Bison Outside Skirt Steak, Semi-Peeled

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.

These indigenous animals, often incorrectly called buffalo, are raised on vast pastures in Canada and the U.S. to our exacting specifications. The Plains Breed Bison graze on prairie grasses as they have done for many centuries, with minimal human interaction. Their grass-based diet is supplemented with grain and hay.

A state-of-the-art integrated system of corrals, funneled walkways, and chutes are designed to provide safe and humane movement of bison on and off the ranches. The bison are brought to market at 22-26 months of age.