flank steak question

[JJ40]

I made a flank steak a while back that I loved, and I've seen other posts on here about flank steak recipes.

Trouble is, I've been to 4 grocery stores in the past 2 days and can't find a flank steak to save my life!! Is there another cut of beef that is similar that I could use instead??

Thanks,
Julie

[Laura B]

I posed this question to the "meat guy" at my grocery store. And, would you believe, I cannot remember what he said! I THINK he said you could use a skirt steak. Everyone else, does this sound right??

[JJ40]

Skirt steak? I've never seen those in the store. I think part of the problem is that I live in Canada, and I think somehow that cuts of beef are named differently here...(does that make any sense?) http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Natasha]

Julie:

I plugged in "flank" in the Cook's Thesaurus ( http://www.switcheroo.com ) and got this:

Cook's Thesaurus: Beef
... brisket Substitutes: flank steak carne seca Substitutes: beef jerky chateaubriand Notes: This is a large, tender, and pricey cut of meat. Substitutes: filet mignon
(smaller, leaner, not quite as tender) chuck pot roast chuck steak ... http://www.foodsubs.com/Meats.html

Hope this helps!

[This message has been edited by Natasha (edited 08-04-2000).]

[JJ40]

It does help, thank you! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Natasha]

Sorry Julie - that was when I plugged in the word flank. When I plugged in flank STEAK, I got this:

flank steak Substitutes: skirt steak OR London broil OR beef brisket

So this is the correct list of substitutes for flank steak. Laura - you were right about the skirt steak! I have never heard of that. Sure brings a funny picture to mind!

[Ohioan]

I recently saw an article on flank steak in (gasp) another magazine, but I can't for the life of me remember which one. Cuisine, maybe? Anyway, the article did show the flank steak and skirt steak side by side and pointed out that the grain of the meat ran in different directions. I think they also said the flank steak was leaner.

Phoebe

[ElinorC]

Flank steak is also rather tough. When cooking don't cook too long. It's much better eaten medium rare.

[Mamasue]

I buy and use London Broil. This is a cut of meat that needs to be marinated, cooked on the rare side and sliced off the grain...but a great tasting meat http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Laura B]

Originally posted by ElinorC:
Flank steak is also rather tough. When cooking don't cook too long. It's much better eaten medium rare.

Yes, and slice it in very thin slices across the grain. I think most all of the CL recipes that use flank steak call for slicing it thin and it is because it is a tough cut. But YUMMY!

[JennyLiz]

Years ago, skirt steak was considered a junk cut (it is really tough if you don't prepare it properly). You couldn't find it at all in supermarket butcher depts. Skirt steak is typically the cut used is fajitas. With the rise in popularity of fajitas, it's more readily available. JennyLiz

[This message has been edited by JennyLiz (edited 08-05-2000).]

[Ohioan]

Years ago, I used to make potted stuffed flank steak: Cut a pocket all the way through the flank steak horizontally, and stuff with a mixture of bread crumbs, minced garlic, chopped black olives, chopped mushrooms, and grated Romano cheese, plus some salt and pepper and I think a bit of oregano (it really was a long time ago). Seal the pocket with toothpicks or skewers. Then brown some onions in a bit of olive oil, add the flank steak, and brown it in the onions. Add water and just a touch of chopped tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and continue to cook it slowly over low heat as you would a pot roast. I seem to remember letting this cook all afternoon, occasionally adding water to keep it from sticking and burning. By the end, the flank steak was falling to pieces, and the gravy was out of this world, especially since some of the stuffing invariably leaked out into it.

Can anyone make sense out of this non-recipe? As I say, it was a long time ago....

Phoebe

[This message has been edited by Ohioan (edited 08-05-2000).]