As you may have been able to tell if you’ve been following me for a while, I don’t cook a lot of red meat.  Since most of my cooking events have to be vegetarian, I’m much more comfortable cooking without meat.  However, I do enjoy the occasional steak.  Flank steak is a great, relatively cheap cut of meat.  While it can be a bit tough if overcooked, that just means it’s lean piece of meat.  I particularly like this sliced up and served over salad.

Be sure your grill or grill pan is very hot before placing the steak on it to get well defined grill lines.  A meat thermometer is a great way to ensure that your steak is cooked to your liking.  For rare remove the steak at 130°F, 140°F for medium rare, 155°F for medium, 165°F for well done.  Let the steak rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Asian Marinated Flank Steak

Serves 4-6

Adapted from an old Washington Post clipping

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 scallions, cut in 1 inch slices
• 3-4 lbs flank steak (this is enough marinade that you can go head and marinate two and have leftovers)

In a large Ziploc bag, add your flank steak.  Pour in all the ingredients, seal the bag tightly, gently tossing the bag to make sure the marinade covers the steak entirely.  Place bag in another bag or a dish, just in case, and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.

When ready to cook, remove steak from the fridge.  Heat grill pan (or grill) over high heat until very hot.  Grill steak for about 3-4 minutes on each side.  Steak should lift off the pan easily when ready to flip.  Once cooked, let rest for about 5-10 minutes before slicing.  Cut against the grain in thin strips to serve.