FAJITA Flank Steak

Epicurean Exploits - Food and Recipes
1

Of course I know this dish is nothing special for you. You eat flank steaks almost every day. But here in Germany it is not quite easy to find this cut. Since around 1 year it is possible to buy it in Berlin. I love flank steak! But I published this recipe, as I think this “Fajita Rub” by Williams Sonoma is worth a try.

Ingredients
800g flank steak
1tbsp fajita rub (Williams Sonoma)

Preparation
http://www.berlinkitchen.com/berlinkitchen/Slideshow_Flank_Steak_Fajita.html

2

[wow.gif] [cheers.gif]

3

Yummy. I recommend slicing even thinner and at an angle. You are not quite shaving slices of meat off, but you want to head in that direction.

4

Thank you Eric for this hint. It`s my first time using flank steak.

5

American TV cook Alton Brown has some interesting things to say about how to cut Flank / skirt steak
here’s the video on the subject

2:18 in starts to cover the cutting of this kind of cut.

6

Thank you Mel. Unfortunately it is not possible to watch in Germany due to protected copyright in Germany. We Germans love it to make it complicated.

7

The take-a-way from the video is to slice thinly across the grain and not on the on angle as suggested above. Sure, angled cuts look pretty but due to the structure of the muscle being cut you will end up with slices that are “tougher” to chew than slices that are directly across the grain

8

Cooks illustrated also did a good piece on flank steak. I now basicall cut it into fourths, it seems to cook better as there is a thin end and a thick end an you can position them better on the fire. Because you split it down the middle it is easier to make the thin cross grain cuts.

9

Yep… since I have some “grey” meat eaters [smileyvault-ban.gif] I tend to cook the flank whole so those who like the meat properly cooked get some from the thick end.
Once, rested, I cut the flank it half along the grain and then start slicing

10

That is not a Fajita.

fa·ji·ta/fəˈhētə/
Noun: A dish of Mexican origin consisting of strips of spiced beef or chicken, chopped vegetables, and grated cheese, wrapped in a soft tortilla

George

11

A true fajita is made with skirt steak I thought.

12

That is true but since Williams Sonoma calls it fajita seasoning I am afraid you are overruled.

And to be fair, he did say Fajita Flank steak. One could designate the skirt cut simply by saying fajita without a designation. So I believe based on title our friend is in the clear.

13

Martin,

What Mel said about the cutting against the grain, and can you get the skirt steak others have already mentioned or is that rare as well?

As an aside, what do they do with these cuts the rest of the year? I assume they are killing cows year round… [scratch.gif]

14

Of course I know that it is not a true Fajita. I received the Fajita rub as a gift a few days ago and so I was curious how this spice turns out with meat. BTW, the fajita rub is from Williams Sonoma Chicago.

15

Brent,

it is really difficult to get american cuts, as in normal german supermarkets it is impossible to buy. I bought the flank steak in a special shop for the local catering. In addition the famous luxury department store KaDeWe also offers american cuts. Regarding skirt steak I found the spanish version “Secreto Iberico” which is very tasty. Here my recipe a few weeks ago:

In addition a photo of “Secreto Iberico”

16

We regularly make flank steak with various marinades. The one that we most commonly use is a combination of olive oil (1/2 cup), teriyaki sauce (1/4 cup), honey (1/4 cup), ginger, dry mustard, dried onions, and garlic powder (teaspoon of each). An overnight marinade works best. If we have leftovers, the slices make for a great sandwich or a fajita.