Minute steak?

Thanks all for the great answers, as always. They're still defrosting so I'll cook them tomorrow night. (I marked as urgent because I was shopping this morning; hope that wasn't an abuse of the urgent tag!) We don't have a grill--or yard for one, sadly--so I'll get the cast iron skillet as hot as I can and hope for the best. Will report back for sure.

Hey, no worries. There are many ways of approaching the flavoring issue. Lime before and lime after are both common in Mexico, as are fancier preparations. You do need to be careful though with such high heat and spices that burn.

My worst experience with a similar cut (flank) involved attempting to follow one of Alton Brown's crazy techniques. He called for setting the steak directly on the coals for the quickest possible sear. It wasn't until I was chewing on and subsequently spitting out numerous crunchy black bits that it dawned on me I should have used lump charcoal and I'd grabbed the briquettes without thinking.

I think the taco idea is a good one, especially if you have the enchiladas, lime, cilantro, etc. I think usuba dashi is correct in that it is certainly from the round. That means no marbling, and very little flavor. It might benefit from a marinade without any acid, like soy, oil, and some cumin and chili powder. You could, if you're grilling, build up an extremely hot surface where you can basically set the steaks on fire for a minute. That would give you some char, at least.

I'm thinking that at 1/4 inch thickness, you have two or three square feet of product, so you will have to work in batches. That might afford the opportunity to do something like "minute steak six ways."

Please write tomorrow and let everyone know how you made out. Happy holiday!

Funny, my first thought was tacos as well.

The key is high heat -- *very* high heat and quick cooking to sear the outside without overcooking the inside. Kiawe (mesquite) lump charcoal is best, briquettes second best, everything else a distant second. Timing will depend on the heat source but figure 1 minute per side. They don't call 'em minute steaks for nothing. (But of course let them rest a few minutes before slicing.)

Cut the steaks with the grain into strips about 3-inches wide, squeeze on a little lime juice, salt and pepper 10 min. before grilling.

You can build the entire meal around the grill -- onions, corn, peppers, pineapples…

And it's an excellent opportunity to practice your corn tortilla making skills!


http://www.rickbayless.com/recipes/

If it is real minute steak, then it should have been run through a macerator that has scored the thin steak with lots of little cuts that break down the tough fibers of a more tough muscle section of the beef, generally from the rounds. This was very popular in the 50's thru 70's when there where still locker plants that custom cut local farmers animals and stored them in freezers if you did not have a home freezer. Their name says it all . . . it cooks in a minute, sometimes served in a roll with cheese, onions, etc. Almost in the same vein as Philly cheese steaks.

Minute steaks are usually a thin cut so forget medium rare, but you can slice into strips and use in a taco, a salad topping, a stir fry, chop for a hamburger soup, grind for a steak tartar, etc.