Friday, August 7, 2015

Grilled Beef Flank Steak “Pastrami” – Backyard Deli

I’ll do a proper pastrami one of these days. Maybe right after I get a smoker. But in the meantime, this pastrami-spiced beef flank steak should do nicely. As with all "cheater" recipes, managing your expectations is key.

You can’t get the texture and color of a real “pastrami” without the curing step, where the meat is soaked in a brine, before being spiced/smoked, but you can get pretty close to the flavor, using the spice rub seen herein.

We’ve used a similar technique to turn plain corned beef into “pastrami,” as well as create a duck Reuben; one of my favorite videos of all time. By the way, the ingredient amounts below have been adjusted slightly, as my spice rub was a tad bit overpowering.

I’ve backed down the black pepper and mustard, but as with all spice amounts, that’s really up to you. If you simply put salt and pepper on a flank steak, and grill it properly, you’ll have something delicious to eat, so keep that in mind as you rub your meat. 

I ate mine fresh, but if you let it cool, slice it thin, and warm it up in a pan with a little splash of water, and a tiny pinch of sugar, you’ll have something even more pastrami-like. I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

SPECIAL NOTE: I let my meat warm to room temp before grilling, so the inside reaches my desired temp a little quicker, and before the outside spice rub gets too black. Conversely, when grilling a steak, and there's nothing to burn on the surface, I generally like the meat cold, so the outside has plenty of time to sear, before the meat inside is done. 


Ingredients for 4 large portions:
1 trimmed beef flank steak (usually 1.5 to 1.75 pounds)
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dry mustard
- For best results, cook to a medium. I pulled at about 135 F. internal temp, which will rise to about 140 F. as it rests.
-Serve with slightly sweetened mustard and rye bread

11 comments:

FSB said...

Is that a pickle on your plate, or are you just glad to see us?

Maverick in Paradise said...

Looks like another winner chef....will definitely be trying this out soon. Although I admit, I didn't quite get the logic on using the honey in there but anyway, still a winner.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

If we were to cook this in the oven, what temperature would you cook it in?

mrharmon7@gmail.com said...

One way to solve the sweetness and smokiness problems would be to brush the raw meat with a mix of molasses and liquid smoke (ala ChefSteps) instead of olive oil.

Unknown said...

Please show me the pickle recipe!

Unknown said...

Your pretty awesome I enjoy watching your channel keep up the good work.

Unknown said...

This was an absolute banger! It was so soft and succulent after resting on the cutting board. Went perfect on jewish rye with spicy brown mustard and a little drizzle of honey

Unknown said...

If the steak is raw will it harm you?
i always eat steak on well done but i want to try steak that is not fully cooked

Unknown said...

Four out of five indecisive rye bread shoppers choose marble...... Good work John. Your ready quipps could take these videos anywhere but focus is a wonderful thing!! I do like these segue touches though.

DJN said...

Who'da thunk it!? Thanks for that. I will give it a go. I do have a Traegar pellet smoker, so I will definitely be smoking. I will send a note with reports on the finished product!