Flank steak

[kc7jty]

What's with flank steak? It's as expensive as T bone but guaranteed tough. Must taste pretty good. Most recipes call for marinade and slicing thin against the grain.

[KG4CGC]

What's with flank steak? It's as expensive as T bone but guaranteed tough. Must taste pretty good. Most recipes call for marinade and slicing thin against the grain.
It was actually closer to pauper food before it became popularized by television chefs and the beef industry took advantage of market demand. Look at what happened to tripe. It was considered along the same line as "chitterlins." (boiled hog intestine) But between the media and the beef industry, the price of tripe went up as demand from young yuppies grew.

[K7SGJ]

I never could stomach tripe.

[NQ6U]

It was actually closer to pauper food before it became popularized by television chefs and the beef industry took advantage of market demand.

I ate a lot of flank steak when I was a kid and Charles has got it right. It used to be pretty much the only kind of beef that poor people could afford and you had to marinate the hell out of it before you could even chew the stuff. Freakin' yuppie scum and their stupid trends have made the price go through the roof so there's really no reason to buy it now that you can buy a decent rib eye for the same cost.

Same sort of thing happened with brisket, which used to be a cheap cut. It had to be cooked for a long time at a low heat so it was popular with poor folk for barbecue (real barbecue, not grilling). Then your aforementioned yuppie scum discovered barbecue.

[kc7jty]

was the flavor anything to write home about?

[w3bny]

What's with flank steak? It's as expensive as T bone but guaranteed tough. Must taste pretty good. Most recipes call for marinade and slicing thin against the grain.

cuz you white boi's made it fashionable and trendy...used to be dirt cheap because no one other than us Mexicanos would eat it.

on edit..

its tough because y'all dont know how to prepare it!

[KG4CGC]

cuz you white boi's made it fashionable and trendy...used to be dirt cheap because no one other than us Mexicanos would eat it.

on edit..

its tough because y'all dont know how to prepare it!
I was going to make a similar comment with regard to fajitas.

[w3bny]

I was going to make a similar comment with regard to fajitas.

And tequila as well.


I never could stomach tripe.

HAH!!! Seriously. That used to be cheap as dirt too! We had Menudo every...EVERY Saturday because cow tripe was so plentiful and inexpensive. Now... Phht. I have to take out a loan to buy enough to make for just me. Its like 10 bucks for maybe a pound and a half...if you can find it and its still inferior and not even good honeycomb tripe. I made menudo a few months ago and it cost me like 40 bucks to make it! Much less make a good batch of fajitas or smoke a brisket.

[KG4CGC]

I learned from the TV chefs that flank was used in fajitas but I wasn't sure until Bunneh interjected on the topic. I think most Mexican restaurants use sirloin strips these days since it is considered fast food. I know I've had them in the past and they have always been a sirloin type of beef.

[w3bny]

I learned from the TV chefs that flank was used in fajitas but I wasn't sure until Bunneh interjected on the topic. I think most Mexican restaurants use sirloin strips these days since it is considered fast food. I know I've had them in the past and they have always been a sirloin type of beef.

That is true. Very few places make it with flank steak. Why? $$$$ thats why. And even I just use a round steak or other cheepie meat, marinated, grilled, and sliced for Saturday night Meet Tacos and cheep margarita night anyway. I could make it with flank and afford just a dinner or make it with other meats and have enough for lunch and snacks the next couple of days.

Yeah...I like tacos...but most of all the salsita/chile that I make for it. Meeeyah!

[kc7jty]

Menudo too expensive, go for pozole.

¡Hay pozole, hay pozole!

http://www.holamun2.com/files/images/mun2-images/news/if-you-love/if-you-love-pozole.jpg

[w3bny]

Menudo too expensive, go for pozole.

¡Hay pozole, hay pozole!

Until someone finds pozole trendy and that becomes expensive as hell too!

Not a big fan of pozole. Yeah its just menudo made with pork bits...but just..ehh...it wasnt a big item in South Texas as Menudo.

[kc7jty]

Menudo is quite good but I never quite got used to the chewy tripe.

[w3bny]

Menudo is quite good but I never quite got used to the chewy tripe.

wasnt cooked long enough. Shouldnt be that chewy. Then again, I put patitias in mine. about 4 to be exact.

[kc7jty]

Hey, gringo, quieres dos tacos de buche?

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/38/97288202_2e85d66788_m.jpg

[kc7jty]

I put patitias in mine. about 4 to be exact.
that sounds good.

[kc7jty]

Es hora para comida corrida.
tacos al carbon,
frijoles charros
http://www.cubabakery.com/media/img/gallery/thumbnails_tilted/frijoles_charros.png
y flan.

http://alotaboutnothing.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/flan.jpg

[W3MIV]

You don't know what you're missing...

[w3bny]

My wife cant stand patitias...pickled, stewed, or otherwise! Must be the collagen tendons etc. I like em.

[kc7jty]

You don't know what you're missing...

You have my attention, how about a recipe.

[W3MIV]

Make up a marinade by adding a tablespoon of Montreal Steak Seasoning, a tablespoon of minced garlic, a tablespoon of dried onion flakes, two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and a teaspoon or more (I like a tablespoon, but you may not) of crushed red peppers to a bottle of beer that has been allowed to go flat. Mix the ingredients well; the salt in the MSS will likely raise some head, but that is not a worry.

Take the flank steak (say about two pounds) and punch well on both sides with a sharp fork -- I use a regular tenderizing tool with sixteen sharp blades, but the fork works OK if you use some muscle. Punch it all over on both sides.

Roll the flank steak loosely and put it in gallon zip lock; pour the beer marinade in (scraping all the bits in) and shake it around to mix. Squeeze out as much air as you can and re-seal the bag. Put it in the fridge overnight. Grill it over a hot fire -- it is thin, so a really hot fire will give you a rarer flank steak with a nicely crusted outside.

Slice it across the grain -- tilt the blade back so that you are cutting on a very steep angle to make the slices wider. Keep them thin.

Serve as an entre or use the slices as a garnish on a spinach salad with just a touch of balsamic and EVO.

[W5GA]

I think flank steak is about the most flavorful cut of beef there is, and in fact I like it even better than a rib steak. I just do it as it comes out of the package either on the grill or in a pan. A dash of Lea & Perrins, some salt and pepper and I'm good to go.

[kc7jty]

Sounds good Alb, tnx.
Just bought 2 t-bones yesterday to grill tamale y Domingo so it will have to wait till next time it goes on sale.