Steak and Potatoes

OK, so my new favorite cut of meat is flank steak. Have you ever tried it? It is great on the grill because it cooks fast and a rub or a marinade will add a lot of flavor to it quickly. Here are two recipes that we have tried recently and enjoyed.

I just bought a 2 1/2 pound flank steak and cut it in half. We grilled one and froze one. It was the right size to feed two adults and two kids - but I have discovered that my little boys are true carnivours (how in the world do you spell that word?!) and would have taken down their fair share of meat and asked for more.

This meal is a huge time saver too. Marinade it in the morning - throw it on the grill at dinner time while you are cooking some rice and a veggie. I also read recently that you can "bake" potatoes in the crockpot all day. Just wrap them in foil and stick them in to cook. Now THAT is a time saver. I haven't tried it but let me know if one of you have!

Spice Rubbed Flank Steak

3 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt (it could have used a tad more)
1/4 tsp. allspice
1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
2-lb. flank steak

Combine the first 6 ingredients. Stir in the olive oil. Gently rub mixture all over the steak and let stand 20 minutes.

Coat your cool grill with cooking spray. Grill steak over medium-high heat about 5-8 minutes per side or to your desired degree of doneness. Let stand 5 minutes and cut diagonally across the grain into thin slices.

Note: I halved the rub recipe since I used less meat than the recipe called for. You can also keep the rub prepared ahead of time and add the oil when you are read to use it.


Marinated Flank Steak

2-lb. flank steak
1 C soy sauce
1 C pineapple juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C firmly packed brown sugar
5 Tbsp. sesame oil
2 Tb. Caribbean Jerk seasoning

Mix all ingredients together except the steak until the sugar dissolves. Place steak in a Zip Loc bag and pour marinade over it. Chill at least 1 hour or up to 8, turning the steak occasionally.

Remove the steak from the bag and discard marinade. Grill steak about 5 minutes per side over medium-high heat or until desired doneness. Let stand 10 minutes and slice thinly across the grain, diagonally.

Note: I think I added more pineappe juice than it called for because it tasted fairly Soy-ish. Maybe try the low-sodium variety. I also cut back on the jerk seasoning a bit because mine was pretty spicy and I was worried about my kids eating it. Turns out I could have used it all because it didn't taste too spicy in the end.