When Summer is here, it's time to spend time enjoying the great outdoors and in the backyard with friends. I'm really excited to be partnering with True Aussie Beef & Lamb and Big Green Egg to work on some delicious recipes to get you cooking in your great outdoors with their amazing products.
There's just something that says "Summer" when I taste a lightly marinated and perfectly cooked Grassfed Flank Steak topped with a fresh breadcrumb salsa. Flank Steak was made to accept a quick marinade and cook really quickly; which means you won't be spending too much time over the grill. One of the great things about proteins that cook quickly is you don't really have to worry about trying to perfect the cooking time of a 2" thick steak, which can be really difficult to do. But for a Flank Steak, you really just need a super hot flame to get the sear, then it’s just a few minutes of cooking per side for this steak.
The Bread Crumb Salsa is so fresh tasting with tomatoes, parsley, shallots, fresh-made breadcrumbs, olive oil and red wine vinegar. The salsa is a little like a mini version of Panzanella (bread salad), which is one of my favorite summer salads. The red wine vinegar and other fresh ingredients balance so well with the steak marinade.
I like to use a fork to poke holes on each side of the meat, which allows the marinade to penetrate more quickly. Simply blend up the marinade ingredients, rub it into the steak and let it sit for at least 30 minutes or overnight. Since Flank Steak has so much flavor as it is, the marinade just compliments and doesn't overpower it.
Get fired up about Grilling and Barbecuing again
I can't tell you how excited I am to be cooking in a Big Green Egg. If you aren't familiar, it's a kamado-style ceramic charcoal barbecue cooker that has a cult following called Eggheads.
It really does live up to its hype. I've had a charcoal grill for a long time (gas has never been my thing). In my opinion, charcoal is much more controllable, hotter and just makes the food taste better. Gas doesn't really add smoky flavor unless you add smoke chips. There's something therapeutic about going out and lighting a charcoal grill. The whole process (which really isn't much of a process) of prepping, lighting and watch the fire grow and the smell of the charcoal burn just makes outdoor grilling what it is.
The big green egg will change your cooking life and get you fired up about grilling from the very first time you use it. Be sure to check out all the other Big Green Egg Recipes.
This grill is heavy! And it's heavy because the ceramic walls are so thick. Being thick and heavy keeps the heat on the inside. Since it maintains the heat, you will burn less charcoal. Burning less charcoal means that you can cook for hours and hours at a constant temperature without having to add more charcoal like has to be done with most barbecues.
I've never seen a grill where you can precisely control the temperature. You do this by adjusting the bottom and top vents.
It's a little like magic how easy it is to get it started
I've always used a chimney starter to get the charcoal started, but The Big Green Egg comes with All Natural Charcoal Starters starters that look like little brownies. These starters are something else. You simply place it on top of the charcoal, light it, and you have hot coals ready for cooking in 10 to 15 minutes.
One other benefit that you don't really think of or hear about is that you don't use very much charcoal. When you are done; you close the vents and the lid and the fire goes out very quickly. You can just add a little more charcoal and re-light the next time you want to use it.
They recommend always using lump charcoal, which is pure wood with no additives and is different from charcoal briquettes.
Grassfed beef is lean, which means that it requires less cooking time because of the high protein-to-fat ratio. It can take about 30% less cooking time, so keep that in mind.
The Breadcrumb Salsa: This stuff is so simple, yet so good. The breadcrumbs aren't the breadcrumbs that you get in a package, you will need to make your own by dicing up some bread. It can be any kind of bread, but I prefer crusty bread for this. The diced bread will be sauteed with a little oil until they are crunchy little croutons. The Salsa can be made ahead of time; just leave the breadcrumbs out until the last minute so they stay crunchy.
Flank steak is wonderful with this fresh breadcrumb salsa, but you could also put it in tacos, on sandwiches, over a salad or even as a savory breakfast. Serve it with some grilled broccolini and grilled potatoes.
More Delicious Steak Recipes to Try
- Grilled Ribeye Steaks
- Marinated and Grilled Flap Steak
- How to Reverse Sear a Steak
- Sous Vide Steak
- New York Strip Steak Cooked with the Quick Flip Method
Flank Steak with Breadcrumb Salsa
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb Flank Steak , trimmed
- kosher salt & pepper
Marinade
- 1 coarsely chopped shallot
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 tablespoons parsley
- ¼ cup olive oil
Bread Crumb Salsa
- 2 cups diced tomatoes (about 3 large roma tomatoes)
- ¾ cup finely chopped shallots (about 2-3 shallots)
- 1 - 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar adjust to taste
- 1 cup chopped parsley
- ⅛ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups toasted breadcrumbs (recipe follows)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- freshly ground pepper
Bread Crumbs
- 2 cups diced bread
- 1 tablespoon oil
Instructions
To make the marinade
- Combine all marinade ingredients in a blender or use a hand blender and blend until smooth (scraping the sides as necessary).
- Place the steak on a large plate or in a baking dish.
- Using a fork, poke holes throughout the steak on both sides.
- Pour the marinade over the steak and massage it in on both sides.
- Let marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
To make the breadcrumb salsa
- Make the breadcrumbs by heating 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced bread and sautée until golden and crunchy, about 5 minutes.
- Combine all the salsa ingredients except for the toasted breadcrumbs in a medium bowl.
- Mix well and taste for seasoning. Add more salt and red wine vinegar as necessary.
- Set aside until you are ready to serve, then Add the breadcrumbs at the last minute and mix before serving.
To cook the steak
- Bring the steak to room temperature if it was refrigerated.
- Wipe off excess marinade with paper towels.
- Heat your grill on high for at least 5 minutes.
- Season the steak well with kosher salt & freshly ground pepper.
- Grill the steak over high for about 4 to 6 minutes per side, or until the desired internal temperature is reached (120 to 125° F for medium-rare). Verify with a meat thermometer.
- Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes covered with aluminum foil.
- Slice the steak very thin across the grain.
- Mix in the breadcrumbs with the prepared salsa and serve over the top of the sliced steak.
This post is in partnership with True Aussie Beef & Lamb and The Big Green Egg. All opinions and thoughts are always my own.
Adriaan says
Made the recipe for a belated 4th of July celebration and followed your instructions to the letter, though I don't (yet) have a "Green Egg". It came out great, particularly the breadcrumb salsa. I added some left-over Spanish rice and that benefitted also from the salsa. Thanks for a great dinner, Justin!
justin says
Hey Adriaan - So glad it came out great and you enjoyed it. I also love the breadcrumb salsa. It would be great on lots of other things. Hope you entered to win a big green egg so you can have one. 🙂
Jeff Honeywood says
I'm incredibly envious of your photography skills, and even more envious that you got to eat that steak. One of these days I hope my photography skills get to this point, but until then I'll just study yours trying to figure out how to get just a little better.
justin says
Hey Jeff - Thank you so much for the kind words. I'm going to start posting about photography topics, which will hopefully help others and help me get better too. Don't worry, I feel envious and inspired every time I open up Instagram or my favorite food blogs and see their beautiful work.
Your recipes look delicious!