Hanger vs Skirt vs Flank: The Thin Steaks Compared

These three get grouped together because they behave the same way, not because they come from the same place.

“I go for the lesser-known cuts. But to me, I'm more interested in things like the flat iron and the chuck eye and the bavette steak that people know a little bit less about.”

Gray Shipley

Where each one comes from

• Hanger. Hangs from the diaphragm, near the kidneys. One per animal, which is why butchers historically kept it. A tough sinew runs down the middle and has to come out.
• Skirt. The diaphragm muscle itself. Long, thin, very loose grain, the most intensely beefy of the three.
• Flank. The abdominal wall. Flatter, leaner, with a pronounced grain running the length of it.

Why they taste the way they do

“Uh, and I can't prove this, but, uh, muscles that get used, get flavor and muscles that don't get used, stay tender. And that's why the tenderloin, those back muscles on the animal, back muscles on a four-legged animal don't get used much. That's where the saying living high on the hog comes from.”

Gray Shipley

All three are from muscles that worked constantly. A diaphragm never stops. That is the flavor, and it is also the loose texture.

“Um, well, our animals use their muscles a little differently and a little more than flatland animals because they're going up and down the hills. And so they're getting a little bit different workout and getting a little bit different utilization of their muscle. And I, I feel like that contributes a little bit to the uniqueness in the flavor.”

Gray Shipley

The one rule that decides everything

Slice thin, across the grain, always. These cuts have long muscle fibers running in an obvious direction. Cut along them and you are chewing full-length fibers, which is what people mean when they call these steaks tough. Cut across them and the same steak is tender.

Find the direction of the grain before it cooks, while it is easy to see, and remember it.

How to cook them

• Hot and fast. These are thin. There is no low and slow version.
• Medium-rare at most. Past that they tighten and go from loose to chewy.
• Rest, then slice. Five minutes, then across the grain, thin.
• Marinate flank if you like. The other two do not need it.

Which to buy

• Most flavor. Skirt.
• Best texture. Hanger, once the sinew is out.
• Easiest to find and most forgiving. Flank.
• If you want one cut that does all of this and is easier. Flat iron.

Loose grain, deep flavor

PM Hanger Steak

Hanger steak. One central sinew to remove, and then one of the most flavorful things on the animal.

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The one worth knowing about

Signature Flat Iron Steak

Dry-aged flat iron. Gray rates it above a ribeye for tenderness, and it costs considerably less.

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Cleaner, firmer, easier to cook evenly

Signature Strip Steak

A dry-aged New York strip with a firm fat cap along one edge that tells you when the pan is ready.

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Flat iron against flank is compared directly in flat iron vs flank, and where all of these sit on the animal is in beef cuts explained.