What’s your beef?

It’s what’s for dinner.

I love beef. There is not much in the foodie world, in my opinion, that tastes better than a steak from a grass-fed cow cooked over an open flame. Mmmmm my mouth is watering at the thought.

Animal protein is about as good as it gets. I know, vegetarians do not like that comment. The bottom line is that it is true. The caveat with beef, however, is that it is high in saturated fat, which is a good thing to limit. So remember, like with all things in life, moderation is key.

Pretty much any cut taken from the tender loin is a winner in my book, but you will pay dearly for it at the register. For most of us, we have to go for less expensive cuts.

That is where the flank steak comes in. The flank is perfect for grilling, and when properly marinated, becomes the Cinderella of steaks.

For a proper marinade you need three things; acid (think lemon, vinegar, etc.), oil (olive and canola are my favorites), and seasoning (garlic, etc.). Armed with this information, let us move on to this month’s recipe.

Grilled Flank Steak

Serving: 4

Ingredients:

16 oz. Flank steak

1 Lemon, juiced

2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2-3 Cloves, crushed garlic

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

-Combine the lemon juice (watch those seeds), olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a large zip top bag.

-Place the steak in the back, mix it up, making sure that the meat is well coated with the marinade. Place the bag in a bowl, put it in the refrigerator for 1-3 hours. If you are really in a pinch for time, 15-30 minutes will be ok.

-Fire up the grill and when it reaches max temperature, say in 15 minutes for a gas grill, throw that meat on. This next part happens quick, so no multitasking here. If the fire has done its job correctly you are going to turn that meat over in four minutes. In another four minutes you should be able to remove the steak from the grill. Place on a plate and cover with foil to rest for five minutes.

This part is very important; cut the meat against the grain. This shortens the strands of protein, thereby making the meat even more tender. Some say to cut the meat at an extreme angle, but I have not found that this offers much, if any, to the cause.

Try modifying the ingredients for the marinade, keeping in mind those three key areas. Seasonings can add a lot flavor, as can various vinegars and Worcestershire or soy sauce. Have fun with it, and enjoy!

Nutrients

Calories: 210.8

Fat: 11.8

Saturated Fat – 4.1

Polyunsaturated Fat – .6

Monounsaturated Fat – 5.9

Carbohydrate: 1.8

Protein: 23.2

**Note**

Nutritional values calculated at sparkrecipes.com.

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Comments

2 Responses to “What’s your beef?”

• Becki says:

  April 14, 2010 at 4:12 am

  Your forgot to mention the portion size with the nutrition info……………. Just an FYI. ILYSM – and YES, STEAK has got to be the best meat around!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MMMMM………. TASTY!

• Todd says:

  April 14, 2010 at 6:14 am

  Oh man, I have to be careful about hitting the publish button. This one was meant for next week. I’ll just do up another. Enjoy!

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