip it (still folded) and once that side is done, I open it and flip it to the uncooked side. Now it’s a matter of a few minutes until is ready and Voila!!
This is great if you don’t have a huge grill and are cooking for a few of your friends since you don’t need alot of space when is folded.
Salud and great site!
Jorge | Jul 28, 2006 | Reply
Hi there.
We tried entrana for the first time a few days ago in an Argentinian themed restuarant in Andorra (Spain) of all places. Been typical South Africans who love their red meat over an open grill were well impressed. Can someone please tell me exactly from what part of the animal the cut comes from?
Gary
Gary Westraat | Jan 13, 2007 | Reply
Hi Gary,
Glad you enjoyed it. I hear you guys have some good barbecue too. The meat comes from the diaphragm section, the area at the bottom of the ribs and the top of the abdomen.
Asado Arg | Jan 13, 2007 | Reply
I desperately would like to know the translation or the proper term for “entrana” or skirt meat in Portuguese. I love the meat and would like to introduce my family there with it, but cannot find anyone that can tell me what to ask the butcher.
Thank you in advance
Jose
Jose | Sep 11, 2007 | Reply
Hi Jose,
I looked around a bit and man Portugal is seriously lacking in the online descriptions of food department.
I know Brazil and Portugal have different names for cuts of meat but some are similar so maybe the name for entraña is the same. In Brazil I believe the cut is called Fraldinha.
Tell the butcher the steak is the diaphragm muscle (diafragma?). Actually there are two types of entraña–fina(or centro de entraña) and gruesa, and I need to add that to the above post. Fina is skirt steak and gruesa is hanger steak. If you mention the diaphragm and that part of the meat sort of hangs off the ribs (hanger steak) the butcher should know what you mean.
Asado Arg | Sep 13, 2007 | Reply