A great cut of meat + a killer marinade + an addictively flavorful topping = a recipe for a perfect, crowd-pleasing meal. This Broiled Cuban Mojo Steak with Mango-Lime Relish is a great grilling/warmer-weather meal, sure, but because I’ve written it as a broiler recipe, it really works beautifully, year-round. Read on for a few tips and tricks, or just jump ahead to the main event.

Table of Contents

What is Skirt Steak?

Best cooked very quickly over (or in our case today, under) high heat, skirt steak is a dense cut of beef from the “beef plate.” The grain is especially visible in a skirt steak, which makes iteasy to know how/where to slice it.

“Skirt steak comes from either of two separate muscles inside the chest and abdominal cavity, below the ribs, in the section of the cow known as the beef plate primal cut. The two muscles are the diaphragm muscle, called the outside skirt, and the transversus abdominis muscle, or inside skirt. Inside and outside skirt are pretty similar; both are long, flat muscles with very thick grain that runs across the length of the muscle. These narrow pieces of meat can be about 20 to 24 inches long and three to four inches across once they’ve been trimmed.
Because there are only two skirt steaks per side of beef, one inside and one outside, pretty much every outside skirt from every side of beef ends up in a commercial kitchen of some kind. So when you see skirt steak at the butcher shop, it will almost always be an inside skirt.”
The Spruce Eats

What are some alternatives to skirt steak?

If you have trouble finding skirt steak at your store – no worries. A flank steak will work just as well here, and a flap steak. You may also substitute hanger steak, and flat iron steak as well. I’ve seen beef tenderloin suggested as a substitute for skirt steak as well, but that becomes something SO much more expensive, and it’s such a different “mouth feel,” (I know, eew) that I just can’t recommend that as a sub. I mean, if you want to rock a beef tenderloin on a casual Tuesday – go for it. YOLO! Invite me!

What is a Cuban-style Mojo?

Pronounced “Mo-Ho” a Cuban style mojo is essentially a marinade that is used to flavor/season meats. The hallmark flavor is sour orange, so we’re honoring that today by using fresh orange juice. I cannot ever fin d sour oranges – zero of my stores carry them – but if you can find one, that would be so great to use here. Latin markets will carry them, and a Mojo is a great reason to head to your closes Latin supermercado and peruse their citrus section to see if you can snag some.

In addition to that classic sour orange flavor, Mojos traditionally have lime juice, garlic, and often onion running through them as well. So, as you might imagine – it is an absolutely delicious way to flavor everything from pork and chicken, to the humble skirt steak, as we’re doing today.

What You’ll Need

We’l whip up a Mojo-style marinade and coat our skirt steak with that and then let it hang for a while in the fridge. Lime and Orange (okay, and LOTS of garlic) provide the flavor backbone for this wonderful marinade, and the sugars in the orange juice will help to form a caramelized crust on the beef as it broils. I KNOW RIGHT?!?!

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs. skirt steak

2 tablespoons olive oil

Juice of 1 lime

Juice of 1 orange

4 garlic cloves, smashed

1 teaspoon cumin

Handful of freshly chopped cilantro, tender leaves and stems

Salt and pepper, to taste

FOR THE RELISH

8 ounces diced fresh mango (a heaping cup)

Freshly chopped cilantro, to taste

1 shallot, minced

1 avocado, diced

2 tablespoons diced pickled or fresh jalapeno (optional)

2 tablespoons olive oil

The juice of 1 lime

Salt and pepper, to taste

How to make this Cuban Mojo Steak

File this one under “easiest dinner recipes EVER.” This is silly simple guys, and it’s one of my favorite recipes for that very reason. A super fast marinade makes an already tender cut of beef so very delicious, and we’ll simply pop it under the broiler for a few minutes, and BOOM! Greatest Cuban-inspired steak dinner is done and done.

DIRECTIONS

Start by marinating the steak: place the meat in either a resealable plastic bag or a large baking dish. Add the oil, lime and orange juices, smashed garlic, cumin, cilantro, and a good amount of salt and pepper (beef needs salt!). Let this marinate for 30 minutes in the fridge.

When you’re ready to cook, preheat the broiler to high. Remove the meat from the bag/dish and transfer to a sheet pan. Season with more salt and pepper. Broil, without flipping, for 7 to 8 minutes (for medium rare), or until it’s cooked to your liking. Let it rest for at least 8 minutes before slicing and topping with the relish (see below).

Meanwhile, make the relish: combine the mango, cilantro, shallot, avocado, jalapeno (if using), olive oil, lime juice, and salt and pepper in a bowl. Stir to mix well, and set aside until needed (this can be made in advance and chilled until use).