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Flank Steak from Heaven

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    Flank Steak from Heaven

    So my wife is from northern Mexico. For those that do not know that part of Mexico is all about Arrechera (flank steak or hanger) and Ribeye. They do a goat (cabrito) and some whole baby pig (lecheon). I have had arrechera several times in Mexico and it is awesome, very thin and never remotely tough. It is also easy to find at the local grocer in Mexico.

    So I have tried to find the same here. Costco has a arrechera and it is good but was still not near as tender. Randomly I decided to buy some flank from Costco and well it was pretty thick for arrechera flank so I decided to pound it out with a culinary hammer. Another thing I did not know before was that arrechera is marinated. But I never knew in what because it does not have a distinct flavor. Well turns out it is basically brined.

    Ok, so enough story....the recipe.

    Buy a flank steak. Beat it up with a hammer then throw it in a salt brine. I use the 1 cup of salt per gallon of water....now your flank probably does not need a gallon of water unless you are blessed from the meat gods. 1 tbs per cup of water is the same %. Leave it in that brine for couple hours or over night. When you take it out just add pepper. Then toss it on a flaming hot grill and sear both sides. Always cut perpendicular to the direction of the grain of the meat.

    Tips:
    1. When beating up the meat. Look at the meat and notice that all the silver skin or tendon in broken up. Do not be afraid to over beat it up.

    2. Add wood chips to stoke the fire. Then when meat is cold throw it on the fire but immediately close the lid. Adds some extra smoke on the meat.

    3. Once done throw a little Kosher or rough salt on the meat.

    4. If you got a vacuum sealer you can use way less water/salt plus it gets the brine all over the meat. I think it makes it work faster but I have no proof.

    5. If you want to eat like a northern Mexico put a spicy salsa on it. Not a Pace but something fresh from a local Hispanic grocer if you have one. If not ping me for a salsa recipe....just do not want to add it to this post because it just keeps getting bigger.

    I cook mine to medium rare and it was awesome. Was so tender you almost did not need a knife. The biggest thing was the wife's approval because she is the arrechera expert eating it her whole life. Also big bonus I got the wife to eat medium rare been trying to convert her over for years from the medium well camp.

    Click image for larger version

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    #2
    That's some good looking flank. Love to make some tacos out of that. All this talk of beating up your meat has got me going though, or were you referring to tenderizing? (sorry couldn't help myself )

    Comment


      #3
      Wife has been wanting to do a flank and this looks great! Would like to get your spicy salsa recipe but not sure how to ping you.
      Thanks again for great post.!​​​​​​​

      Comment


        #4
        Thant looks delicious, amigo!
        Great tutorial, as well!
        I also would like to see yer spicy salsa receipt...

        Comment


          #5
          Briggs, are they tenderizing the meat ahead of the cook in a marinade if flank? I like to marinade flank for at least 6 hours before cooking if I can. The Arrachera Skirt steak I marinade less because it has much more fat. I'd love to know what sort of marinades they use. These are awesome cuts for the grill.

          Comment


          • BriggsBBQ
            BriggsBBQ commented
            Editing a comment
            The store bought stuff in Mexico I am not sure if they tenderize it. But it is super thin like 1/8-1/4 inch. In terms of marinades some places have their own but my Mexican family always goes for the plain version which is brined meat.

          #6
          The salsa. There's red and green.

          For red you need ripe off the vine tomatoes. Put a couple of tomatoes in the blender and blend keep some space at the top. Then add Serrano peppers with the stem cut off. I do not remove seeds or internal stems because they have the heat I want ot keep. The typical ratio is about 1 pepper and 2 tomatoes. However not everyone can do the heat. So if you are sensitive to heat. I suggest the tomatoes and then add peppers to your liking. Add salt to taste to the mixture and two cloves of garlic and blend again. Taste it and get a sense of if it is the heat you like.

          Once you are good with the mix. Put a ring or two of an onion in a hot pan with oil and move the onion around. Once the onion is translucent then add the Mixture of salsa. Cook for a couple minutes till it turns brick red. Now taste and adjust the salt amount more if needed.

          Tips:
          1. The fresher the tomato the better. To me fresher peppers does not add to taste much but a local grown fresh Canton Texas tomato is much better than a chain grocer can do. Ripe fresh tomatoes have a bright red outside and the inside is also bright red.

          2. Add to the recipe. This is my wife's mom's go to recipe for salsa they always have at the house. So it is simple so that it is really easy to make. For a taco only recipe I would suggest adding a good amount of lime, and fresh chopped white onion and cilantro. I would add after the salsa has been cooked. Traditional northern Mexican tacos you add salsa, fresh chopped white onion and cilantro. Now it is served separately so people can add what they want.

          Green salsa

          Wash tomatillos and take off their husk. Then put in a bot of boiling water till they turn color and become soft. Usually they will sink to the bottom of the pot or split some. Then add to the blender. Add peppers, here the ratio start is 3 peppers (2 Serrano, 1 Jalapeno) to 12 tomatillos (much smaller than a tomato). Also add salt, pepper, and cilantro then blend. Then add more peppers to taste. Next put the mixture in a pan and cook to a boil and add chicken bullion to taste.

          Tips:
          1. You can cook this salsa into anything that has a lot of fat and it fried crispy. For example fried pork belly that is crispy and be added to the mixture and stewed together for a heavenly dish. Chicharron and salsa verde. Real chicharron is more like a hog crackling from Louisiana not the store bought fluffy stuff but more like fried pork belly in strips or deep fried bacon.

          2. Ideal taste is tart and hot. Also my cleaning lady does a similar recipe of green salsa adding the cilantro, onions and lime at the end after the cook...it is awesome.

          My next journey is into mole. Northern Mexicans do not eat very much mole. The reason it is it comes from the Mayan's and most northerners are mostly Spanish ancestors. In fact people from Monterrey have a nickname of Regios, it does not have a special meaning but Regios like the nickname. Unlike the nickname for people from Mexico city being Chilangos which originates from a large group of immigrants from Chile to Mexico City historically.

          Comment


            #7
            Smoked a couple of salmons yesterday and my wife asks, "...so, whatcha gonna cook next?" I think you just answered the question! Thanks for sharing.

            Comment


            • BriggsBBQ
              BriggsBBQ commented
              Editing a comment
              I got a recipe from when I bought a bge for salmon that is really good. Dizzy pig Raging River, and then maple syrup glaze at the end. I modified it a little buy marinating in red wine, using Cajun seasoning, and skin on filets. I do the skin side last to build a better maple glaze.

            #8
            That sounds simple and awesome .... gonna give it a shot. My wife just made a big batch of salsa verde with tomatillos and peppers from the backyard, will be perfect with the arrechera and piquito beans

            Comment


            • BriggsBBQ
              BriggsBBQ commented
              Editing a comment
              I grilled a butternut squash too. Just split it in half and put it on the cooler side of the grill while the charcoal was still heating up. Takes a long time for it to cook and is better if you take the skin off in my opinion which I did not do.

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