Stuffed & Grilled Flank Steak

Recently my son was here with my grandson and we decided to barbecue one night. I had my mother’s old barbecue and after we had the food on it we could smell rubber burning. My son discovered that the hose to the gas tank was on fire! He turned off the gas and disconnected it before the tank blew up… needless to say - it went to the dump. The following week I had a house full of guests at the B&B who asked if they could borrow my barbecue to fix dinner one night. I told them about the incident but said I had been thinking of getting a new barbecue for a few years - just hadn’t done so and now that I was without one I was more motivated to get one. I had been looking at one at the local hardware store that used wood pellets instead of gas so I went back down to ask more questions and ended up buying one. My guests used it that night to cook both steaks and fish and let me have some of each and I was very impressed with the flavor. Since then I have cooked chicken, hamburgers and vegetables on it. It is almost maintenance free as there is very little ash left over and all you have to do is plug it in, dump in the flavored pellets and push a button. I love it.
The recipe that my son and I used on the old barbecue follows. We had to finish it off inside on the stove but it was still very good. I plan on making this again on the new barbecue very soon.

Stuffed & Grilled Flank Steak

Source: Cuisine at Home
August 2010

Whereas the traditional stuffing technique involves cutting and pounding a flank steak into shape, here all you do is cut it in half so it opens like a book. That gives you plenty of area to fill but with less effort. And instead of fussing with butcher’s twine and a bunch of knots to tie up the roll, here you just stitch up the two ends of the rolled steak with a bamboo or metal skewer.
It’s important to note that flank is the preferred steak for this technique. It stuffs easily and grills quickly. Flank does have a reputation for toughness but only if overcooked or improperly cut. Sliced against the grain, a medium-rare flank steak is perfectly succulent and tender.
Marinating the steak in wine and soy sauce further tenderizes the meat while adding deep flavor, and any marinade on the steak’s surface caramelizes into a rich glaze during grilling.
Stuffed Flank Steak with red wine marinade
For convenience, the roll con be prepared up to a day ahead and refrigerated. Save any remaining marinade and baste the steak with it while grilling.
112 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 1/2 lb. flank steak, trimmed
1 recipe  Hash Brown or Pizza Stuffing (recipes below)
Salt and black pepper
Combine wine, soy sauce, garlic, brown sugar, tomato paste, black pepper, and pepper flakes in a resealable plastic bag; seal and shake until sugar dissolves. Cut steak open like a book; marinate in bag for 30 minutes, turning once. Prepare grill for indirect grilling, heating one side to medium-high and the other side to low. Brush grill grate with oil.
Fill steak with desired stuffing. Roll so that one side overlaps the other by an inch; secure with a skewer; season with salt and black pepper. Grill stuffed steak, covered, over medium-high heat, 12 minutes total, turning to sear on all four sides. Move to low heat side; grill 6 minutes, flipping once. Remove roll to a cutting board; tent with foil and rest 10 minutes before slicing. To serve, remove skewer and slice steak roll against the grain into 8 roughly 1-inch-thick rounds.
Note: Marinating the steak in the red wine mixture helps tenderize the meat and infuse it with rich flavor.
To secure the roll, carefully thread a metal skewer through the two overlapping sides of the steak.
Of course, flank steak is only half of this food equation. It’s the stuffings that make this an eating experience, and these two beauties are not only tasty but also a walk in the park to assemble.
The Creole Hash Brown Stuffing is a spicy riff on a breakfast favorite. For convenience, I used store-bought shredded potatoes in this recipe, but you can also make your own, if you prefer. Bacon, garlic, and bell peppers round out the morning meal theme, and Creole seasoning adds heat. Cajun seasoning works just as well.
The Pizza Stuffing is about ooey, gooey layers of flavor, starting with sun-dried tomato pesto. The spinach and mushrooms that follow release water as they cook, so sauté them first, and press any excess moisture from them to keep the stuffing dry. The last layers are cheese and pepperoni.
As you layer the filling, leave a border around the steak edges so that when rolled over the filling they overlap by an inch. This way as the steak shrinks during cooking and the cheese melts, the filling stays safely tucked inside.

Creole Hash Brown Stuffing with scallions and peppers

For more or less heat, simply odd or subtract 1 tsp. of Creole seasoning.
Makes about 3 cups
4 strips thick-sliced bacon - diced
2 cups fresh or frozen shredded potatoes
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2cup diced yellow bell pepper
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. Creole or Cajun seasoning
1 tsp. paprika
1 cup diced pepper Jack cheese - (4 oz.)
1 bunch scallions, trimmed
Cook bacon in a sauté pan over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Set bacon aside and return drippings to the pan. Add potatoes to same pan in a single layer. Do not stir. Cook until they start to brown, about 10 minutes. Stir once, and let cook another 3 minutes. Add bell peppers and sauté mixture until peppers begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic, Creole seasoning, and paprika; cook 2 minutes. Remove potato mixture from pan and cool to room temperature. Add cheese and stir to combine. Prepare steak for stuffing according to directions on page 25. Spread stuffing evenly onto 2/3 of the cut side of the meat. Place scallion bunch on the middle of the stuffing layer. Roll steak around the stuffing so the ends just overlap. Weave a skewer through the steak edges to seal roll.

Pizza Stuffing with mushrooms and olives

Buy high-quality pepperoni for this recipe. Cheap brands tend to be greasy, which will ruin the stuffing.
Makes 3 cups
3 cups sliced button mushrooms - (8 oz.)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 bag baby spinach - (6 oz.)
1/2 cup pimento-stuffed green olives - chopped
1/2 cup pitted and chopped kalamata olives
1/4 cup prepared sun-dried tomato pesto (recipes follows)
1 pkg. pizzeria-style blend shredded cheese-divided (8 oz.)
4 oz. sliced pepperoni
Sauté mushrooms in oil in a large skillet until beginning to brown, 3-5 minutes. Continue sautéing mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until they release their juices, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes; sauté 1 minute. Add spinach and stir until wilted. Transfer mixture to a colander to drain and press with a spoon to remove excess moisture. Mix spinach mixture with olives. Prepare steak for stuffing. Spread tomato pesto over 2/3 of cut side of steak. Layer with the spinach mixture. Top spinach mixture with half of the cheese. Layer pepperoni over cheese and top with remaining cheese. Roll steak around the stuffing so the ends just overlap. Weave a skewer through the steak edges to seal roll.

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

Source: allrecipes.com 2010

“Sun-dried tomatoes are blended with fresh herbs, pine nuts, garlic, balsamic vinegar, red wine, olive oil and Parmesan. This is fabulous on pasta, pizza and sandwiches.”
4 ounces sun-dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped pine nuts
3 tablespoons chopped onion
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/3 cup crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup red wine
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt to taste
Place sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl and cover with warm water for 5 minutes, or until tender.
In a food processor or blender combine sun-dried tomatoes, basil, parsley, garlic, pine nuts and onion; process until well blended. Add vinegar, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes and red wine, and process. Stir in olive oil and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt to taste. Print this post