This is a simple recipe I’ve been bragging about on the Twit podcast. I’ll reprise all my old Boardwatch and other recipes over the next month.

Perfect Flank steak (London Broil)

Ingredients:
1 1/2- 2 pound flank steak
soya sauce (Japanese style)
sumac (powdered)
Mesquite fire

Directions:

Put whole flank steak into a shallow pan the bottom of which has 1/8-inch of Japanese style light soya sauce (Kikkoman is perfect for this). Cover the top of the meat with more soya sauce. Let stand (turning several times) in the marinade for 15-20 minutes but no longer as it begins to cook the meat.

Have ready a mesquite charcoal fire going in a barbecue grill. Make sure there are enough embers to produce flames from the charcoal. Toss the flank steak on the grill and cook for 4 minutes on each side (this has to be adjusted with meat thickness). The meat should be cooked rare but should be nice and seared on the outside.

Slice the meat across the grain at a sharp angle and in thin slices. Layer the pieces on the plate so the red center of each piece shows. Sprinkle a tablespoon of sumac over the slices. Sumac is a lemon-flavored Middle Eastern spice found at International grocers. It’s not critical to the success of this dish, but it’s a great flourish.

This dish can also be accomplished under a good broiler but never picks up the wood flavors and it is more difficult to sear. You need a hot temperature to make the recipe work. When you start to nail this recipe, it’s exceptionally spectacular. It takes a couple of shots to get it down. I’ve seen variations on the presentation where the meat is topped with chimichurra or placed on top of a mixture of crushed tomatoes, garlic and basil. Whatever is done, the marinade/cooking process is the most critical aspect of this dish.

This goes well with a salad and a good rice dish.