I start with a spice mix I like. Corriander seeds, black pepper, sea salt, red pepper flakes, dried tomato flakes, and chilli pepper. I use my cutting board and trusty cast iron skillet to grind the mixture together. You could use a mortar if you had one. I often use a reserve coffee grinder for my spice grinding, but I don't want a powder for the skirt steak. I like the mix to have more texture.

I think an important step in cooking beef is to allow the meat to come to at least room temperature. So I pull out the skirt steak and spread my mix on it.

Be generous.

Time to start the grill. I don't know if I'm morally opposed to a gas grill, or just think that I could do things faster in the kitchen if I wanted to use gas. So, I've been cooking on a Weber since I was 12. The chimney starter is by far the best way to handle charcoal. Buy the Weber chimney starter. It's wide enough to work in almost any conditions.

I have a mix of charcoal including natural charcoal, some briquettes, and wood chunks. I keep it in a big tub outside. Add the wood chunks after starting the coals, just before you are ready to grill. I like the "alley" method for the Weber. Hot coals are divided in two with a clear alley in between. Once the coals are hot, I like to put the grate on 90 degrees from the final position. This means the "flaps" are perpendicular to the coals. I let the grate heat up, then rotate 90 degrees. Then I lift the flap and some wood chunks to one side.

I place the steak on the hot grates for a nice grill mark. I do this above the charcoal. I sear it for about 4-5 minutes. Then I flip it and put it in the alley. Depending on how hot the fire is and how you like your skirt steak, this could take 5-25 minutes in the alley. Pull the meat off. Let it rest a bit. Slice on the bias.