Come over for dinner this weekend and this may be what I serve. It is my go-to recipe and my entire family loves it. Summer or winter, everyday family meals or friends over, this Marinated Flank Steak is a winner.
On a summer evening, I love to make a big, fresh salad and serve thin slices of the beef with it. It is quick and easy and dinner will be on the table in no time. If I want a larger meal, it is wonderful with roasted or scalloped potatoes. Leftovers are just as good as the freshly grilled meat.
I have used this marinade for over thirty years on all kinds of beef cuts and it is very good. My favorite is on flank steak, but you can use it on sirloin, top round, or even chuck steaks for a great beef dinner. Just allow time for the meat to marinate overnight, so plan ahead.
I have two important tips that you can thank me for later. First—use a meat thermometer. It is easy and fool proof so your beef will be perfect each time. Beef should reach 145°F for rare—but you may choose to cook it until about 150 to 160° for medium rare or medium. Please, no higher for this cut! Once the meat gets to the right temperature, take it off the grill, cover it with aluminum foil and allow it to stand about 5 minutes. The internal temperature will climb and the juices will set so it will be juicier.
Then, when slicing flank steak, slice across the grain so the meat will be more tender. Do you know how to find the grain of the meat? See those muscle fibers (or streaks) running through the meat? In a flank steak, as well as in other cuts of beef like a brisket, it is usually pretty easy to spot. Now thinly slice the meat across the grain, cutting across those muscle fibers and the meat will be a lot more tender. If you slice meat with the grain, so your knife is parallel to those muscle fibers, it will be much chewier to eat.
Now, get ready for a great, easy dinner.
Marinated Flank Steak
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
Fresh ground pepper
Salt, to taste
1 beef flank steak, about 1 to 1-1/2 pounds
Mix together vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt and pepper. Place the flank steak in a plastic food bag. Pour vinegar mixture over the steak. Seal and massage bag to coat the steak evenly. Refrigerate overnight.
Preheat grill to medium high or allow coals to burn down to white ash. Drain the meat, discard the marinade and pat meat dry. Grill meat over direct heat until meat thermometer registers 145°, or until beef is done as desired, about 12 to 15 minutes, turning meat to brown evenly.
Cover and allow the meat to stand 5 minutes. To serve, slice meat quite thin, cutting across the grain.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Tip:
We grill outside all year long, but I realize many people do not. Feel free to grill the meat in a contact grill or in a grill pan on the stove if you prefer.
What is prepared mustard? Yes, the salad mustard or typical mustard in a jar or bottle is “prepared mustard.” This is to distinguish it from dry, ground mustard.
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