Skirt steak when grilled or seared to perfection is really fit for a feast. It’s also very quick and easy to prepare, from marinating, to searing, to serving.
But, when you are preparing skirt steak it can sometimes be hard to judge just how much you really need for a large crowd. It’s not as easy as one steak per guest, given skirt steaks can be as long as 24 inches.
So, to remove any doubt in your mind, here is how much skirt steak you will need per person, and depending on how many sides you’re serving, how much skirt steak you need for 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 people.
Skirt steaks, marinated or un-marinated, can really deliver a strong rich flavor, and a very tender meat. Plus, skirt steak can be a very affordable cut, which works wonders when you’re serving large crowds.
But how much do you really need to provide for each of your guests? Well, it comes down to whether the skirt steak is the hero of the dish, or if it’s amongst other meats or filling sides.
Of course, there are many factors that can make a difference to how much skirt steak you need per person. But if it’s your main course the general rule of thumb is half a pound or 8 ounces of skirt steak per person.
If you’re serving more than 3 sides, or other meats with your skirt steak, then you’ll only need roughly a quarter of a pound of or 4 ounces of skirt steak per person.
Of course, what you should also consider is what event you are catering for. I mean, Grandma’s birthday is a bit different from a holiday celebration. Plus, generally the later in the day the event is the more people will eat. Lastly, you’ll want to leave room for leftovers, so always cook a bit extra.
How Much Skirt Steak For 5 People
At least with a small gathering of 5 people it’s much easier to estimate just how much of every food to provide. You generally know how much each person will eat, so you can prepare accordingly. But, still, if you’re looking to serve the right portions then you’ll need.
- As The Main Course: A total of 2.5 pounds of skirt steak to feed 5 people.
- With Other Meats/Sides: Only about 1.25 pounds of skirt steak to feed everyone 0.25 pounds of skirt steak each.
How Much Skirt Steak For 10 People
When you’re preparing for a family event or hosting your friends for a backyard barbecue of 10, you don’t want to be caught out with not enough skirt steak. Be sure to prepare at least:
- As The Main Course: You’ll need at least 5 pounds of skirt steak to feed 10 people.
- With Other Meats/Sides: You’ll want about half as much, so 2.5 pounds of skirt steak in total is all that’s needed.
How Much Skirt Steak For 25 People
Alright, you’re entering the big leagues now. Cooking for 25 people is never easy, but it can be extremely enjoyable and rewarding when you’re sitting behind the grill and everything’s running smoothly. To be sure you’ve got enough skirt steak for 25 people, you’ll need:
- As The Main Course: A total of 12.5 pounds of skirt steak to feed 25 people.
- With Other Meats Sides: Only about 6.125 pounds of skirt steak is needed for 25 people if it’s not the main meat.
How Much Skirt Steak For 50 People
Catering for 50 people is stressful enough already. You don’t need the added stress of running short on the meat half way through preparation too! So, to prepare enough meat for your event you’ll need:
- As The Main Course: A total of 25 pounds of skirt steak to feed 50 people.
- With Other Meats Sides: You still don’t want to come up short, but you’ll only need roughly 12.5 pounds of skirt steak to feed everyone.
How Much Skirt Steak For 100 People
If you’ve ever cooked for 100 people you’ll know how crazy things can get! But, it’s in these moments where the passion, pressure, and possibly madness really come out. To make things just a bit easier, be sure to prepare at least:
- As The Main Course: A whopping 50 pounds of skirt steak will be perfect to feed 100 people, allowing room for seconds and leftovers too!
- With Other Meats Sides: You’ll only need roughly half, so about 25 pounds of skirt steak here.
Which Side Dishes Go Best With Skirt Steak?
Putting together the menu can be challenging in it’s own right, having to cater for peoples allergies and preferences.
When you’re thinking about what side dishes to serve with your skirt steak, it’s going to come down to how you will prepare your skirt steak, and how you are cooking it too. From grilled skirt steak to smoked skirt steak to pressure cooked etc.
Typically you will marinate your skirt steak before cooking it, giving it a larger range of flavors and helping to tenderize the meat. Try serving sides or other meats that complement the flavors of the skirt steak.
Some typically good picks to serve with skirt steak are things like green beans, corn on the cob, oven-roasted veggies, red cabbage coleslaw, fries, and onion rings. You can also try something richer too like creamy scalloped potatoes or kimchi fried rice. I mean, garlic bread is also a hit for a crowd.
Keeping Skirt Steak Warm When Serving A Crowd
Depending on your style of cooking, it can be quite hard to cook all the skirt steak to perfection in one go. If you’re grilling or searing in a hot pan, you don’t want to risk overcrowding it either, as it generally won’t sear at a high enough temperature, or will cook more unevenly.
So, if you are cooking in batches, or cooking your skirt steaks ahead of serving you need a failsafe method to keep your steaks warm without compromising your steak doneness.
Being quite a thin and lean cut of beef, skirt steaks generally don’t take much to cook, or overcook for that matter. This goes for other similar steaks like hanger steak or flank too.
Here are the two best methods to keep skirt steaks warm when serving a crowd:
- Once your skirt steaks are cooked to your desired doneness, remove from the heat and let rest for 2 minutes. Immediately after this, wrap them in aluminum foil or butchers paper with a tablespoon of marinade, stock, or other juicy liquid to help keep things moist.
- Use any kind of hotplate, really they are worthwhile using if you cook for crowds often as they do literally everything you’ll need, from cooking, to keeping warm. Simply set to “warm” or “low” and set your skirt steaks around the edge of the hot plate and place the top on. This will comfortable keep your skirt steaks warm for the next hour or so, with minimal further cooking.
If you don’t have a hotplate you can also just use a conventional oven if you can set the temperature to 150°F, similar to how you would keep other steaks warm, like when serving beef tenderloin to a crowd.
Be Sure To Cut Skirt Steak Correctly
Just like with any meat, whether you’re serving brisket to a crowd, to pulled pork for a party, to a beautiful tri-tip, you want to ensure you cut it in the right fashion and at the right time to ensure it remains juicy and tender.
Here’s some quick tips to remember when cutting skirt steak:
- Only cut the meat when you’re ready to serve, so it stays as juicy as possible and doesn’t risk drying out.
- Make sure to cut skirt steak against the grain, as it’s already a notoriously chewy steak if prepared or cut incorrectly.
- Use a sharp knife so you can get some clean cuts, being sure not to fray the muscle fibers as it just doesn’t look at appetizing.
- Cut ¼-inches thick pieces, so they’re easy to chew and have a good surface area to further absorb sauces, broths, or juices.
Final Thoughts
Cooking one delicious skirt steak is easy. But, cooking a delicious skirt steak for every one of your guests at an event is on a whole other level.
Aside from cooking it to their required doneness, you want to ensure you’ve prepared enough skirt steak to ensure no one goes hungry.
For this, use the guide of half a pound of skirt steak per person, as this will also account for seconds, possible leftovers, and a bit extra for if anything goes wrong during the cook. After all, it’s always best to cook too much than too little, right?
