Flank Steak

[spidey07]

Never messed with it because it's quite tough but wanted to try something new. So far the plan is some kind of jerk marinade - good dose of lime juice, ginger, scotch bonnet/jalapeno pepper, oil, garlic, green onion, jerk seasoning, etc. Apparently you really need to marinate it, probably going to do 1 hour at room temp.

Most of my cook books are all over the place in terms of grilling and temperature. But the consensus seems to be direct grilling with medium heat. But the butcher told me to sear and indirect heat.

Any thoughts? I would assume you'd want a nice browning on it and serve medium with thin slices against the grain.

 

[BladeVenom]

Sounds good.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

tough call. flank is not my preferred cut. imo the more you can do to soften it up, the better.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: The Boston Dangler
tough call. flank is not my preferred cut. imo the more you can do to soften it up, the better.

That's what I was thinking, hence lower cooking temperature or indirect. But I'll need the browning which I guess I could do on the front end if needed. Put it over direct coals/heat then move to indirect.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Marinate over night in the fridge. An hour is not long enough for good flavor unless you use fresh pineapple or mango.

Sear the meat in a pan or on the grill then, cook low and slow (~200) in the oven or smoker for a couple of hours. Comes out tender with good color and still a little pink in the center.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

how about pounding the hell out of it, to break up some connective tissue?

 

[The Boston Dangler]

http://www.foodnetwork.com/sea...teak&fnSearchType=site

 

[LeadMagnet]

blackened or with peppercorn crust

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Flank steak is less about the cooking and more about the cutting. If you cut with the grain remaining in long strips there's no amount of pounding or marinating that will make it tender. If you cut properly across the grain with a little bias it's tender no matter what you do. I like it marinated with a little citrus and grilled medium rare, then sliced wafer thin, across the grain, bias cut and used for fajitas.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: MagnusTheBrewer
Marinate over night in the fridge. An hour is not long enough for good flavor unless you use fresh pineapple or mango.

Sear the meat in a pan or on the grill then, cook low and slow (~200) in the oven or smoker for a couple of hours. Comes out tender with good color and still a little pink in the center.

Thanks. Mango going into the marinade, gotta do it tonight. there's enough citrus/spice in there the mango could work well. I've got some pomegranates laying around as well? but that's more citrus, could help with a quick marinade.

 

[da loser]

stir fry. or even fry the strips with an egg batter. sorta chicken fried steak

or i like to cook it with rosemary and garlic as a dry rub prior and in long 1" thick strips. just sear all the sides.

but like GagHalfrunt said the key is cutting across the grain

 

[robphelan]

flank may be too thin, but one of these will do wonders for your other cuts of meat.

 

[Fritzo]

I use one of these on tough cuts of meat.

I won't make a London Broil without it

 

[quackagator]

crock pot

 

[Iron Woode]

for me, tough cuts like that go into my crock pot.

 

[spidey07]

Well the marinade did well at about 1.75 hours room temperature. Used a fork similar to other instruments listed when marinating. Grilled over medium heat for maybe 18 minutes, turned out a solid medium. Sliced 90 degrees against grain with a pretty strong bias (30+ degrees). Very tender and really tasty, could cut it with a fork.

Added hickory chips to the coals about every 3 minutes, this really added some flavor. You could tell the marinade was there as well as the hickory. Will do again. Thanks for the tips.

 

[Hyperlite]

Originally posted by: spidey07
Never messed with it because it's quite tough but wanted to try something new. So far the plan is some kind of jerk marinade - good dose of lime juice, ginger, scotch bonnet/jalapeno pepper, oil, garlic, green onion, jerk seasoning, etc. Apparently you really need to marinate it, probably going to do 1 hour at room temp.

Most of my cook books are all over the place in terms of grilling and temperature. But the consensus seems to be direct grilling with medium heat. But the butcher told me to sear and indirect heat.

Any thoughts? I would assume you'd want a nice browning on it and serve medium with thin slices against the grain.

correct. thin slices against the grain. cook it as little as you are comfortable with!

edit: i see i was late. glad it came out!

 

[duragezic]

No pics?

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Flank steak is a great cut of meat.

http://www.amazon.com/Complete...-Aidells/dp/061813512X is a great resource for cooking meat. If I were you I'd cook it over a higher heat next time, for about 13-15 minutes. You'll get a better crust. Let sit for about 20 minutes, covered before you slice and you'll be very happy.

 

[Kaido]

I like it in the Wok:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft5ePAvoPBc

I only use 3/4 Tbps of Sugar though, 1 Tbps is a tad too sweet for my tastes. But the meat tastes amazing!

 

[Kirby]

I usually sear it and slice super thin, and make steak sammiches with tons of cheese, onions, and mayo.

 

[JS80]

i call it pain in the ass cut

 

[Kaieye]

I usually cook stir fry in a wok after I cut it up and marinade/tenderize first.

 

[Swagman]

Flank steak was once a very cheap cut of meat. When London Broil became cool, the price began to go up. It was also cheaper and often easier to find than skirt steak, which again caused the price to go up when so many began to use it for fajitas.

If you pound a flank steak, not specifically to tenderize it, rather to thin it out some and increase its area, it can make a very good roll-up roast. Layer the slab about 1/2" thick with your favorite fairly moist stuffing, cut some asparagus short enough to fit inside the edges, then roll it up. Cover the whole shebang with bacon and tie it at about one inch intervals. I couple loops of string should go around the open ends to help the bacon keep the stuffing in.

If you bake it, it helps to roll the whole mess around in a skillet for a short bit, just to get the bacon started. Sometimes a finishing shot in the skillet is used to get the bacon more crispy, if it is not to your liking out of the oven.

Outdoors on the grill is about the best method for minimum hassle and maximum flavor.

By the time you cut it into 3/4" to 1" discs (which makes an attractive spiral pattern for those who enjoy the visual, too) and then the diner cuts bite-sized sections out for consumption, grain issues mostly become irrelevant.

Some folks will roll everything up around their favorite sausage, or use the more exotic like hearts of palms or bamboo shoots.

For whatever the hell an average serving might be, you would only be getting about a single slice of bacon worth of what it is that scares you the most. Also, the meat is trying to dump some of its water and fat out as it cooks, too, which helps to prevent much bacon fat absorption from taking place.

It aint haute cuisine but it is at the slightly fancy end of good down-home cookin'.