How to: {properly} prepare a flank steak.

Howdy! I come from the depths of busyness. Any number of things going on here, but nothing picture worthy, or bloggable. I am, all in all, just hanging on, finishing winter projects, running hither and yon, waiting for spring, and camping, and whatnot. So, the most picture worthy and exciting thing about my life right now is food, and I thought I'd share (yet another) foodie post with ya'll, before spring and summer take it away with mostly outdoor posts. (Yay! Is camping season here yet? Is it? Is it?)

So, flank steak is one of my very favoritest cuts of meat. Like, barely right behind a good steak. And, that is saying a lot because I really love steak. I have, over time and through much research, figured out how to prepare this tough, sinewy cut into sweet, tender, amazing juiciness, and I thought I'd share that technique with you all today.First of all, this was a HUGE flank steak. A lot of grocery stores sell them in smaller cuts. I get mine from a butcher now (*dancing little jig for my almost weekly trips to a butcher where I get to talk about meat, learn about meat, share recipes and cooking technique back and forth, and people smile and say HEY! when I come in because they know me and what I like to buy there*) and back to the story, flank steaks come WAY bigger at said butcher. So, I go ahead and take the plunge and buy the whole thing, and then when I get home I cut it down and freeze it for other meals. This one was huge, and with a little maneuvering I was able to cut it into three meals worth of flank steak for my family.

The important thing to notice when you're deciding on a cut of meat is to make sure that your individual pieces aren't going to be too long, once cooked and sliced. To be clear, this could just be my own particular aesthetic pickiness shining through, but I personally feel it very important that no slice of meat be longer than three or four inches, otherwise things like fajitas are awkward, and cutting/serving it is irritating. Besides, you get less of the caramelized edges. Anyway, so this is how I chunked up this flank steak for my purposes. Yes, one meal will have two flank steak pieces to deal with instead of just one, but I consider that a bonus, because in my kitchen, the person preparing the meat gets to "test" the two end pieces. That would always be me. So, for that meal, I will get a total of four end pieces instead of just two. BOO-YAH!
Kosher salt, and fresh ground black pepper on both sides, and toss it down in a skillet screaming hot with canola oil. (I use canola because it's healthier than vegetable, and still has a high smoke point.) Olive is not recommended for this particular procedure, although if that's all you've got, I have used it before, won't be the end of the world.

And, here's my little trick, I put another skillet down over the top of it to mash it just a bit. Since I started doing this, I've been so much happier with my flank steaks. It really helps it cook and caramelize nicely.

Depending on the thickness of your flank steak and how done you want it, I usually do two minutes to four minutes per side. This was a really thick cut of meat, so I did about 3.5 minutes per side-I find it invaluable to set my timer, even just for a couple of minutes--that way there's no guesswork. I like my cow still kicking and mooing when I put it in my mouth, but I do serve a couple children, and I like their meat to be a little more well done for now. So, I settle on a med. well to med. rare range, the skinnier end of the meat for them, and the thicker end of the meat for Frank and me. The important thing to note is that once you've got it in your pan, DO. NOT. TOUCH. IT. Do not look at it, do not think about it until your timer goes off for the flip.

While your meat is cooking, do your other dinner prep. Tonight our meal was a spicy Asian inspired rice noodle/veggie stir fry thing. Outstandingly delicious, if I do say so myself.

Then, once the timer goes off, take the skillet off the top, and flip it. Resist the urge to peel off some of the caramelized meat sinewy strips for testing, and set the skillet back on top, and re-set your timer for whatever time you've deemed appropriate.

Once that time is done, remove the meat from the skillet, set it on a cutting board, and DO NOT TOUCH IT FOR AT LEAST TEN MINUTES. Usually, I end up leaving it for 15 minutes while I do my other food prep.

A few facts about this very important leave-it-be-step:

1. Your meat is still cooking at this point. You're not going to be happy with it if you cut into it right now.

2. If you cut into it right now the juices will go everywhere, except where you want them, which is in the meat. It will taste dry, and not quite so delish. So, leave it be, and let it set.

Isn't it gorgeous? Oh, baby. Mouthwatering.

Now, after about 10 minutes, you need to perform the poke test. Say what, you ask?!?! Yes, the poke test. Pure genius, is what it is. You simply poke the meat to test for the appropriate level of done-ness you are looking for.

POKE!

Then you feel right in the triangle between your pointer finger bone, and your thumb (with a fairly relaxed left hand). This will tell you how done your meat is. See following pictures for further explanation.

(Yes, this picture is out of sequence, because I didn't figure out how to photograph it until after I was done making it, ha! Tripods and timers, my friend, tripods and timers. And awkward angles.)

1. Touch your pointer finger tip to your thumb, and then feel in the aforementioned triangle. This would be RARE.

2. Touch your middle finger tip to your thumb, then feel in the aforementioned triangle. This would be MEDIUM RARE.

3. Touch your ring finger tip to your thumb, and then feel in the aforementioned triangle. This would be MEDIUM WELL.

4.Touch your pinky finger tip to your thumb, then feel in the aforementioned triangle. This would be gross WELL.

Pretty cool, huh? I use this ALL the time. This works very well on any kind of meat, fish included. Obviously, with some meat you'd want to make sure it's well done. In that case I wouldn't call it gross, I suppose I should clarify that I'm not a fan of rare chicken, ha. :-) Also, I don't recommend that you plunge your fingers into sauces to perform this poke test. That won't end well. :-) This takes a little bit of practice... and everyone who does this has a different technique, but this is my particular version, and it will be something if you practice enough with different cuts of meat you use in different dishes, you'll have your own little system down pat before you know it. Captain Obvious says you can use a thermometer, too, if you'd rather.

Also, if you poke test it, and it's not quite the done-ness that you want, you can always at that point decide to let it sit for a few minutes longer, or throw it back in the pan and let it cook for a few more minutes. I've had to do that before, and then you just let it rest again, and it's good. What you don't want to do is cut it and then saute it, that doesn't turn out so juicy.

So, when you're done, you'll end up with something like this. YUM! Test the end pieces. It's the cooks right to do so. Moan. Eat all the little caramelized strips off the cutting board. Moan again. Dance. Notice that because you let it sit forever, there is not a lot of juice on your cutting board. It's in your meat. Moan with joy. Hurry and call "dinner-time!" because if you don't, you're going to eat it all. And, that will make for an angry family and no room for veggies. Which are very important. (And, quite delicious in their own right.) This really makes for some awesome flank steak, and a hugely satisfying meal. Just enough tug on the meat so it doesn't fall apart, with a great mouth feel, but very also perfectly tender.

Yes, I take my meat very seriously. Thank you for asking.

Have a most excellent weekend!