Simple but Good Flank Steak

Gator Bait

 
I wasn't planning on posting this cook but it came out so well I had to reconsider. I had defrosted a nice piece of flank steak today and wanted to experiment a little. I had a package of McCormick's Meat Marinade Seasoning Mix.


I have very little experience with this marinade and wanted to give it a try. It does contain a tenderizer. Bromelain (green arrow) is extracted from the pineapple plant and is completely natural but can make meat too tender (almost mushy) if you over do it. The instructions say to marinate for 15 minutes, do not go over.


I fired up the egg and added the marinade mix, the required oil, water, apple cider vinegar and flank steaks (which I had pierced with a 2 tined cooking fork every half inch or so) to a plastic bag and squeezed out as much air as I could. I followed the instructions as lose as I possibly could. If this marinade wasn't worth it I didn't want it to be because of something I did. I had the egg up to about 400º to 450º by the time the marinade was done and had my grate raised. I turned the steaks every couple minutes till the internal temperature was 120º to 125º and let them rest till I was ready to slice them.


I used my 8" Shun chefs knife that is very sharp and sliced the steaks at an angle across the grain for wide, thin slices.


The flank steak is the best I have ever cooked and some of the best I have ever had. It is tender but not to tender and the marinade did not impart any strong flavors. The steak is juicy and is flavorful as a good roast beef. I sprinkled it with a little Lea & Perrin's and was a happy camper and have enough for a couple more nights. :cheer:

Blair

 

WessB

Can't go wrong with flank steak....while I do think the price is absurd..I alway seem to have one in the freezer....thay suck up flavor like a sponge and can be cooked in less than 10 minutes..

Gator Bait

 
Hi Wess, I agree. I had tried some skirt steak recently that was not as good so I had picked this up and found it a big improvement. I have been playing around with bromelain a little and it seems to lengthen cooking times a bit. I don't know why but it seems like it takes longer to get the internal temperature where I want it. Weird!

Blair

 

Florida Grillin Girl

Nice, Blair. I don't often buy that cut, but I would again after seeing your pictures. Edit: And I don't usually use marinades in a package so thanks for showing that here.

Hoss

WINNER,WINNER,flank steak dinner! I have some of that same mix in the pantry,I think I'll give it a try! Thanks for the Report!

Lovenbrau

That looks great! I mostly stay away from anything packaged as it usually turns out way too salty. Will try.

elzbth

Man, oh man...that looks wonderful!

Gator Bait

 
Hi Faith

Flank steak can be very good, I do not have a great deal of experience with it but have been playing with it and skirt steak since I first got my egg. The flank is a better cut of meat. With the marinade I would follow the directions to the letter as I did and it worked as I expected, if anything with less flavor than anticipated. I didn't try a piece of the steak with out the marinade for a comparison and I should have. You may not need the marinade. Part of cooking flank or skirt steaks is how you slice them. They have a lot of grain and it really pays to slice them across it. I angled my slices to get a wider (top to bottom) slice of meat instead of a bunch of skinny little things. :cheer:

Blair

 

Gator Bait

 
My pleasure Hoss, once you put the meat in the marinade be very sure you will be able to put it on the egg when the 15 minutes is up. No exceptions! The only thing that will stop the action of the meat tenderizer is heat! Bromelain is sensitive to heat and will stop working when it is cooked. This is why if you put fresh pineapple in Jello the Jello will not set up. If you put cooked (some canned pineapple is cooked) pineapple in Jello it will set up the way it should.

Blair

 

Gator Bait

 
Thanks Rich, I usually stay away from such things also but have been playing with McCormick's Meat Tenderizer on my steaks. It is bromelain too. It has a lot more salt then this does. I am trying to get my hands on some of Adolf's Sodium Free Meat Tenderizer but it is hard to find in the stores. If used right the meat tenderizer can make a piece of choice meat as tender and juicy as a piece of prime.

Blair

 

Gator Bait

 
Thanks Elizabeth, I wasn't planning on posting this cook but when I sliced it and tried some I changed my mind. I hope it always comes out this good.

Blair

 

WessB

With flank I just cook to the char..internal never comes into play as they are at best 3/4 to 1" thick from our costco..

Gator Bait

 
I know what you mean Wess, I have a very thin meat probe for my thermometer and am in the habit of checking everything. I get very fast readings and get a good idea of how things are as fast as I can place the probe. Maybe when I have as much experience as some of you guys I will be able to hang it up.

Blair


 

Hoss

Great info.Thanks!

Ross in Ventura

Thanks Blair for the post good information

Ross

Gator Bait

 
My pleasure Ross, I hope these are consistently good. It was a simple cook with good results.

Blair

 

cookn biker

Blair, It really looks tender and tasty! Nice job and write up!

Gator Bait

 
Thank You, O' Queen Of The Chubs! LOL, That sounds really strange. :laugh: I know you don't do red meat as a rule. Sorta like me and anything green. :S I like green jello!

Have a great day my friend,

Blair

 

Beli

Blair I'll have to look for that marinade, hope to find it here, the flank looks yum...yum

LDD

that looks good...only ever had flank steak once in quebec city... and was quite tasty.

Gator Bait

 
Hi Beli

Thanks, that came out better than I had expected, I will be trying that again. That marinade should be fairly easy to find I would think. Most of the big supermarkets up here have it, I would think you would be able to find it.

Blair

 

Gator Bait

 
Thanks LDD, this was a pleasant surprise, it is nice and lean and reminds me of a good roast beef. I think slicing it right helps.

Blair