Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Grilled Flank Steak with Mushrooms


Did you know that the word grilling does not have the same meaning worldwide? What we refer to as grilling in United States and Canada is known as broiling in the United Kingdom and Ireland.  For this Grilled Flank Steak with Mushrooms recipe, I am referring to grilling, as in spring-is-here-we're-going-outside-and-using-the-grill grilling.  Broiling is another option for you if it is not yet grilling season where you live or if you do not have access to a grill.  Preparation and cooking times would remain the same as listed on the recipe, but be sure to check the doneness of your steak after turning it since everyone has their own preferences.

We do all of our grilling on a Traeger, a type of grill which infuses smoke into your foods while cooking.  I love food that comes off the Traeger--nothing beats the wonderfully smokey flavor that is permeated into meats and vegetables while grilling.  However, that smokey flavor can also come from the use of wood chips while using a gas or charcoal grill.  Wood chips can be purchased at most hardware stores, Home Depots, or wherever grilling supplies are sold.  To use, follow the instructions listed on the bag, but generally, the wood chips are simply soaked in water for 30 minutes and then added under your grate while grilling.  They come in many varieties, but I recommend Hickory for the best flavor.  Consider yourself warned though;  the smokey taste is addictive.  Once you become aware of how easy wood chips are to use and how much additional flavor they infuse into your grilled foods, you will not want to go back to just regular ol' grilling.

For this recipe, the mushrooms are started with a dry saute until they release their moisture, then followed by a wet saute in butter, and finished in a red wine reduction sauce.  They taste amazing alone, but wait until you pair them with a juicy, grilled (hopefully smoked) steak.  The finished product will amaze you.  It's one of those recipes where your taste buds get up and dance around the table after each bite.

INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds flank steak
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 pounds mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup shallots, minced
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup beef broth
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley, minced

DIRECTIONS:
1.  Generously apply olive oil, salt, and pepper to both sides of steak.  Sprinkle with mustard seeds and allow to sit on counter to reach room temperature.  Prepare grill.  (Note:  We do all of our grilling on a Traeger, which is why there is a foil liner under the steak.  This is not necessary for a gas or charcoal grill.)


2.  Meanwhile, add mushrooms to large skillet set over medium-high heat. Sprinkle with salt and dry saute, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms release their moisture, about 3-5 minutes.


3.  Add butter, shallots, and rosemary to skillet;  stir to combine and continue to saute over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.


4.  Add red wine and beef broth to skillet; stir to combine and bring to boil.  Reduce heat to medium and allow to simmer until sauce has reduced by half.  Turn off heat.


5.  While mushrooms are cooking and after grill is hot, place steak on oiled grill rack and grill for 5-7 minutes without moving steak, or until steak is well-seared and dark brown on one side.  Flip steak and continue to grill on second side for an additional 2-5 minutes for medium-rare, or until the interior of the steak is slightly less done than what you would like it to be when you eat it.  (Make a small cut in steak to check for doneness.)  Remove steak from grill and transfer to cutting board, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes to allow juices to redistribute evenly throughout the meat.  (Note:  Grilling on a Traeger grill does not score the steak with grate lines.)


6.  Finish the mushrooms by returning skillet to medium-high heat; add any meat juices from steak that accumulated while resting.  Boil down sauce until liquid is almost a glaze consistency.  Add salt and pepper if desired after taste test.


7.  Thinly slice steak, on the bias across the grain, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as desired.  Top with mushrooms and flat leaf parsley.  Serve immediately.


Recipe from Simply Recipes
Printer Friendly Recipe

This recipe is linked to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday Parade of Foods, and Tasty Tuesdays

5 comments:

laura {who planned this} said...

Looks delicious - before you put all those mushrooms on top :-) Just curious, we put our meat directly on our Traegar, why don't you? Am I missing something?
Laura

Lynn said...

I am so with you on moving dinner outdoors and on to the grill this time of year! Unfortunately, we are supposed to get more snow later this week. I tend to use the same marinade every time for my flank steak so I am going to bookmark this to use once it warms up. Bonus that my kids love mushrooms!

Mamahollioni said...

Laura--we put the foil liner sometimes and sometimes we don't. I really depends on what we're cooking, for how long, and if we want drippings or not.

Lynn--More snow? Whew, that's rough! So sorry. I bet you will appreciate spring even more once you finally feel its presence!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for some quality points there. I am kind of new to online , so I printed this off to put in my file, any better way to go about keeping track of it then printing?

Mamahollioni said...

Yes, there are several online bookmarking sites that collect things you would like to save. Delicious.com is one bookmarking site that allows you to save any recipe from any site. Pinterest.com is another--it allows you to save anything, not just recipes.