Flat Iron Steak With An Oriental Twist Food

FLAT IRON STEAK WITH AN ORIENTAL TWIST

Steps:

• This is a very simple recipe to put together, but as I learned at the CIA, a recipe does not have to complicated to taste good. For example, Poulet en Cocotte (Chicken in a Pot), is a wonderful French way to do a chicken. It's quick and simple, and tastes wonderful...
• Place all of the ingredients in the Marinade section in a non-reactive bowl, and whisk them together. Chef's Note: Reactive/Non-reactive. Some ingredients do not like being around metal. Take for instance tomatoes in a can... many years ago. Those old cans were made of uncoated tin. As soon as you opened the can the acids in the tomatoes would begin reacting to the metal can (the tin). If you didn't take them out, you would wind up with tomatoes with a metallic tang. Most metals used in cooking today are non-reactive (stainless steel). However, most of my mixing bowels are ceramic... Just to be on the safe side.
• Pour all the marinade into a zip-lock type bag (gallon size), and then add the flat-iron steak. Squeeze all of the air out, and then seal. Gently massage until the marinade is completely covering the steak. Place the bag in the refrigerator, and allow the ingredients to get to know each other, for about 6 hours... or overnight. Chef's Note: I had a bag that I was marinating a steak in develop a small leak, and wound up with marinade all over the bottom of my refrigerator. So, now I place the bag on a large plate, to catch any leaks... burned hand teaches best. Cooking Tip: While the steak is getting to know the marinade in the refrigerator... every once and awhile (while you're looking for something to snack on) give the bag a massage and turn it over.
• When the time has come, prepare your grill (gas or charcoal) to hot, hot, hot. Chef's Tip: Place you hand directly over the grill, and begin counting. One, two, three, four... If you get to the number two, and you have to pull your hand away... It's hot enough.
• Remove the steak from the marinade, and shake off the excess.
• Place the remaining marinade into a small sauce pan, and allow to simmer for about ten minutes. Chef's Tip: You can place the small sauce pan directly on the hot grill, and do it right there.
• Prepare the grill by hitting it with a wire brush, to scrape off any bits from your last BBQ. Take a paper towel soaked in vegetable oil, and run it over the hot grate, to lubricate.
• Place the steak on the grill, and allow to cook for about 4 minutes on each side. The steak should have some excellent grill marks, and should be slightly pink in the middle. Chef's Tip: The grilling of each side takes about four minutes... About 2 minutes into side one, take a pair of tongs, and rotate the steak about 45 degrees, and do the same on side two... That gives you those excellent criss/cross grill marks that all great grillers like to see.
• Remove from the grill, and allow to rest for about 5 minutes before slicing.
• Slice into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices, and then place on a nice serving platter. Sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds, and green onions, and serve.
• Serving Tips: This this dish has Oriental flavors, so I like to serve it with long-grain white rice. However, if it's potatoes that you're craving, might I suggest a nice sweet potato mash.
• Additional Serving Tip: To made this into individual servings. Place about a cup of rice on a nice white plate, and then place three pieces of the sliced steak on top of the rice. Drizzle some of the sauce over the rice and steak, and drizzle a bit on the plate, in a cool pattern. That way you have your very own edible work of art. At the CIA we were taught that the plate is the chef's canvas, to do with whatever he/she desires... Remember we eat first with our eyes. Enjoy Keep the faith, and keep cooking.

GRILLED FLAT IRON STEAK

Steps:

• Place steak in a plastic sealable bag.
• In a small glass; wisk together the remaining ingredients. Pour over the steak and marinate at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours
• Let meat set at room temperature for at least one hour prior to grilling.
• Remove meat from the marinade and discard marinade.
• Place steak on heated grill, cook about 5 minutes. You can rotate the steak about 45 degrees to create grill cross-hatch marks.
• Turn the steak over and move to a slightly cooler part of the grill and continue grilling about 4 minutes. Be careful not to overcook.
• Thinly slice the steak across the grain.

FOOLPROOF FLAT IRON STEAKS

Steps:

• Place steaks, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, green onions, garlic, soy sauce, thyme, mustard, and black pepper in an extra large resealable plastic bag, squeeze out excess air, and seal the bag. Knead the bag with your hands to distribute ingredients evenly and completely coat the steaks. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Preheat grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate. Remove steaks from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.
• Remove steaks from bag and discard marinade.
• Cook steaks on the preheated grill until they start to firm and are reddish-pink and juicy in the center, 6 to 7 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 130 degrees F (54 degrees C). Remove steaks to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

ASIAN FLAT IRON STEAK

Steps:

• Whisk soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, green onions, garlic, and mustard powder together in a bowl; pour into a resealable plastic bag. Add the steak, coat with the marinade, squeeze out excess air, and seal the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator, 3 to 4 hours.
• Remove steak from marinade and discard remaining marinade.
• Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat; cook steak just until outside is browned and seared, about 1 minute per side. Continue to cook until desired doneness is reached, about 5 minutes more per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 140 degrees F (60 degrees C). Remove skillet from heat and allow steak to rest before cutting, 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle sesame seeds over steak.

ASIAN FLAIR FLAT IRON STEAK

Steps:

• Whisk together 2 tablespoons of sesame oil with the garlic, salt, onion powder, Cajun seasoning, hot pepper sauce, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, and brown sugar in a bowl, then pour into a resealable plastic bag. Add the flat iron steak, coat with the marinade, squeeze out excess air, and seal the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for 12 hours.
• Remove the flat iron steak from the marinade, and shake off excess. Discard the remaining marinade. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of sesame oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat until it begins to smoke. Sear the steak in the hot oil until cooked to your desired degree of doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium. Remove the steak from the skillet and set aside to rest for 5 minutes before slicing thinly. While the steak is resting, cook the bell pepper in the hot skillet until it begins to soften, about 1 minute. Stir in the green onions, and cook for 30 seconds more. Serve the pepper mixture over the sliced steak.

TENDER FLAT IRON STEAK

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients thoroughly and marinate steak for one hour.
• Grill over hot coals 4 minutes per side. This steak is best cooked rare to medium rare.