The Secret Steak

I must confess... Tami and I eat more steak than I let on in yesterday's post. The reason is we have a secret steak. Secret in that many people don't know about it. Wanna know what it is? It's Flatiron Steak. Flatiron steak is a relatively inexpensive cut of meat. If you were to purchase a flatiron steak, season and grill it perfectly and eat it, you'd be disappointed. You can't just prepare it and eat it "as is". Here's the secret behind the secret. With a little bit of work and preparation, a flatiron steak can be just as good as a ribeye. Simply flip the flatiron steak to its backside and find the large, white tendon running the length of the steak. Cut out the tendon as best you can. It's very tough and difficult to cut. If left in, this tendon is IMPOSSIBLE to chew. Find also secondary tendons and remove them as best you can. Please note these tendons are different than the fat marbled throughout the steak. Some fat is good and it is not necessary to cut it out. You will easily be able to tell the difference between tendons and fat. Fat is soft and will squish between your fingers. Tendons are like steel wire. Trust me... you'll know. Once the tendons have been removed, I allow the steak to sit out and come to room temperature. Once at room temperature I season both sides with a little bit of Montreal Steak Seasoning (basically it's just salt, cracked pepper and garlic). Sear the steak on high heat to seal in the juices, move to medium/low heat and grill for a few minutes on each side. Remove the steak and let it "rest". The steak will continue to cook a little even after being removed from the grill. You now have an easy, delicious, relatively cheap steak dinner that will rival Longhorn or Outback Steakhouse. I'm telling you folks, if you are willing to put a little effort into it, you can have a top notch steak dinner for about the same price as ordering burgers or other sandwiches at a medium priced restaurant (Red Robin, TGI Fridays, Applebee's, Ruby Tuesday etc...). Granted, you have to do the cooking and do the dishes afterward, but to me, I'd rather do that than get sub-par food for waaaaaaaaaay too much money. Take my advice... Flatiron steaks + a little bit of work = a better meal than you will get in any restaurant.

By the way, here's a very important side note. A spatula or grill tongs weigh approximately the same as a bottle of beer. It's very important to have the tongs in one hand and a beer in the other hand in order to maintain perfect balance.

You can clearly see the long, white tendon in these photos:

Here's the Montreal Steak Seasoning: