Marinated Flank Steak or how to turn shoe leather into sirloin steak

This week's recipe is not my own.  I openly admit it.  But it's incredibly good and I couldn't let a grilling season go by without sharing it.

We visited Liz's cousin, Pam, in Boise a few years ago and they prepared this flank steak for a big family barbecue.  Now usually flank and skirt steaks are the toughest cuts of meats you can buy.  A cut of meat is tougher depending on how close it was to the ground when it was part of the cow.  Since flanks and skirts come from the bottom of the chest and abdomen of the cow, it's some of the toughest.  The advantage it has is that it can be very flavorful.

This steak was delicious.  A perfect combination of salty, sweet, and spicy (and not in the hot spicy sort of way.)  And with the long marinade and preparation, it was pretty darn tender.  How did she make it this way?

First, the type of marinade.  A good marinade has a combination of acids, oils and spices to pass some great flavors into the tissues.  And her combinations were great.

Second, the length of time of the marinading process.  Now if you marinade something for flavor, you can do it for as little 15 minutes.  But the longer you marinade something, the softer the meat will be.  The acidity in the V8 and coke breaks down the muscle tissue during a good, loan soak.  It won't dissolve it all together like they show you in those science fair projects, but it will loosen up the fibers in the meat to where a skirt or flank steak can be almost as soft as a sirloin. 

Third, the scoring of the meat.  She dragged the knife vertically and horizontally across the top and bottom of the meat creating 1/8 to 1/4 inch deep.  Those slight slices gave the meat more surface area, so more chances for the marinade to sink in deeply.

Make sure you prepare this item at least a day before you plan on serving it, so the natural tenderizing can occur. 

Marinated Flank or Skirt Steak
Serves 4-6 depending on how big the steak is

1-2 lbs of flank steak
1/3 cup spicy V-8 juice
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 canola oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 can coke

Combine all of the marinade ingredients into a ziploc bag and shake until thoroughly combined.  Add the steak into the bag and seal tightly.  Place that bag into another bag or into an 8'x8' pan and place in the fridge for at least one day, up to three.  At least once a day, squeeze the bag to move the marinade around and flip the steak over so the other side is facing up.  When ready to cook, set your grill to high heat and cook the steak for 5 minutes each side.  Remove from the heat and let it rest for 5-8 minutes before cutting and serving.

So try this recipe tonight and see if you like Pam's recipe as much as I do.