TODAY Food Club

Habaneros give it the heat; brown sugar gives it the sweet. The juicy fat in this meat cuts through the spicy heat, delivering a robust and tender steak, kicking the classic chicken recipe to the curb.

Jamaican Jerk Skirt Steak

• Yield: 4 servings
• Prep Time: 2 hr
• Cooking Time: 5 min

Ingredients

• 3 habañero peppers (1 ½ ounces total) - stemmed, chopped
• ⅓ cup olive oil
• ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons ground allspice
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 (¾ pound, each) skirt steaks (1 ½ pounds total)
• 1 bunch green onions - sliced; separate the whites from the dark green slices
• kosher salt / fresh finely ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Puree habaneros and oil in a mini food processor, fitted with a steel blade, until chunky smooth. Pour habanero oil into a medium bow. Add brown sugar, garlic powder, allspice, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Mix well, using a fork, making a wet paste.
2. Slather the paste all over the skirt steaks on both sides. Evenly sprinkle the whites of the green onions over the surface of the steaks. Place steaks into a large zipper bag, pushing out the air and zip to close. Place in the refrigerator to marinade, 2 - 4 hours.
3. Heat the grill over medium-heat.
4. (While the grill is heating), remove skirt steaks to room temperature to remove the chill, 20 - 30 minutes. Flick off the onions, leaving the rub. Season both steaks with 3 teaspoons salt and 20 turns on the pepper mill on both sides. Spray the grill grates with non-stick cooking spray. Grill the steaks to medium-rare, 2 - 3 minutes on each side (with the lid up). Remove to rest, 8 minutes.
5. Cut each steak in half, crosswise. Then slice each lengthwise against the grain into ½-inch slices. Serve garnished with dark green onion slices.

Recipe Tags

• Grilling
• Caribbean
• Entree