Smoked Skirt Steak Sliders Recipe

Ingredients

Skirt Steak

450 to 900 g skirt steak
2 tablespoons high-temp cooking oil, such as, peanut, canola or avocado oil
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
¾ teaspoon toasted ground cumin
¾ teaspoon chilli powder
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon granulated garlic
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
8 slider buns

Chipotle-Lime Mayo

1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chipotle hot sauce
1 lime, juiced and zested
salt to taste

Jalapeño & Onion Sticks

2 medium jalapeños, seeded and cut into match-stick sized pieces
1 medium sweet onion, peeled and cut into 80 mm wedges
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup American style lager
1 egg
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon chilli powder
oil for frying, such as; peanut or canola oil
fine salt for seasoning

Preparation

1. Preheat grill to 120°C. Place charcoal briquettes only on the grates on the vent side of the grill and 2 small sticks of mesquite wood on the opposite side to preheat the wood.
2. To make the chipotle-lime mayonnaise, whisk mayonnaise, hot sauce, lime juice and lime zest together in a small bowl. Add salt to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Lightly apply oil over the entire skirt steak. Mix salt, black pepper, cumin, chilli powder, coriander, garlic and cayenne pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle seasoning mixture evenly on both sides of steak.
   HOT TIP – For more tender steak, lightly wrap seasoned steak in plastic and refrigerate for 12 hours. Don’t have 12 hours? Tenderize with a meat mallet or a multi-blade meat tenderizer.
4. Place the preheated mesquite on top of the burning charcoal bed 15 minutes before smoking the steak.
5. Set the seasoned skirt steak on the cooking grate opposite the charcoal for indirect heat. Close the lid and smoke until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 55°C, about 45 to 60 minutes.
6. Remove steak from the grill and rest it while making the deep-fried vegetables. Maintain grill temperature to toast buns.
   HOT TIP – If the brief smoke didn’t get the crust you want, place the steak back on the grate, this time directly over the coals, about 1 minute per side.
7. Fill a deep, cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven with 5 cm of high-temperature cooking oil. Preheat over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 170°C.
8. Whisk flour, beer, egg, salt and chilli powder in a medium-sized bowl until combined into a batter. Dip the jalapeño and onion pieces into batter and shake off excess.
9. Carefully place the jalapeño and onion sticks in the oil and deep-fry until they are crispy and golden brown, about 1½ to 2 minutes.
10. Remove jalapeños and onions from skillet and set them on a rack. Immediately season lightly with fine salt.
11. Cut the skirt steak against the grain, across the short sides, into thin slices.
12. Toast the cut side of slider buns over direct heat until golden brown.
13. Place a couple slices of steak onto the bottom bun. Top each slider with a small handful of jalapeño and onion sticks. Slather about a tablespoon of chipotle-lime mayonnaise onto the top bun and serve with your favourite chips or fries.