Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Flank steak happy time

Buckwoody Egger
Buckwoody Egger Posts: 1,466
in EggHead Forum
https://www.americastestkitchen.com/cooksillustrated/articles/8030-how-to-cook-flank-steak

This article was in Cook’s Illustrated and piqued my interest for a new flank strategy. They didn’t share temps but I guessed this was for gassers or a response to avoid “egg is at 550+ so only the meat is in the egg and it’s on a sear level”. That appeals to me as we are often shooting for multiple items in the egg simultaneously. So went with 400-450ish grid level. 

Key notes:
* sugar and salt 1:1 an hour ahead
* quartering the flank gives you increased mobility mid-cook
* flipping every couple minutes is “micromanagement approval”
* pull pieces as they hit 130 individually
* hit the top with Montreal seasoning for the rest period

Really happy with the results. So soft and a tangible crust. Happy Egging!  We grilled through the same random strong winds you saw on the Masters coverage today. 


· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 17,330
    That’s becoming one of my favorite cuts, both for grilling and stir-frying.  Excellent cook!  
    "First method of estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him."
           - Niccolo Machiavelli

    Ogden, UT, USA

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 26,449
    Botch said:
    That’s becoming one of my favorite cuts, both for grilling and stir-frying.  Excellent cook!  

    Botch said:
    That’s becoming one of my favorite cuts, both for grilling and stir-frying.  Excellent cook!  
    Thanks, bud….that cut has been the meat of my favorite dish I I have fixed for myself for MY BIRTHDAY meal for over 20 years now. Though my recipe has a helluva lot more involved!


    Re-gasketing the USA one yard at a time 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Stormbringer
    Stormbringer Posts: 2,469
    Interesting approach, the technique is how I cook ribeye steaks (that don't need reverse sear) in the MMX. I looked at the picture, I've achieved the result on the left (browned) without needing sugar. Not tried it with flank steak though, so I will with two flank steaks, one with and without the sugar, and see what the difference is in terms of colour.

    Could you taste the sugars? Did they add anything to the texture?
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    | Cooking and blogging with a Large and Minimax in deepest, darkest England-shire
    | My food blog ... BGE and other stuff ... http://www.thecooksdigest.com
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------


    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Buckwoody Egger
    Buckwoody Egger Posts: 1,466
    Well looking back at the article noticed I forgot the second application of sugar!  And I just did a shake of Montreal seasoning instead of butter.  We were very happy with the level of seasoning. Browning hasn’t been a problem but it’s usually a higher temp. 

    Here is a pic from a year ago where the flank was browned with just badia fajita seasoning probably (no sugar).  I halved it for convenience in a multiple items cook at a temp probably lower than a sear 550. Kind of neat to see I was halfway there before seeing the article and forgot. 

    It was good flank but I think the sugar gave a “better textured crust sooner” which lets you avoid overcooking the interior. I am usually pretty on top of temps with the thermapen so my guess is they both would have been pulled at 130 and the recent cook was better.  Plenty of subjectivity in the mix but will probably add to the arsenal.  If I remember! 


    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 36,660
    @Buckwoody Egger Nailed the do over almost one year on!  Beautiful outcome.  
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period. CHEETO (aka Agent Orange) makes Nixon look like a saint.  
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 17,330
    Damn near my favorite cut of beef; Bravo!  
    "First method of estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him."
           - Niccolo Machiavelli

    Ogden, UT, USA

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Stormbringer
    Stormbringer Posts: 2,469
    Looks delicious. Flank steak is a great cut. 
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    | Cooking and blogging with a Large and Minimax in deepest, darkest England-shire
    | My food blog ... BGE and other stuff ... http://www.thecooksdigest.com
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------


    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • johnmitchell
    johnmitchell Posts: 7,354
    That looks great 😋
    Greensboro North Carolina
    When in doubt Accelerate....
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Buckwoody Egger
    Buckwoody Egger Posts: 1,466
    edited October 16
    late night just for dad dinner. experimented with combining a pack of mushrooms and a birdseye cream spinach. pretty happy but as expected mushrooms have a lot of water to shed. 

    flank steak quartered then dusted with sugar and salt precook with montreal seasoning dusting at the rest should be illegal. doesn’t need to be yet but has the power. 






    klinker brick old vine zinfandel
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • GlennM
    GlennM Posts: 1,445
    Ok, I’m headed south in Friday and will definitely do this. Thanks for the post!
    In the bush just East of Cambridge,Ontario 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • johnmitchell
    johnmitchell Posts: 7,354
    @Buckwoody Egger Your plated pic is off the charts 👏👏
    Greensboro North Carolina
    When in doubt Accelerate....
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • YukonRon
    YukonRon Posts: 17,261
    That looks brilliant, and thank you for sharing! 
    "Knowledge is Good" - Emil Faber

    XL and MM
    Louisville, Kentucky
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Stormbringer
    Stormbringer Posts: 2,469
    Looks fantastic, how was the zin with the flank steak? Did you cook the mushrooms in with the creamed spinach? 
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    | Cooking and blogging with a Large and Minimax in deepest, darkest England-shire
    | My food blog ... BGE and other stuff ... http://www.thecooksdigest.com
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------


    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • cmac610
    cmac610 Posts: 326
    One of my fav cuts…and you did it justice! But damn they’ve got expensive. $40 for what used to be a throwaway cut. 
    Craig aka Cmac Cooks
    Amesbury, MA
    #BGETeamGreen #TeamArteflame #TeamBarrelProof #TeamGozney
    XL BGE, Mini-Max, La Caja China, Arteflame Classic 40, Arteflame One 20, Arteflame Euro 20, Cotton Gin Harvester, Weber Classic, Gozney Dome, Anova wifi Sous Vide.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Buckwoody Egger
    Buckwoody Egger Posts: 1,466
    edited October 21
    thanks all!  yes the zin was great and so good i forgot to finish that sentence!

     going back to bachelor days i would cook everything on the grill and do small disposable loaf pans or foil pouches for veggies, often frozen.  just easier to hang by the roaring chimnea and not have anything cooking in the house. for mushrooms i would add butter, garlic and soy sauce.

    so this was a throwback to that. dumped a bag of frozen creamed spinach and a container of mushrooms in a disposable loaf pan early, turned up the tunes and timed the steak. 

    cmac is right on the money— $15/lb on sale from $19.  pick the one with the best marbling. 

    flank steak leftovers always find a home. breakfast scrambled eggs this time. 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories