Recipe: 'Flank Steak With Maple And Soy Glaze'
From 'Good Meat: The Complete Guide To Sourcing And Cooking Sustainable Meat'
Because flank steak has an open grain, it absorbs flavor beautifully. Use half this glaze as a marinade, then save the rest to use as sauce at the table.
Serves 4
2 pounds grass-fed flank steak
2⁄3 cup rice wine vinegar
Good Meat: The Complete Guide to Sourcing and Cooking Sustainable Meat
By Deborah Krasner
Hardcover, 400 pages
Stewart, Tabori & Chang
List Price: $40
1⁄2 cup soy sauce
1⁄2 cup mirin (sweetened sake) or sherry
1⁄2 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt such as gray Atlantic or Celtic (for pan-searing only)
Bring the meat to room temperature and blot it dry. In a small, heavy saucepan, simmer the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, mirin and maple syrup over low to medium heat until the mixture is reduced by a third and thickened considerably. This will take about 20 minutes.
Pour half of the mixture into a container large enough to use for marinating; reserve the rest to reheat for serving. Marinate the meat in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. When ready to cook, bring the meat to room temperature and blot it dry.
Heat a charcoal or gas grill, or heat the broiler or a dry, seasoned cast-iron pan on the stove (if using a pan, put the coarse sea salt in the pan and wait until it pops before proceeding). Sear the meat for about 6 minutes, then turn and cook on the other side for another 5 minutes, or until the meat is pink in the center and crusty brown on the surface.
Remove the meat from the heat and let it rest for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, reheat the reserved glaze over low heat. Slice the meat on the bias, angling the knife on the diagonal and cutting across the grain. Aim for thin slices, using an electric knife if you have one, or a very sharp, thin-bladed carving knife. Drizzle the warm sauce over the sliced meat, and serve.
From Good Meat: The Complete Guide to Sourcing and Cooking Sustainable Meat by Deborah Krasner. Copyright 2010 by Deborah Krasner. Reprinted by arrangement with Stewart, Tabori & Chang.
Good Meat
The Complete Guide to Sourcing and Cooking Sustainable Meat with More Than 200 Recipes