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April 14, 2016

How To Make The Perfect Flank Steak For Summer

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Flank steak is the protein Culinary Crafts sells most during the summer. It's great for barbecuing. It comes from the lower abdomen of the cow and it's not too expensive but it's a really flavorful meat. To make the perfect flank steak, you'll want to first clean it up. Use a sharp boning knife and take off the largest pieces of fat. The marbled fat will melt off when you cook the steak and the fat will soak into the meat, which will keep it nice and juicy. DSC_0195 DSC_0203 In the picture below, you can see what we call silver skin. As you can see, it's kinda shiny. That part will not melt or break down at all when you grill it. If you have ever eaten a steak that has pieces you cannot chew through, that is what the silver skin is. You want to cut all of that off before you cook your steak. DSC_0211 Next, you'll want to rub extra virgin olive oil all over it. DSC_0216 DSC_0224 After that's done, you want to rub your meat in your favorite seasoning. You can read our favorite here! We usually let it marinate for 24 hours before we cook it up. DSC_0230 Next, you'll want the grill to get to 450-500 degrees Fahrenheit before you put the steak on it. DSC_0241DSC_0246 To get really nice grill marks, you'll want to place it on the grill at 45 degree angles to get those perfect diamond grill marks, which makes your steak look really nice. Flank steak is great because it cooks really fast because it's thin but it's still is a nice cut of meat. If you look on the side the on the picture below, you can see the steak start to cook up on the sides of the meat, which is how you know it's closer to the point where that side is done. DSC_0262 You let it cook about 2 minutes at each angle, so 4 minutes total on the first side, then flip it and do 2 minutes each angle for that side also for a total of 8 minutes. That brings the steak up to about 125 degrees which is a perfect medium rare. DSC_0262   Have you ever heard of the hand test? It's a really old trick. If you put your fingers together, you can check for how done the steak is with how firm it is. Medium rare - 125 degrees DSC_0274 Medium - 130 degrees DSC_0277 Medium well - 135-140 degrees DSC_0278 Well done - 140+ degrees DSC_0282 It can take a while to get used to the feel, so you can use a thermometer to get a really precise reading on it. When using a thermometer, you want to put the edge in at a angle in the meat instead of straight in, otherwise it would be at the bottom of the meat which is a lot warmer. If you go at a angle, it will get right in the middle. DSC_0288 After you pull it off the heat you want the steak to rest for  about 5 minutes which lets the protein chains relax. It will allow your steak to have more tender and juicy meat because it lets the juices reabsorb into the protein. DSC_0293 Now it's time to cut it. Because it is a more common cut of meat, you want to cut it against the grain. Look at which way the grain runs, then you'll want to cut against it. It makes it more tender. Eat and enjoy! DSC_0304  

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