Flank Steak

I have a slight meat phobia that prevents me from buying meat in open or wet markets, particularly in warm countries with an abundance of flies. Fanned by detailed National Geographic Channel specials that explain how flies lay their eggs on raw meat and how the eggs hatch and out come these wicked looking maggots (defined as legless soft-bodied larvae of flies), I am not fond of meat in open air settings. As a result, I generally buy my meat from hoity toity places with knowledgeable butchers (the subject of another entry someday) and reputable groceries. I understand that purchase location alone is not enough to guarantee hygiene (have you seen meat dealers delivering to top groceries with dead chickens piled in open pails?) but out of sight and out of mind works for me in this instance. Enough shock treatment.

Flank Steak is one of the easiest, tastiest and most reasonably priced cuts of meat to prepare and serve. If you were a cow and on all fours, flank steak would roughly come from around the area near your ribs (or the cow’s ribs, that is). The steak is thin, muscular and packed with flavor. I always buy a whole flank steak, whatever its weight. The one pictured here was 800 grams or about medium sized. It is imported from the U.S. but was a very reasonable P688 or P862/kilo at Santis Deli. This steak would easily feed 5 hungry adults as a main course with potatoes and a veggie, of course. At P140 a person, this is a very reasonable cost for tasty meat. To prepare, defrost and pat dry with paper towels. Marinate the steak in steak sauce (I sometimes use this pre-bottled sauce called Bulls-Eye, I kid you not) for 1 hour or so or if you are in a hurry, go straight to the grill. A home made rub of whole grain mustard, honey, salt and pepper also works well. Prepare a nice hot charcoal fire and sear the meat over hot flames about 3 minutes on each side for rare. Longer if you want a medium steak. If you want well done it would be better to take out your old adidas sneakers and sauce them up…

Turn the steaks only once. Take the steak off the flame and let it rest for at least 5-10 minutes before you slice. Slice thin at an angle against the grain of the meat (see photo) and serve immediately. My cook was not slicing the meat at enough of an angle… angle it more. Goes well with Worcestershire or Steak Sauce. Because of the way this steak is sliced, you don’t actually consume as much as a regular steak. And as an added bonus, if there are leftovers they make perfect steak and eggs for breakfast the following day. Even tastes good with ketchup. Yum.