When compared to other beef steak cuts, we can say that skirt steak is quite uncommon. Skirt steak is a delicious beef steak cut that is gotten from the animal’s diaphragm. Because it’s a cut of the diaphragm, there is usually just one big cut per animal that can be divided into smaller slices of individual servings. Skirt steak is quite long and also very delicious.
Considering how uncommon skirt steak is, you may want to buy a large portion of it whenever you come across it. A large skirt steak cut can be divided into smaller individual portions to serve your family or guests.
When you have large portions of skirt steak cut down to smaller slices, you may not be able to finish it all at once. Apart from having leftovers, you may actually intend to purchase your large cut of skirt steak for the purpose of long-term preservation. If this is the case, you’ll need to use a reliable preservation method.
This brings us to the question: can you freeze skirt steak? Yes, you can definitely freeze your cut of skirt steak. Skirt steak can be kept frozen for up to 12 months. However, the steaks’ best qualities will be safely preserved without being compromised for the first six months of freezing. After the first six months, the skirt steak starts losing its original taste and texture gradually.
Also, longer exposure of the skirt steak to cold freezer air may cause freezer burn. So it is best to consume your frozen skirt steak within the first 6 months of freezing. Once you’ve removed a portion of frozen skirt steak and defrosted it, you shouldn’t freeze it back; refreezing will only cause the steak to rapidly lose taste and juiciness. There are other things that you should know when you’re freezing skirt steak and this article contains information about them. Keep reading for more.
Freezing Skirt Steak
You should know that refrigeration is also a short-term alternative to freezing. Refrigeration will preserve your skirt steak cuts for about 3 to 5 days. But if you’re looking for longer preservation time, you’ll just have to go with freezing. Frozen skirt steak is an excellent ingredient for quick recipes. You can take out individual portions of the steak whenever you have a craving and quickly cook up a nice dish with veggie sides to go.
Whether you’ve bought pre-packaged skirt steak or fresh cuts from the butcher’s counter, freezing will definitely keep your steak cuts preserved for long – although I personally prefer to get fresh cuts from my butcher’s counter.
To get the best results out of freezing, you need to follow the correct steps.
How to Freeze Skirt Steak
Freezing skirt steak is an easy process. Just make sure you do the few steps correctly so that the steak’s deliciousness and texture won’t be rapidly compromised.
Step 1: Cut the Skirt Steak into Smaller Individual Portions
Since it isn’t advisable to refreeze defrosted skirt steak, you have to be careful not to defrost more than you need. Before putting your skirt steak in the freezer to freeze, it is best to cut it down to smaller portions that can be finished at once. That way, you’ll have slices of frozen skirt steak that can be taken out anytime and totally consumed.
Note that any steak intended to be frozen must not be left out at room temperature for over 2 hours. Bacteria growth increases fast when the temperature is in the 40⁰F – 140⁰F range. If you’ve left the skirt steak out at these temperatures for over 2 hours, you need to toss it in the trash.
Step 2: Vacuum Seal the Skirt Steak Slices
After cutting up the skirt steak to smaller slices, start wrapping each individual slice in plastic wraps. You can wrap the steak slices in a single layer or double layer of the plastic wrap for maximum safety. Once the slices have been wrapped well, transfer them into a freezer-safe bag. If you have an automatic vacuum and seal machine at home, use it to remove as much air as possible from inside the resealable-freezer safe bag.
Seal off the bag tightly and write the present date on it with a marker. The written date will help you keep track of how long the skirt steak has been frozen for.
Step 3: Put the Bag in a Secure Freezer Compartment
I really cherish the original juicy texture of my skirt steak cuts, and I always do my best to preserve that texture. It is advisable to clear out a specific freezer compartment for solely storing the skirt steak cuts. This way you can avoid placing heavier items on the bag of steaks.
How to Defrost Frozen Skirt Steak
- Once you’re ready to eat your skirt steak, remove it from inside the freezer – remember to only take out a portion that you can finish at once. Also, your skirt steak slices shouldn’t be over-wrapped in several layers of plastic wrap; it would cause you to waste time when unwrapping after defrosting.
- The next thing is to add some water to a metal pot. Make sure that the water you’re adding isn’t too much because you’ll be balancing the pot of water on top of the steak. Carefully sit the pot of water on top of the skirt steak in the sealed freezer-safe bag. The pot’s water should be at room temperature if you want the best results.
- The freezer-safe bag with the frozen skirt steak should be sitting on a baking sheet while the metal pot of water sits on it. This way you’ll have the skirt steak sitting between the metal pot and the baking sheet. After 20 minutes the steak should be properly defrosted.
- You can then go ahead to heat the steak in an oven. Set the oven’s temperature to 350⁰F.
With all the information provided in this article, I believe you can now safely preserve your tasty skirt steak cuts through freezing!