Cuban Flank Steak Recipe

In my previous life, before I became a food blogger and a South Beach Dieter, I used to be president of my local teacher's association, aka the teacher's union. This was a demanding high-pressure job that I sometimes loved, sometimes hated, but one thing I did enjoy about the job was the chance to travel. I went to trainings all over the U.S., and it was in Miami Beach that I had my first experience with Cuban food.

The marinade for this flank steak is something I came up with, and it's probably not all that authentically Cuban; the Cuban influence is the idea of marinating meat in lime juice, cumin and garlic. This was a combination of ingredients that really tasted great to me. When I posted South Beach Recipes of the Week this week, I focused on beef recipes, and mentioned that I don't eat a lot of beef. That's true, but as you can see by the photo, when I do eat beef, I like it pretty rare. If that's not your preference, you can cook this longer than I did, and the marinating will keep it moist while it grills.

This is how the flank steak will look when you take it off the grill. Cover it with some foil and let it rest about 5 minutes before you slice it across the grain. Don't skip the resting stage, it's important for keeping the meat juicy.

Flank steak like this is best cooked right before you eat it. If you're only cooking for one or two people, Mark Bittman has a great tip in his excellent book How to Cook Anything. He suggests marinating the whole flank steak, but cutting it in half before cooking. Keep the second half marinating in the refrigerator and cook it the next day to use on salad or in a stir-fry. (More about this on page 427 if you have the book. This is a great resource book for anyone who's learning to cook.)

Cuban Flank Steak
(4-6 servings, recipe created by Kalyn)

1 large piece of flank steak, 2-3 pounds
Marinade:
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 T soy sauce
1/2 tsp. ground chipotle chile powder, I use Penzeys
(or use your favorite hot sauce)
2 tsp. lime zest (optional)

Combine marinade ingredients. Put flank steak into a ziploc bag and pour marinade in, seal bag, and marinate all day in refrigerator. (You can marinate up to 24 hours if desired.)

Take meat out of refrigerator and let it come to room temperature before grilling. Preheat gas or charcoal barbecue grill to medium high (you can only keep your hand there for a few seconds.)

Grill meat to desired doneness, approximately 4-5 minutes per side for rare to medium rare or 6-7 minutes for medium to medium-well. Time will depend on the thickness of your flank steak, the best way to judge the doneness is to use an instant-read meat thermometer. (The meat in the photo was cooked about 5 minutes per side, but it was quite a thick cut.)

Remove meat from grill and let rest about 5 minutes. (You can cover with foil to keep it warm if needed.) Slice across the grain and serve warm.

Because flank steak is such a lean cut, this is perfect for any phase of the South Beach Diet. I served mine with Black Beans with Cilantro and a green salad with Mary's Perfect Salad Dressing. For phase two or three, you could serve something like Lake Powell Spicy Rice along with the beans.

Kitchen help:
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TECHNORATI TAGS:
Food Recipes Cooking South Beach Diet Recipes
Low Carb Recipes Low Glycemic Index Recipes