Friday, March 16, 2018

Korean Flank Steak Lettuce Wraps with Hoisin Onions

[FTC Disclaimer] This post is sponsored by the Certified Angus Beef ® brand in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC. All opinions are my own.

Optimum grilling season is here!  Sure I grill all year long but it is much more enjoyable when Daylight Savings Time changes, warmer temps arrive, and the grey winter skies take a hike.  

Earlier this week, Alexis found a gorgeous Certified Angus Beef® Brand flank steak at Food City, and I couldn't wait to get it on the grill.

Cooking Korean style flank steak on a Big Green Egg mini-max.

Of course, Springtime means trying to fine tune that "beach body."  Flank steak is a wise choice for that because according to Men's Health, flank steak is low calorie, high protein, and is rich in flavor. So we decided to make these Korean(ish) Flank Steak Lettuce Wraps with Hoisin Onions - they have the big taste but won't give you a big waist.


Korean Flank Steak Lettuce Wraps with Hoisin Onions


Korean Flank Steak Lettuce Wraps with Hoisin Onions

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds Certified Angus Beef® Brand Flank Steak
  • 1 head Bibb lettuce
  • sesame seeds
  • 1 cup dry sweet jasmine rice, cooked according to directions and cooled

For the marinade (adapted from this recipe on BigOven)

  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup spicy honey (see substitutions)
  • 2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce (see substitutions) 
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1.5 teaspoons ginger paste
  • 1/2 cup peanut oil

For the hoisin onions

  • 2 sweet onions, peeled and cut into 1/4" wedges
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup sliced roasted red bell pepper
  • 1 ounce hoisin sauce
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce

Instructions

  1. Marinate the steak.  Mix the marinade ingredients.  Score the steak making 1/8" cuts diagonally across the steak.  Place the steak in a zip top bag, pour the marinade over the steak, press out any excess air, and seal the bag.  Place on refrigeration for 8 hours.
  2. Temper the steak by removing it from refrigeration 1 hour before grilling.
  3. Preheat your grill to 450°f (medium-high heat).
  4. Grill the steak until it reaches an internal temperature of 125°f, about 4 minutes per side.  Remove and let rest on a cooling rack.
  5. Preheat a wok over the fire.  
  6. Stir fry the onions. Add 2 tablespoons of a high-temperature oil (peanut, avocado, canola) and let get hot, about 30 seconds.  Add the onions, sprinkle with salt and stir-fry the onions until they begin to turn tender about 3-4 minutes.
  7. Finish the onions.  Add the red bell pepper, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and ginger and stir-fry until the sauce thickens, 1-2 minutes.  Remove from heat.
  8. Slice the steak against the grain as thinly as possible.
  9. Assemble the wraps.  Break off the lettuce leaves, wash and rinse them.  Top each leaf with a little less than a 1/4 cup of rice.  Place 3-4 strips of the beef slices and top with a spoonful of the onions. Garnish with sesame seeds.
  10. Serve with extra sauce on the side.

Notes/Substitutions

  • Spicy honey - We buy ours from a local supplier, but some grocery stores carry it now.  You can just add a pinch or two of cayenne to regular honey.
  • Sweet soy sauce - or kecap mannis, is nothing like soy sauce.  We buy ours at an Asian grocer here in Knoxville.  If you can't find it, substitute the thickest teriyaki sauce that you can find.

Extra marbled flank steak from #BestAngusBeef Certified Angus Beef
Flank steaks usually don't have much marbling, but this one did, and it also had a deep red color.


You don't want your rice to be too hot, or it will wilt your lettuce.  So spread it out on a sheet pan to cool it for a few minutes.  Do NOT leave rice out at room temperature for long.

Preheating a Big Green Egg Mini-Max
My weapon of choice for this night was a small kamado grill.  Small grills are excellent for cooking just one or two steaks because they give out high heat without wasting a lot of coal.

Tips for grilling flank steak
This is why you score the meat.  See how the marinade has gotten down into the groves of the score marks?  That pays off in flavor dividends.

Flank steak grilling on a Big Green Egg mini-max with #GrillGrates
Four minutes a side was all this flank steak needed.  Sugary marinades can stick so make sure the grates are cleaned and oiled before stick your meat on it.  If it is sticking a little bit, just let it cook a bit longer.  The meat will try to release once it has cooked.

While the steak rests, it's time to stir fry the onions.

These onions were so good that they would be a standalone dish with a little rice. They would be suitable for adorning steak or on top of a burger.


Cooked to barely medium rare and thinly sliced, flank steak is as tender as can be.

The sauce was so good that we made an extra batch and added a squirt of sriracha sauce to serve with the lettuce wraps.

Gratuitous shot of the dying embers.