Bison Outside Skirt Steak, Semi-Peeled
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In Stock
Bison outside skirt steak comes from the diaphragm muscle, not the tougher abdominal muscle of the inside skirt. Chefs and butchers call it the most flavorful of the flat cuts, with its tighter grain and prominent marbling. Plumper than the inside skirt, and long and narrow, the outside skirt steak has a lot of surface to take on marinades. Don’t be intimidated by the preparation. Our bison outside skirt comes peeled, leaving richly flavored bison with minimal trimming needed. Marinate it, and cook it hot and fast, leaving it medium rare, or it will get too tough—and always slice against the grain for best results. Outside skirt is the preferred cut for fajitas, carne asada, and tacos. Try it with a bright chimichurri, thinly sliced over a salad or in a stir fry.
- Indigenous Plains Breed Bison (Bison bison subsp. bison)
- 100% pasture-raised with access to grain and hay when grass is scarce
- No hormones or antibiotics administered
- Full traceability and source verified only from our cooperative of independent ranchers
- Bison has as much protein, vitamins and minerals as beef, but with less fat
- Rich in B-complex vitamins, with a healthy ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6
- Air chilled for best flavor, texture and color
- Sold in an uncooked state
- For best taste on fresh products, use or freeze within 3-5 days of receipt; for frozen products, use within 1-2 days after thawing
- Subscription Eligible
For basic cooking instructions, Download our Bison Cooking Guide.
Bison meat is quite lean –leaner than beef, pork, turkey, and even chicken—and never leaves a greasy taste in the mouth. This leanness allows it to cook quicker than beef, and not shrink while cooking.
The meat of the American bison has between 15 and 30 percent more protein and 25 percent less cholesterol than beef. In a 3 ½ –ounce serving of bison sirloin, there are only 3 grams of fat (compared with 14 grams in beef sirloin), and about half the calories (120 versus 210).
Plumper than the inside skirt, and long and narrow, the outside skirt steak has a lot of surface to take on a lovely sear. Marinate it, and cook it hot and fast, leaving it medium rare, or it will get too tough.
When it comes to fajitas, the most authentic cut of beef to use is the outside skirt steak. The very name “fajita” means “little belt,” referring to the shape of this cut.
Back in the day, the vaqueros (cowboys) in Texas received this little-known or respected cut as part of their wages. They marinated the beef in lime juice to tenderize it and then grilled it over an open fire. Thinly sliced and served on flour tortillas, the fajita they invented became a popular dish in Tex-Mex cuisine.
Our ranchers raise bison, and bison only. In a market inundated with corporate-owned animals, our bison are sourced exclusively from a rancher-owned cooperative of independent families. This allows our ranchers to focus solely on the animals’ needs, and adhere to specific codes of conduct, including sustainability and animal welfare practices. The ranchers meet periodically to further their education in best practices, programs, and trends affecting the bison industry.
Never truly domesticated, these indigenous animals, often incorrectly called buffalo, are raised on vast pastures in Canada and the U.S. to exacting specifications—and never any antibiotics or added hormones. The plains breed bison (Bison bison subsp. bison) graze on prairie grasses as they have done for centuries, and prefer to live outdoors year-round, with very little human interaction. Their diet is supplemented by wholesome grains and hay when grass is scarce in winter months.
They are the perfect animal for those practicing regenerative agriculture today. Bison eat only the sweetest parts of the plant and leave the rest; their cloven hooves naturally disturb the topsoil, incorporating organic matter and leaving cover to fertilize and encourage plant growth. The result is a beautiful, well nourished, and healthy prairie, consisting of grasses, sedges, and legumes, that sequester carbon in the soil, reduce water usage, and provide an enhanced habitat for wildlife and livestock.
All our bison are processed humanely by hand, at a certified facility in North Dakota built and used exclusively for bison. From the field to the facility, a state-of-the-art, vertically integrated handling system of corrals, funneled walkways, and chutes are designed to provide the ultimate in safe and humane movement of bison on and off the ranches.
The carcasses are cooled down quickly in circulating cold air. Other programs employ a “rinse and chill” process, which adds water weight, includes phosphates, and bleaches out the beautiful deep red color of the meat. This produces off flavors and odors and adds chlorine and other chemicals found in tap water. Air-chilling is not only cleaner; it best preserves the rich flavor. The quality of the meat on the plate is the result of our ranchers’ respect for both the well-being of the bison and the land upon which they roam.
