Teriyaki Sirloin Steaks

My husband is your typical meat-and-potatoes guy. Quinoa and kale are not in his vocabulary and while he'll eat salmon and shrimp, it's not his first choice. If he were in charge of the meal planning and cooking, he would eat red meat, if not every day, at least 2-3 times a week. Don't get me wrong. I love meat, too, but in an attempt to serve more healthy meals, I try to limit our consumption of beef to once, maybe twice, a week. We love hamburgers, tacos (with shredded or ground beef), stew, stroganoff, spaghetti & meatballs, meatloaf and, of course, steak. But that steak has to be a good cut, with plenty of marbled fat to help keep it tender. I will occasionally grill a flank steak, but it's not my favorite. Rod and I both love a juicy ribeye, which is a little more flavorful than a tenderloin and just a bit more tender than a New York strip. So when we're at Costco, we stock up on ribeyes. If you've never purchased steaks at Costco, you're missing out. I overheard a shopper complaining about how expensive one package of ribeyes cost (somewhere around $42), but that breaks down to just a little over $10 per steak. I don't know about you, but I've never had a decent steak in a restaurant for that price! But back to this recipe. I'm not sure if I've ever purchased a sirloin steak, but when I saw this recipe in a Weber cookbook, I figured it would be just as good with ribeyes. I was right. My only complaint is that we didn't grill an extra steak. The leftovers would be perfect for lunch in a salad or sandwich. Serve these steaks with a side of risotto shrimp and you've got yourself an elegant meal. Yum!

Teriyaki Sirloin Steaks

(Photo Credit: weber.com)

Ingredients

1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup tamari or reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. dry sherry
1/4 cup water
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
Garlic salt
4 top sirloin steaks (each 8-10 oz. and about 1 1/2 inches thick)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

In a small saucepan, combine the pineapple juice, tamari/soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 cup water, sherry ginger and garlic salt to taste. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 10-12 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. You should have about 1 cup of sauce. 

*The sauce can be made up to 1 week in advance and refrigerated. 

Set aside (and refrigerate) 1/4 cup of the teriyaki sauce. Place the steaks in a large lock-top plastic bag and pour the remaining sauce into the bag. Seal the bag, squish the sauce around the steaks and refrigerate overnight.

At least 30 minutes before grilling, remove the steaks from the refrigerator. Discard the sauce and pat the steaks dry with paper towels. Season both sides of the steaks with salt & pepper.

Remove the reserved 1/4 cup of teriyaki sauce from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature.

Preheat the grill for direct grilling over high heat. Brush and oil the grill grate.

Place the steaks on the grill directly over the fire and cook for 3 minutes. Turn and cook for another 3 minutes. Turn again and cook for 5 minutes more for medium-rare or until an instant-read thermometer inserted horizontally into the center of a steak registers 135 degrees (F). 

Transfer the steaks to a cutting board and allow them to rest for 5-10 minutes. Slice against the grain, arrange on a platter, and serve at once. Pass the reserved teriyaki sauce at the table.

My Notes:

We used boneless rib-eye steaks, which were delicious and tender. I think any cut of beef would work just fine.

The original recipe doesn't indicate whether to grill with the grill lid open or closed. We always grill with ours closed. Our steaks were perfectly cooked to medium-rare.

This marinade would be delicious with chicken, shrimp or pork. It's super easy to prepare and very flavorful.

Original recipe from Weber

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Baja Grilled Flank Steak Salad

We use our grill all year long (yes, even when it's below freezing and snow is on the ground!), but as the days get longer and the weather gets nicer, I add more and more grilled meals to our weekly dinner menu. It's so nice to throw something on the grill then sit and relax with a glass of wine and catch up with my husband after a long day at work. The added bonus? Fewer dishes to clean-up!

I love a good salad for dinner and I'm perfectly content to go completely meat-free, as long as I have enough chopped up veggies to satisfy my appetite. My husband, on the other hand, doesn't mind having salads for a main course, as long as I include some sort of protein. Grilled steak, chicken, salmon or shrimp are quick and easy and make for excellent toppings to a fresh green salad. When I saw this recipe for a flank steak salad, combined with my favorite ingredients (tomato, avocado and cheese), I knew it would be a winner. And, the lemon-lime dressing is super easy and just the perfect flavor for this Southwest meal.

Baja Grilled Flank Steak Salad

SkinnyTaste Cookbook

SPICE RUB

1 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. chipotle chile powder or cayenne pepper

1 lb. flank steak, trimmed of all external fat

LEMON-LIME DRESSING

2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. minced scallions
1 Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
Freshly cracked black pepper

SALAD

2 medium ears fresh corn or 1 cup thawed frozen corn kernels
1 large head romaine lettuce cut lengthwise into 4 wedges
1 medium Hass avocado, thinly sliced
1 cup heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup crumbled queso fresco or cotija cheese


For the Spice Rub: In a small bowl, combine the garlic powder, salt, cumin, paprika, oregano, and chipotle powder.

Generously season each side of the steak with the dry rub and, using your hands, rub it into the meat. Let it sit for about 10 minutes.

For the Lemon-Lime Dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the lime juice, lemon juice, olive oil, scallions, cilantro, salt, and a pinch of black pepper. Set aside.

Preheat a grill to medium-high (or preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat).

For the Salad: If using fresh corn, grill the corn, turning often, until the corn is charred on all sides, 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Increase the heat of the grill or grill pan to high. Grill the steak for 5 to 7 minutes on each side for medium-rare, or longer to your taste. Remove the steak from the grill, cover, and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut the corn kernels off the cob and set aside.

Thinly slice the steak 1/4 inch thick, across the grain and at an angle to the cutting board, then cut it crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces.

Put a romaine wedge on each of the serving plates, top each with one-fourth of the grilled steak. Dividing evenly, top with the avocado, corn, tomatoes, and cheese. Drizzle the dressing over the salads.

Serves: 4

My Notes:

Flank steak has a tendency to get tough very quickly, so most recipes call for some sort of a marinade to help break down the connective tissues. This recipe could benefit from some sort of a lime-based marinade (perhaps substituting the Asian seasonings with a little bit of cumin and cayenne pepper), as it was a little tough, in spite of my usual cooking methods for this particular cut of beef. I never cook it for more than 10 minutes total (5 minutes on each side). Also, prior to grilling the steak, I allow it to sit out on the kitchen counter for 20 minutes, and I also let it rest for 10 minutes after grilling. If you decide to use a marinade, I recommend that you dry the steak with paper towels before applying the rub.

With this salad, I chopped the romaine into bite-sized pieces rather than four individual wedges. I used regular tomatoes, cut into wedges.

The cotija cheese and lemon-lime dressing create a wonderful flavor with the other ingredients. I recommend doubling the dressing. You'll want to have more for your leftovers.

We ate less than half of the steak with our two salads, so I saved the rest and used some for steak & cheese quesadillas, later in the week. 

Please visit Beth Fish Reads for Weekend Cooking.

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend.