Cuban Style Mojo Marinated Flank Steak

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Anonymous

Senior Cook
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Dec 31, 1969
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i was bored so....

It's not REALLY a Fajita Marinade, but it works. Just make sure you reserve some of the marinade to use as a sauce with the finished product.

CUBAN STYLE MOJO MARINATED FLANK STEAK

Yield: Approx. 6 - 8 oz Portions

Ingredients:

3 lbs. Flank, Skirt, or Hanger Steak
1-2 Fresh Jalapeno or Serrano Chiles
6 Medium Cloves of Garlic
1 cup loosely packed fresh Cilantro, rinsed and dried
2 Tbsp. Fresh Thyme
1/2 Medium sized Red Onion OR 4 Shallots, coarsely chopped
2-3 Tbsp. Honey
Juice of 2 Limes
3/4 cup Corn Oil
Kosher Salt to taste

Method:

Combine all ingredients except for the steak and salt in a food processor or blender, and blend until ingredients are well incorporated. Use just one of the chilis, then add in another if you want it hotter. For one chili, use 2 Tbsp. Honey; use 3 Tbsp. Honey for two chiles. In a ziplock bag or shallow dish, place steak and approx. 1/2 cup of the marinade. Massage marinade into both sides of the meat, and marinate overnight in the refrigerator, turning the meat at least twice.

Prepare Grill to Medium-High. Remove meat from the refrigerator, and let it sit at room temp. for at least 30 minutes. Season both sides of the steak liberally with the Kosher salt and place on the grill. Cook to desired doneness, approx 4 minutes per side for Medium Rare. Using a sharp knife, slice steak on a bias to approx. 1/8"-1/4" slices. Drizzle the remaining marinade over the meat and serve.[/u]
 
hi ironchef,
just wanted to say that the recipe looks really good--i will definitely try it here in the next week or two.
I have a few questions: what defines "mojo"? i was thinking that it must involve sour orange juice. Also, I realize that "true" fajitas must use skirt steak, but i've tried skirt steak twice, and either it really sucks, or the cuts of it we get locally do. I'm inclined to think it's the latter. It's always very stringy, and you have to almost choke it down. I live in the midwest, so I'm assuming that the cuts you can buy in areas with prominent cultures that use it frequently must be superior?
 
one more question

ironchef--
one more question: what is "hanger steak"? that's a cut i haven't heard of. what can you tell me about it?
thanks,
 
For the other post, "hanger steak" is another term for flank steak, or meat coming from roughly the same area of the cow as flank steak. I put that in, just in case some people go to the store or supermarket looking for skirt or flank steak and only see hanger steak, then leave thinking the store doesn't carry the cut they need. Yes, a traditional mojo involves sour orange juice, but this is a modification I made, since fajitas are more Mexican than cuban, and limes to me taste better anyway. Plus the limes seem to help break down any toughness in the meat and help tenderize it.

Regarding the cuts of skirt steak that you get, I would think that the cuts that you get would be superior to those that we get in Hawaii because of the quality and quantity of beef that is raised where you live. At the store that I shop at, there are two types of Black Angus cuts available, one from the mainland, and one from Parker Ranch on the Big Island of Hawaii. They have cuts from the Tenderloin all the way to Chuck Roasts and Short Ribs so I usually buy those vs. the commerical choice cuts that are more readily available. I mean, I guess in theory with fajitas, you shouldn't have to spend the extra money to buy black angus prime vs. choice meat, but I guess if it helps, it helps. Another reason may be that you might not be marinating the meat in enough citrus. I don't have scientific proof, but it does seem that marinades with high citrus or acid content does help break down tougher cuts of meat. With the marinade I posted, you could even add the juice of an additional lime, if you feel the meat you are using will be really tough. Another explation is maybe you aren't cutting your meat thin enough? I would cut it at no more that 1/8" thick, even 1/4" might be too thick if the meat is a little tough. Other than that, as long as the meat is not overcooked it should be ok. If you have a meat mallet then you could pound the steak to help tenderize it as well.

carnivore said:
hi ironchef,
just wanted to say that the recipe looks really good--i will definitely try it here in the next week or two.
I have a few questions: what defines "mojo"? i was thinking that it must involve sour orange juice. Also, I realize that "true" fajitas must use skirt steak, but i've tried skirt steak twice, and either it really sucks, or the cuts of it we get locally do. I'm inclined to think it's the latter. It's always very stringy, and you have to almost choke it down. I live in the midwest, so I'm assuming that the cuts you can buy in areas with prominent cultures that use it frequently must be superior?
 
thanks for the info, ironchef.
i have another question about skirt steak: I've never read anywhere about how (or if you even should) trim a skirt steak. As memory serves, when I buy it at the grocery store it has a 'membrane' type skin on the top of it. should i trim this off as i would trim the membrane off the bottom of a rack of spareribs? I'm wondering if that contributes to it's stringiness...Is there a proper "trim" for skirt steak?
 
after thinking about it, "membrane" is probably a wrong description--I would equate it more to the "silver-skin" on a pork tenderloin (which i always cut off). But I've never seen a cookbook or recipe that called for this to be cut off a skirt steak.
 
silver skin

ooh I forgot about the silver skin too. Yes, you would definitely want to trim that off. unlike fat, the silver skin does not get more tender or flavorful with cooking. using a very sharp boning or paring knife, just lightly scrape the silver skin off the meat. that should also help with the meat being less tough
 
I just tried ironchef's recipe tonight and it's really good. Of course I had to put some extra peppers and garlic in there :D
I also tried trimming the skirt steak as suggested and had no complaints! I think I got a better cut this time, too.
 
Thanks for the info about the silver skin carnivore - The next time I do ribs or flank I will do that. Sunday might be a good fajita night.....

(hey, I'm glad you posted something - I have wondered where you were - thought maybe you fell into your smoker or something :P )
 
Tri-tip

What is tri tip? I have heard this term but only recently. Can someone tell me about it? Is it a new name for an old cut?
 
Re: Tri-tip

hlcole said:
What is tri tip? I have heard this term but only recently. Can someone tell me about it? Is it a new name for an old cut?
A beef tri-tip roast is a boneless cut of meat from the bottom sirloin. It also is called "triangular" roast because of its shape.
 
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