Flank Steak Marinade
I’m so glad grilling season is upon us again! After a stressful day at work, I enjoy being outside and cooking on the grill. This is an easy week day recipe and is good for a beginner cook.
Flank steak is a lean cut of beef that is delicious when marinated and grilled. Since it’s a lean cut of beef it’s better for you than a fattier rib eye steak, but it requires tenderizing. Flank steak used to be fairly inexpensive, but not so much any longer. Wait for it to go on sale at your local grocer. It’s usually sold in sizes that range between one and a half to two pounds. A 1 ½ lb flank steak easily serves two people for two meals. I like to serve it the second day for a delicious steak salad.
In the morning mix the marinade (or the night before if you’re organized). You can vary the ingredients to your taste.
• 3 Tablespoons of soy sauce
• 3 Tablespoons of olive oil (or 2 T of olive oil and 1 T of sesame oil)
• 2 Tablespoons of honey or maple syrup
• 2 Tablespoons of red wine vinegar (or 2 T of balsamic vinegar or 2 T of red wine)
• 3 Cloves of garlic crushed
• ½ teaspoon of freshly ground pepper ( you can use regular pepper if you prefer, but you may want to decrease the amount to ¼ teaspoon)
• ½ teaspoon of kosher or coarsely ground salt. Don’t use too much salt since soy sauce is also salty.
Place the flank steak in a large plastic zip bag or a long flat plastic container with a tight fitting lid, pour the marinade over the meat and turn a few times to fully coat the meat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or all day while you’re at work.
When you come home from work remove the meat from the refrigerator and turn the meat over to get more marinade. Let the meat sit outside the refrigerator while you prepare for dinner. Beef grills better if you can let it sit until it reaches room temperature, but during the week you won’t have that much time. Take the meat out of the plastic bag or container and sit on a cutting board. Blot the meat with paper towels to dry. You want to grill the meat, not steam it!
When the grill is hot turn down the flame, put the beef directly on the grates and shut the lid. Grill for about 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Don’t turn the meat before 4 minutes pass, otherwise it may stick to the grates. While the meat is cooking pull up a chair and relax. Do not leave the meat unattended. Flare ups happen easily, and sugar and fat will cause a flare up and you’ll return to a charcoaled flank steak. Make sure you have long tongs and a mitt nearby so you can quickly move the beef if a flare up does occur. Flank steak is best cooked medium rare.
Let the meat sit on the cutting board for 5 minutes. During this time the beef will continue to cook and “set”. If you cut immediately, the juices will run out and you want to retain the juices within the meat.
Slice the beef with a very sharp knife. Slice across the grain, and slice very thin. Serve with a salad, green vegetable and a starch. Enjoy.
