Saturday, May 29, 2010

Lemongrass & Ginger Marinated Skirt Steak

Lemongrass & Ginger Marinated Skirt Steaks
Marinade adapted from Grilling with Flavor!

Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Marinate time: 1 hour on the counter or up to 48 hours in the fridge
Grill time: 8-10 minutes
Resting time: 5 minutes


Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 skirt steak (feeds 4 – but I’m not sure how much it weighed)
Marinade:
2 lemongrass stalks – soft inside part only, finely sliced; or 1 tbsp lemongrass paste in a tube
2” piece fresh ginger root, pealed & grated
1 tbsp Asian chili sauce
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp peanut oil
2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
Juice & zest of 1 lime
1-2 tbsp soy sauce

Directions:
1. Whisk all marinade ingredients together in a zip lock baggie, and set aside.

2. Prepare the skirt steak.
Remove the thick membranes on both sides, using a sharp paring knife to separate the membrane from the meat and then pull the membrane back gently with your fingers until you’ve removed it all.
Check out the grain on the steak, which is now ready to marinate. The grain goes across the narrow end of the skirt steak. Once it's cooked, you'll be cutting across the grain to tenderize the meat.
3. At this point, I usually cut the long skirt steak into individual serving size portions (usually 4). Add the steaks to the marinade and make sure they’re coated on both sides. Let it sit in the marinade on the counter for 1 hour or refrigerate for 24-48 hours, flip the steaks over a couple of times to make sure the marinade works its magic evenly.

4. Before grilling, allow the steaks to come to room temperature (at least 30 minutes).

5. Grill steaks 3 minutes per side and then an additional minute at a time until it’s done to your liking. Total 8-10 for medium-rare.

6. “Resting” Chef Dennis Johnston’s tip: flip the side closest to the grill grates or pan onto a plate so that the meat sits hot side up. This ensures that the heat will rise into the air rather than go through the meat and continue to cook it. Place the plate in the fridge for 4-5 minutes. The center will retain the heat but the meat will be more tender than if you serve it hot off the grill.

7. Like flank steak or brisket, this tough cut of meat so remember to cut across the grain.

2 comments:

Foodiewife said...

Great tips! I love all the Asian flavor layers in the marinade. I'm thawing a flank steak, as I type. This would be delicious, paired with some grilled pineapple spears. Ooooh, a nice Asian style slaw, too. Thanks!

Ruth Daniels said...

Right you are on both counts.