Makes about ½ cup
Prep time: 5 minutes
6 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sriracha hot sauce
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Mix all of the ingredients in a small bowl, cover, and chill in the fridge until ready to use.
This is strictly an outdoor dinner-party type of dish—something to put on the grill when the weather is nice and the beer is cold. Keep it simple! The balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and beef broth add acidity and depth to the marinated flank steak.
SERVES 8 TO 10
PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES, PLUS 4 HOURS TO MARINATE THE MEAT
COOKING TIME: 12 TO 16 MINUTES
1⅔ cups olive oil
⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
2 yellow onions, sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1½ teaspoons smoked paprika
3½ pounds flank steak, trimmed of all fat
2 cups beef broth
½ cup dry red wine
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1 Combine ⅔ cup of the olive oil with the balsamic vinegar and mix well. Transfer half of this vinaigrette to a small bowl and set aside.
2 Pour the remaining vinaigrette and the remaining 1 cup olive oil into a large glass baking dish. Add the onions, garlic, parsley, cilantro, salt, and pepper, and paprika and stir well to combine.
3 Lay the steak in the pan and flip it a few times to ensure that it is covered with the marinade. Cover and place in the fridge for 4 hours—turn the steak once per hour to make sure both sides are coated.
4 In a saucepan, bring the beef broth, wine, sugar, and reserved vinaigrette to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer for 10 minutes and add the butter. Stir to combine and remove from the heat; cover to keep warm.
5 Preheat the grill to high and lightly oil the grill grates.
6 Remove the steak from the marinade and cook for 6 to 8 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer the steak to a cutting board to rest for 10 minutes.
7 Slice the flank steak across the grain and serve with the sauce on the side.
Nolan’s Serving Tip: Spinach Casserole (here) is the ideal vegetable side dish to complement the sweet and tart flavors of the sauce.
Poblano peppers are a natural pairing with flat iron steak—the cut that I like to use for cowboy steaks cooked in a cast-iron skillet over an open fire. My view on peppers is that they add highlights of flavor, but they should never overpower the pure taste of the cut of beef. The flat iron steak is from two layers of the top blade, off the shoulder of the animal, and has had all the connective tissue removed. When sliced thin, you see significant marbling. This is one of the most versatile cuts of beef—you can cook it in a variety of ways, it is really tender, and it is also inexpensive.
SERVES 4
PREP TIME: 25 MINUTES
COOKING TIME: 16 MINUTES
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 poblano peppers, seeded and minced
1½ medium yellow onions, sliced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning the meat
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
½ cup water
½ bunch fresh cilantro, chopped (leaves only)
Freshly ground black pepper
4 (6- to 8-ounce) flat iron steaks
1 Heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. At the point where a drop of water will sizzle in the oil, add the poblano peppers and onions and sauté for 3 minutes.
2 Add the garlic, 1 tablespoon of the chili powder, and the salt and crushed red pepper. Cook until the onions are tender, about 4 minutes, and then stir in the tomatoes.
3 Add the water and half of the cilantro and stir; reduce the sauce for 10 minutes, adding black pepper to taste.
4 Keep the sauce on low heat on the stovetop while you cook the steaks.
5 Preheat the grill or a cast-iron skillet to high. If using a grill, lightly oil the grill grates.
6 Rub the steak with the remaining 1 tablespoon chili powder and additional salt and pepper to taste.
7 Grill or pan-sear the steaks (in batches, if necessary) for approximately 8 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer the steaks to a cutting board to rest for 5 to 7 minutes.
8 Serve with the poblano pepper sauce and garnish with the remaining cilantro.
The key to this recipe is the coffee, which adds an interesting flavor to the meat. Much like red-eye gravy on ham, though, the coffee always stays in the background to allow the perfectly cooked flat iron to steal the show.
A lot of people ask me about the history of flat iron steaks, and the truth is that they were invented by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. In 2002, the NCBA commissioned a muscle profiling study in an effort to find better, more efficient cuts from the chuck and round for retail and food-service use. In this study (a joint venture between the NCBA’s Center for Research and Technical Services, the University of Florida, and the University of Nebraska), every major muscle of the steer was analyzed separately for flavor and tenderness. The study found that the flat iron is second only to the tenderloin in terms of tenderness. This revelation pushed the flat iron steak into the starring role in the NCBA’s “Value Cuts” promotional campaign.
SERVES 4
PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES, PLUS 20 MINUTES TO SEASON THE MEAT
COOKING TIME: 16 TO 18 MINUTES
1 tablespoon coffee beans
1 tablespoon whole white peppercorns
1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
1½ teaspoons garlic powder
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon paprika
4 (6- to 8-ounce) flat iron steaks
1½ tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Place the coffee beans, peppercorns, Old Bay, garlic powder, salt, and paprika in a coffee grinder. Grind until the ingredients form a fine powder. Rub the spice mix on both sides of the flat iron steaks. Set aside at room temperature for 20 minutes.
2 Preheat the grill or a cast-iron skillet to high. If using a grill, lightly oil the grill grates.
3 In a small bowl, combine the olive oil and Worcestershire sauce and brush the steaks with the mixture.
4 Grill or pan-sear the steaks (in batches, if necessary) for 8 to 9 minutes per side, brushing the steaks with the oil and Worcestershire when turning.
Nolan’s Serving Tip: Serve the Coffee Cowboy Steak with my Traditional Green Bean Casserole (here) for the ideal pairing.