what you should know

Used to be that skirt steak was regarded as a second-rate cut of beef, good only when you couldn't afford the good stuff.

Then came the fajitas craze of the 1980s. As that sizzling mainstay of Tex-Mex went mainstream, the price of skirt steak rose, as did home cooks' appreciation of it. And what's not to like? A long, consistently flat cut from the belly, skirt steak's streaks of fat keep it juicy and give it a mouthfillingly meaty flavor that's missing in leaner cuts of beef.

sizzling While fajitas (and carne asada tacos) still account for most of the skirt steak sold in the U.S., it has also become one of the most popular grilling steaks.

thin and flash Left too long over heat, skirt steak gets tough, so it's best to cook it fast over high heat--about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. If you get a thicker cut, pound it down first or butterfly it, and then marinate it for half an hour or so before flash cooking on one side.

what you need

In Amy Sedaris' I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence, her Gypsy Skirt Steak recipe begins: "Steal some skirt steak." (Buy the book for the humor, not the recipes.)

Lordly Hugh Fearnley- Whittingstall treats the subject of his meat much more seriously in his River Cottage Meat Book and River Cottage Cookbook.

But for clear and sober advice on meat and how to cook it, we generally defer to two solid books: Andrew Schloss' and David Joachim's Mastering the Grill and Bruce Aidells' and Denis Kelly's Complete Meat Cookbook.

what you do

If you have a large steel drum you're able heat until it's scorching hot, try to cook skirt steak fajitas the traditional way. Otherwise, a pan or grill will do.

We love Steamy Kitchen's grilled skirt steak. The marinade is an oil and vinegar mix. You could also go with a chimichurri or lime-soy marinade.

This skirt steak with caramelized shallots is an indoors recipe that could easily be adapted for the outside.

With any leftover skirt steak, make tacos or wraps by contrasting the tender, rich meat with crispy, fresh radishes and salty, soft cotija cheese.

Featured recipe: For this Montreal steak sandwich, the skirt steak is dusted in Montreal Steak Spice and then pan-fried with onions and mushrooms. The recipe comes from ketherian Food Journal. It's the featured recipe for this week's Root Source Challenge.