grilled flank steak advice needed....

[mike_c]

Hi all--

I'm making carne asada from flank steak tomorrow night and need some advice. I've had trouble in the past with flank steak turning out a bit tough, even when thin sliced across the grain. I'm considering adding some pineapple to the marinade this evening to help tenderize the meat. Does anyone have any other thoughts on this?

My basic marinade will contain:

lime juice (with the squeezed limes thrown in)
fresh pineapple
black pepper
salt
cilantro
GARLIC!
ground cumin
sliced serrano chili

I'll cook the flank steaks over a HOT fire on the grill, just a few minutes per side to get crisp crust outside but medium inside, rest for five minutes then slice as thinly as possible against the grain. Served on warm tortillas with lime wedges, salsa fresca, crumbled queso fresca, pickled red onion or onion/cilantro relish, avocado chunks, maybe a tomatilla/pasilla salsa.

But mainly I'm worried about making the meat tender enough.

[Warpy]

1. The combination of acid

with the bromelain in the pineapple will certainly be a good start. Another good fruity tenderizer is fresh papaya.

The slicing will be key, though. If you slice it paper thin, then it won't matter if it is still a little tough.

[The empressof all]

2. I marinade Flank in an Acid but it's really in the cutting

Let the meat rest for at least 15 to 20 minutes and slice very thinly. If you want really tender steak try a Flat Iron.

[Stinky The Clown]

3. Stab the steak all over, on both sides, with a fork

The pineapple is good idea. Punching a brazillian holes into the steak will also help by getting the marinade down into the meat.

I usually use this for flank steak. I bought it locally (Linens & Things? Bed Bath & Beyond?) This does what the fork method cited above does.



http://www.acitydiscount.com/16-Needle-Meat-Tenderizer-Butcher-Equipment-MMT16.0.57789.1.1.htm

[mike_c]

4. thanks ya'll-- I'll let you know how it turns out!

:thumbsup:

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

5. We use skirt steak and it comes marinated in orange juice

and lemon juice. Would that work for flank steak? Skirt is much thinner, so maybe not.

I love carne asadas.

[The empressof all]

6. Is that the one at Trader Joes

I've tried that one. It's good but the marinade is very strong.

I'm probably in the minority on this one but I love the taste of just plain steak with salt and a speck of pepper. I know without a marinade flank can be toughter and I do a brief acid marinade most of the time with the flank but I also just love it plain cut thinly. It has a great beefy flavor.

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

7. I think skirt has got a better flavor and it's thinner so it's not

so tough and it gets really a great grill taste all over.

We get it from a Guatemalan market. They call it Rancho Preperada. (I think, after a few lessons I can say it, but can't remember how it's spelled.) Most of the employees speak a bit of English which is a good thing because my Spanish is pretty nonexistent. We all point & sign language and we do fine.

[The empressof all]

8. I love the skirt steak too

It's harder to find in our grocery stores but I'll have to look in at the Latin Butcher next time I'm over in that direction.

Have you ever had Hanger Steak? Almost impossible to find. I made my butcher a Carmel banana coconut cake last year when he scored some for me. That's terrific meat with the best flavor.

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

9. I haven't tried it. To tell the truth, I'm not much of a meat eater.

Skirt steak in carne asadas, trip-tip once in a while and hamburger occasionally.

Hanger steak was on the menu of a bistro we went to and I told my son to order since I thought he would like it. He liked it so much no one else got a bite.

Do try the Latin butcher for skirt steak. When I was little I remember skirt steak was practically given away. My mom never bought it, but I can remember it being sold in the market with spinach filling and rolled in pinwheels. Since fajitas got so incredibly popular it's now hard to find and expensive.