Flank steak

nsfv.

Thanks to my sister and brother-in-law, and my friend, Kelly, I have flank steak marinating as I type.  For the first time in my life.  

(Thank you, also, as always, to Cap for bringing home the proverbial bacon with which to buy this steak which you will not eat...)

Kelly has been raving to me , for years, about the wonderful pastured, grass-fed meats she gets from Vacchiano Farms (yikes, their website was hacked so I give you this mention in the NYT instead), at the farmer's market year-round.  It has made an impression.

Sandy grilled up two different types of steak while we we were up at the cabin recently.  Skirt steak and hangar steak.  They get their meat from the Smokehouse of the Catskills and oh my goodness, those morsels were delicious.  They made an impression.

This summer has been so chaotic, my mind and body so dulled, in many ways, but I have managed to go to the farmer's market somewhat regularly...something that has thwarted me over the years.

For about a month I have been getting a pound of Vacchiano's ground beef every week.  The kids love beef burgers and beef hotdogs and this was a reliable way to get a better quality more whole form of beef into them (Applegate Farms beef hotdogs, I love your convenience, but dang the sodium!)

I don't know that much about meat.  The different cuts, the different methods of tenderizing/seasoning/cooking...  But, I do know this: the kids really liked the steaks they had at the cabin.  Especially Sag.

So on Saturday, after swimming class, the kids and I went to the farmer's market.  Gem got a lemonade, Sag got a cider donut and Owen got a chocolate chip cookie.  I made a beeline for the meat.  I picked up the usual pound of ground sirloin and then perused the meat board.  The skirt steak was $5 more a pound so I decided to get flank steak this week.

Their meat is frozen upon butchering, so unless I am planning on using the meat right away, I toss it into the freezer.  When it's time, it defrosts wonderfully.  Look at that gorgeousness!  Unless you're vegetarian or don't like the looks of raw meat...in which case, avert your eyes, please.

I decided once again to go with Mr. Bittman after looking at a few recipes online.  His marinade was different than most as it didn't call for oil.  It also didn't require marinating for hours/overnight.  

I chose to make do with what I had in the apartment since I am cooking this for lunch (we have common meal tonight).  Lemon+ rice vinegar for the lime juice, garlic powder for the fresh garlic (I later found some garlic in the pantry...doh!), and no ginger.  I have a feeling this is going to taste just fine, but think it would definitely be elevated by the inclusion of the ingredients originally called for.

For now, I am flipping the steak over every 30 minutes and will broil it in an hour or so.  I'll be serving it with a farm fresh salad and leftover white rice.  Yum!