The Absolute Best Marinated Flat Iron Steak Recipe

 Ingredients:

-  2lb flat iron steak 
-  3 tablespoons olive oil 
-  2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce 
-  3 tablespoons red wine vinegar 
-  1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 
-  1/4 cup brown sugar (I substituted 2 T of Brown Sugar Splenda)
-  3 large cloves garlic, minced 
-  1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 
-  2 teaspoons steak seasoning (I use this All American.  Click here to buy it.) 
-  1 teaspoon smoked paprika 

Instructions: 

1.  Pat steak dry with a paper towel. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to trim away any large, visible pieces of fat. Optional but recommended, use a meat mallet and smack the steak a few times to tenderize it. It doesn’t need much but pounding helps break down tough muscle fibers, making the final bite softer and easier to chew. Place the steak in a gallon sized Ziplock bag or a shallow baking dish.

2.  Shake or whisk together 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, ¼ cup brown sugar, 3 large cloves of minced garlic, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, 2 teaspoons steak seasoning and 1 teaspoon smoked paprika until well combined. Pour the marinade over the steak and seal the Ziplock bag. Smoosh everything around so you really coat the steak in marinade.

3.  Marinate in the fridge for 4 hours, up to 24 hours. If you remember, try to flip or rotate the bag once or twice throughout the marinating process.

4.  Take the steak out of the fridge and let sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes before cooking. Preheat your outdoor grill to high. Use a brush or an oiled paper towel to oil the grill grates. Remove the steak from the marinade, letting the excess drip off, and place it on a hot grill. Close grill and cook for 5 minutes. Flip the steak and and grill for another 5 minutes. Grilling for exactly 10 minutes should yield a medium-rare steak (see note for additional cooking times)

5.  Place steak on a large cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes. Use a serrated knife to cut thin slices cross-wise on the bias. Drizzle any juices over the sliced steak. Serve with roasted or mashed potatoes, grilled vegetables, green salad and/or garlic bread!

Cook's Notes:

-  I first used this marinade with a flank steak and it did not disappoint!  

-  As for cooking time, for a ~1-inch thick flat iron steak grilled on high heat cook 3-4 minutes per side for rare, 4-5 minutes per side for medium rare, 5-6 minutes for medium well. I wouldn’t recommend cooking much longer than this because flat iron steak can dry out pretty quickly.

Marinated London Broil

 

Ingredients:

- 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar

- 1/4 cup Soy Sauce

- 1/4 cup Olive Oil

- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced

- 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary (or 2 teaspoons dried rosemary)

- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

- 1 1/2 - 2 lbs. London Broil Beef

Directions:

1.  In a bowl, mix all of the marinade ingredients.

2.  With a knife, lightly score both sides of the meat in a diamond pattern.

3.  Place the meat in resealable bag.  Pour the marinade into the bag and lightly squeeze the beef to work the marinade into the beef.

4.  Marinate the meat in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or for as long as 24 hours.

5.  30 minutes before grilling, take the meat out of the refrigerator to allow it to come up to room temperature.

6.  Prepare your grill.  When the grill up to 450F, remove the meat from the bag and discard the marinade.  Grill the meat for 5-7 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the meat and desired doneness.  Check the temperature of the meat with an instant read thermometer (125F for medium rare, 130F for medium).

7.  When the meat is done to your desires, remove it from the grill.  Place the meat on a cutting board and loosely cover it with aluminum foil.  Allow the meat to rest for 8-10 minutes, then slice and serve.

Cook's Notes:

I had a London Broil in the freezer and I wanted to use this recipe for our dinner last night.  We were not disappointed by the results.  I grilled the beef for approximately 11 minutes and checked the internal temperature.  The meat was at 127F, so I removed it from the grill.  I put the beef on a cutting board and covered it with aluminum foil and I allowed it to rest for 10 minutes.  The beef was a perfect medium rare when I sliced it.  

If you don't have a grill, you can cook the beef in an oven using the broiler.

Best Quick Steak Marinade

 I found this marinade on-line and I gave it a try.  Oh my goodness, is this a great marinade for beef.  I marinated a boneless sirloin steak and the results were amazing.  I wanted to add this recipe to the Cafe.

Ingredients:

- 4-6 8 ounce steaks (or a Sirloin steak)

- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

- 1/3 cup soy sauce

- 1/4 cup olive oil

- 2 T Worcestershire sauce

- 1 T honey

- 1 t dried Italian seasoning

- 1 t garlic powder

- 1 t dried mustard

- chopped parsely (for garnish)

Instructions:

1.  In a bowl, whisk together our balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, honey, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and dried mustard.

2.  Add the steaks and the marinade to a zip lock bag, tossing the steaks a few times to coat the meat with the marinade.  Press out the excess air, seal the bag, and chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours.

3.  Prepare a grill.  Remove the steaks from the marinade and discard the marinade.  Grill the meat to desired doneness and remove from the grill.  Place the meat on a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil.  Allow the meat to rest for 5-10 minute, then serve.

Cook's Notes:

The original recipe said to only marinate for "15-30" minutes, but I marinated the sirloin steak for 2 hours and the results fantastic.  What I like about this marinade is that the ingredients are all fairly common to most kitchens.  Please give this a try the next time you grill a steak.  You won't be disappointed!

Mustard and Soy Marinated Pork Chops

I found this recipe at recipetineats.com.  I tried it and the results were amazing.

Ingredients:

- 2-4 pork chops (bone in or boneless)

- 1/3 cup soy sauce

- 2 tablespoons brown sugar

- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 

- 2 garlic cloves, minced

- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

1.  Mix the soy sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic, and black pepper in a ziplok bag.

2.  Place the pork chops in the bag and massage the chops to coat them in the marinade.

3.  Place the bag with the marinated pork chops into the refrigerator for at least two hours.

4.  20 minutes before cooking, take the bag with the pork chops out of your refrigerator.

5.  Prepare a grill.  Once the grill is hot, remove the pork chops from the bag and reserve the marinade.  Place the pork chops on the grill and cook for four minutes.  Baste the chops with the reserved marinate before turning them over. baste the other side of the pork chops with the marinade, then discard the marinade.

6.  Grill the pork chops for three to four minutes, and when done, remove the chops from the grill.  If you are using an instant read thermometer, check the temperature of the meat after about seven minutes of grilling.  The pork chop is done when the meat has an internal temperature of 135F.

7.  After you remove the pork chops from the grill, place them on a plate and cover with aluminum foil.  Allow the chops to rest for five minutes and then serve.

Cook's Notes:

This was an incredibly simple and delicious recipe.  The good thing is that I had all of the ingredients on hand when I discovered the recipe.  This recipe is definitely a keeper.

shrimp on the barbie

This recipe was adapted from several including our own, All Recipes, and a host of others.  Our shrimp comes wrapped in newspaper.



Ingredients:

- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

1.  In a 1 gallon plastic food storage bag, add the olive oil and the shrimp.  Toss the shrimp to coat in olive oil.
2.  Combine the paprika, garlic powder, pressed garlic, black pepper and Italian seasoning in a bowl and mix well.  It will look like this.



3.  Pour the seasoning mixture into the bag containing the shrimp and the olive oil.  Mix the shrimp and the seasoning well.



4.  Place the shrimp into your refrigerator and allow to marinate for 3-4 hours.
5.  Skewer the shrimp and when the grill is ready, place the shrimp on the grill. Cook the shrimp for 6-7 minutes, turning once.

Remove the shrimp from the grill and serve immediately.  I never have pictures of the done product.  It's too good to sit around taking pictures.  

Cheers!

on the grill

We have been grilling all week at the cottage.  We tried a new way to cook potatoes - on the grill in aluminum foil. Many of my foodie friends may disown us but let me just say, it was fantastic.

Ingredients

Red skin potatoes, scrubbed and dried.  Then quartered.
Mickey and T's All American
Olive Oil
Garlic
Chopped onions 
Any herb - we had oregano on hand and threw it on. You could use anything - dill, rosemary, basil, etc.



Cook's notes - spray the aluminum foil with a non-stick cooking spray - we have an olive oil brand that we used.   Wrap up tightly, leaving a little room for the steam.  I didn't have heavy duty aluminum foil, so I wrapped them three times. 

About 25 - 30 minutes, depending on how hot your grill runs.  We used this method with our asparagus as well.  It was fantastic.



Served with a porter house steak and this wine, the meal was a home run!

Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas

I am on a chicken kick.

Grilled Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas via Real Simple

Serves 4 | Hands-on Time: 15m | Total Time: 20m

Ingredients
1 2- to 2 1/2-pound rotisserie chicken, meat shredded
4 cups baby spinach (about 3 ounces)
1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack (6 ounces)
4 large flour tortillas
1 avocado, diced
1/2 cup store-bought fresh salsa
1/4 cup sour cream

Directions
1. Heat grill to medium. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, spinach, and cheese. Dividing evenly, place the mixture on one half of each tortilla. Fold the other half over to cover.
2. Grill the quesadillas until the cheese has melted and the tortillas are crisp, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Serve with the avocado, salsa, and sour cream.

Tip
Before you grate cheese, coat the grater with cooking spray. It will be easier to use and wash.

The simple joy of grilling

Animal protein cooked over a fire. Nothing could could be much simpler or more primordial than that. Tonight, I cooked a couple of New York strip steaks over charcoals. I have a propane grill, as well as a "real fire" grill, but my propane level was a little low. However, I have plenty of charcoal. What I was lacking was charcoal fluid. I started to think that it was pretty silly to use charcoal fluid when there are better alternatives to start the charcoal. Thus, I went to my nearby Lowe's and bought a charcoal starter. Instead of using petroleum distillates to start my charcoal, I will now use newspaper.

At 1830 (6:30PM for you civilians out there) I stuffed some newspaper into the bottom of the charcoal starter and filled the starter with charcoal. I lit the news print and after about 15 minutes, all of the charcoal was covered in a downy ash and was ready to go. I dumped the charcoal into my trusty Weber grill and waited a few more minutes to allow it to heat up. After about 5 minutes, all of the charcoal was ready and I placed upon the grill two strip steaks (which had been seasoned with a little salt and pepper). I cooked the steaks for 12 minutes (6 minutes a side), removed them from the grill, placed them on a wooden cutting board and then covered them with aluminum foil to allow the meat to rest for 10 minutes. A few crumbles of blue cheese where sprinkled over the steaks, and while they were resting I put a few spears of asparagus on the aforementioned grill. After 4 minutes on the grill, I removed the asparagus spears from the heat and served them with the steaks. While the steaks were cooking, I also prepared some cus cous.

I am happy to report that dinner was an unqualified success. The steaks were medium-rate, the asparagus were still crunchy but properly cooked, and well, it is pretty hard to screw up cous cous. Life agrees with me...

Cafe Update

We have had an enjoyable number of days in the Cafe. The kitchen is officially warmed from the Kitchen Warming Party and the chi is starting to flow beautifully.

I am at home this weekend, on vacation - or more aptly called 'stay' -cation, hanging at home enjoying some quiet time. I ran over to Sam's Club to pick up some staples and some meats were reduced for quick sale. To save $5-6 on meat is a treat and I don't often pass it up.

Yesterday, I made Stay in Bed Stew. It wasn't an ideal day for stew - in the 70s. It was delicious and at least I have some leftovers. ;) Today I planned a little better and have a flank steak marinating to grill tonight. Here is the recipe:

A Fantastic Flank Steak

1 1/2 T Dijon mustard
3 1/2 T red wine vinegar
1/2 t crumbled dried oregano
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large clove of garlic, peeled and smashed
1 flank steak (1 1/4 - 1 1/2 lbs)

1. Prepare the marinade. In a large bowl, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, oregano, salt & pepper. Slowly drizzle the olive oil, whisking constantly until thickened; add the garlic. You can also make the marinade a day ahead and store, covered, in the refrigerator.
2. Add the flank steak to the marinade and turn to coat it well. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for about 8 ours, turning the steak once or twice. Remove from the marinade and pat dry.
3. Broil or grill the steak over high heat, 3 inches from the heat source. Cook for 6 minutes a side for medium rare. Remove to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Slice the steak thinly on the diagonal and arrange on a platter.

Enjoy!