You’ve seasoned the Generations Beef Wagyu steak, browned it beautifully, and gathered everyone around the table. Before you serve it, there’s one more detail worth getting right: which direction you slice.
Cutting beef against the grain makes each bite easier to chew. That’s especially important with skirt steak—a flavorful cut that benefits from a little extra attention at the cutting board.
The good news? You don’t need a special gadget or years of cooking experience. You just need to know what to look for.
What Does “Against the Grain” Actually Mean?
Take a close look at a piece of beef. Those lines running through the meat are bundles of muscle fibers. The direction they run is called the grain.
Cutting with the grain means slicing in the same direction as those fibers, leaving long strands in each bite.
Cutting against the grain means slicing across those fibers, shortening them so they’re easier to chew. Think of it as letting your knife do some of the work before the beef reaches your plate.
The easiest rule to remember is this:
Find the lines. Cut across them—not alongside them.
Watch: How to Find the Grain and Slice Steak
How to Slice Cooked Steak, Step by Step
1. Give the steak a short rest.
For skirt steak, allow about five minutes of resting time before slicing. Set it on a clean cutting board while you finish the vegetables, warm the tortillas, or bring the side dishes to the table.
2. Find the muscle fibers.
Look for the parallel lines running through the meat—not the grill marks on the surface. Those fibers are your guide.
Before making the first slice, take a moment to trace their direction with your eyes. You’re looking for where the fibers run, not simply which way the steak is longest.
3. Position your knife across those lines.
Your knife should cross the fibers at roughly a 90-degree angle, rather than travel alongside them. Rotate the steak on your board as needed to make that direction comfortable to cut.
4. Make thin, even slices.
For skirt steak, aim for thin serving slices—about ¼ inch thick or thinner is a practical starting point. Use a sharp chef’s knife or slicing knife and smooth strokes rather than hacking or sawing at the meat. Thin slices are particularly helpful with a coarser-textured cut.
The Skirt Steak Detail That’s Easy to Miss
The shape of the steak does not determine the direction you should slice.
Skirt steak is long and narrow, but its muscle fibers generally run across its width. That means cutting straight across the long steak can leave you slicing with the grain rather than against it.
Here’s an easy way to handle it: divide a long skirt steak into a few shorter, manageable sections first. Those initial cuts are simply for portioning. Then look at the fibers in each section, turn the piece as needed, and make your thin serving slices across those fibers.
The same habit helps with other cuts, too. Tri-tip, for example, has a grain that changes direction. Check each section rather than assuming one slicing direction will work for the entire piece.
Try a Two-Bite Comparison
Next time you cook skirt steak, try this little kitchen experiment.
From the same cooked, rested steak, cut one small sample with the grain and another of similar thickness against the grain. Taste them side by side and compare how easily each one chews.
You’re keeping the beef, seasoning, and cooking method the same. The only thing you’re changing is the direction of the cut.
It’s a hands-on way to understand why shortening those fibers matters.
Put Your New Knife Skills to Work This Fall
Now put those thin slices to good use.
Pile skirt steak onto toasted rolls with sautéed onions and provolone for a game-day sandwich. Build a harvest bowl with roasted sweet potatoes, rice, and your favorite sauce. Or serve it alongside roasted fall vegetables with the apple cider–Dijon sauce from our skillet skirt steak recipe.
Start with one package and a dinner you’re excited to make. Our Generations Beef skirt steak is available in several package weight ranges, so you can choose an option that fits your meal.
Shop Generations Beef Skirt Steak →Skirt Steak Page
Good beef deserves a good finish. Rest it, find the grain, and slice across it.
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