Marinated and Grilled Flat-Iron Steak
The cover of the Explore: Wine & Dine section on Wednesday, August 17, will feature 3 quick and savory recipes for peak-of-the-season tomatoes. Inside you'll find more recipes plus buying, cooking and health tips on a variety of food-related subjects.
-----
Marinated and grilled flat-iron steak
By Dave Lobeck, www.BBQ-My-Way.com
Years ago, I was introduced to grilled flank steak by my father-in-law. In fact, it’s Liz’s favorite cut of beef and it’s typically her menu selection on her birthday, Mother’s Day, etc., until now. The flank steak comes from the abdomen of the cow. The fibers are long, and if not prepared properly, they can be tough. But, the beef flavor is rich and intense. The key is to marinate it overnight, grill on high heat to nothing more than medium doneness (we like it medium rare) and to cut thinly against the grain when serving. The flank steak used to be considered a junk scrap of meat so it was inexpensive, but as its popularity has climbed, so has the price.
But, there is a steak that tends to be less expensive and in my opinion is a better alternative to the flank steak. It’s called the flat-iron steak, and it is showing up at supermarkets more frequently. This cut comes from the shoulder of the cow and was typically not used much because there is a very tough piece of connective tissue that runs through the middle of it.
Now, butchers have learned to remove the connective tissue, resulting in two steaks. The name “flat iron” came about because the resulting cut is rectangular, and looks like an old-fashioned flat iron. This cut is tenderer and marbled than the flank steak, but the preparation is the same. This recipe is classic and only requires one ingredient, the marinade. Yep, this is old school my late father-in-law’s way.
–––
Marinated and Grilled Flat-Iron Steak
Ingredients
Flat-iron steak
1 bottle of catalina dressing (See, I wasn’t kidding.)
Get a zip-close bag and place the flat-iron steak inside it. Pour roughly 1/2 of the bottle of catalina dressing. Squeeze the air out and close the bag. Place on a plate and allow to marinate overnight in the fridge.
When it’s time to grill, bring the meat out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. This will take 45 minutes or so. Fire up the gas grill or charcoal grill. No need to worry about indirect heat on this cut of meat. Place the meat directly over the coals or flame. Grilling this won’t take long. Flare ups aren’t a big problem because it’s still pretty lean. Grill for 3 to 4 minutes and then turn. Do this a time or two until the steak at its thickest point hits 135 degrees. Pull it and let it rest for 10 minutes or so. With a very sharp knife, cut thinly against the grain. Serve quickly as the thin cuts will cool off quickly.
This story was originally published August 13, 2016 at 3:27 PM.