Soft Tacos with Grilled "Flap" Steak

Well, look what came home with me from my latest foray to the Williams-Sonoma class the other weekend.  The Cook and the Butcher cookbook somehow followed me home and flipped open to a delicious looking "flap steak" recipe and voila...Sunday dinner!

This cookbook is written by Brigit Binns for Williams-Sonoma. What I like about it is that each chapter is designed to educate novice chefs like me from the perspective of butchers.   I haven't devoured it from cover to cover yet.  To be honest, I am a little intimidated.  I get really confused by all of the names of beef as well as the varieties of cooking methods.  I can tell, though, that this book is going to sort it all out.

Patrick and I were in Dallas a few weekends ago.  We went to meet his brother's fiance.  She is from Mexico and made us the most delicious, authentic breakfast soft tacos.  I thought I would just eat one  and ended up eating three (piggish...I know.  Thats why we are food bloggers).

Well, the next William-Sonoma class  was covering meats and grilling.  How timely because I wanted to duplicate the delicious flavors of the beef we had in Dallas.  The smell in the store drove everyone beserk it was so aromatic.  Our adorable chef, Jill, caramelized onions for us to sample alongside the meats she cooked.  I especially liked the ease and flavor of skirt  steak.  Whole Foods was out of skirt steak and the butcher said "flap" steak would work just as well.  

I am now getting acquainted with my butcher at Whole Foods.  Isn't that great?  You know how you always hear "Just ask your butcher this question...or that question".  Ha!  I couldn't even imagine a grocery store butcher taking time with me.  However, I have started talking with the people at Whole Foods in the meat as well as seafood department and they are so wonderful!  Really!

In addition to this hefty new grilling cookbook making its way home with me, I also bought what I consider to be the best cooking purchase ever!  I picked up the new All-Clad "instant read thermometer".   This is a great tool for grilling meats.  We used it on the leg of lamb the other day and it worked beautifully.  The fear of over-cooking or under cooking meat has often made me pass on trying out a recipe.  

In fact, M. has been down with a cold for a few days now.  I considered telling her to pop this meat thermometer in her mouth so we could figure out if she had a fever.   I didn't do it.  You know, she is a teenager and all.  My humor just doesn't seem to work well on the teenage variety.


A dry rub we have tried out since moving to Texas has quickly become our favorite.  Its called "Rub Grub".  Yep.  Its Texan alright. This rub is amazing on barbeque.  I seasoned the flap steak with this before it went on the grill.  Delicious.


Time to get serious and dig into this new cookbook and learn more about beef selections.

I do know one 4-legged creature that certainly was thrilled with this new cookbook find.  His name is Chester and he is hoping that I read it from cover to cover and apply any newfound learning.  Often. 

I know your not supposed to feed your pets table scraps.  But look at that face!

Did we hand out secret tidbits under the table?  Geesh.  No one ever tells.  But, he sure does seem to be snoozing rather dreamily...

Grilled "Flap" Steak:

(from The Cook & The Butcher cookbook, p. 52)

1 skirt (flap, hanger or flank stead will also do)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Rub Grub (Sarah's addition)

Place the steak in a nonreactive baking dish.  Brush both sides with the oil and season generously with salt and pepper (and Rub Grub).  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 6 hours.

Remove the steak from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for about 45 minutes.  Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for direct-heat grilling over high heat, or preheat a cast-iron stove top grill pan over high heat.  Place the steak on the grill rack over the hottest part of the fire or in the grill pan, and cook without moving it for about 1 1/2 minutes.  Turn and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the steak registers 130º-135ºF (54º-57ºC) for medium-rare, 1-3 minutes more, or to your desired doneness.  Transfer the steak to a platter and let rest, loosely covered, for about 5 minutes.

Cut the steak across the grain and on the diagonal into the slices and about 1/2 inch (12mm) thick.  Arrange toppings and heat soft tacos and serve!

BBQd Leg of Lamb with Rosemary and Honey

Note:  I've been nominated for Babble's 100 Top Food Blogs!  I have 28 more votes to get into the top 50.  If you like what I've done here, would you follow the side link to Babble and vote for me?  I am on page #2 "Snippets of Thyme"

S. Kenney - BBQ'd Leg of Lamb

I had another great class at Williams Sonoma on Saturday.  We ate some delicious bbq grilled steak and sausages.  That definitely put me in the mood to cook any kind of meat dish.  My brother and his family came for a visit during Spring Break.  They are wonderful company and we all had a super time.  My SIL is taking some fabulous cooking courses through Viking School in Mississippi so I wanted to make something special for all of us.  I turned to my trusty Curtis Stone's program "Take Home Chef" and found just the right meat dish - Barbequed Leg of Lamb stuffed with garlic.  

After braising the lamb on the stove top, it is covered in a thick layer of honey.  Messy indeed but fun!  Then, garlic cloves are smashed and stuffed on the inside.  The lamb is laid on rosemary stems and rolled up with twine.  Just preparing this was so aromatic I knew it was going to taste delicious.  Honey, garlic, rosemary??  Wonderful scents already...

S.Kenney-BBQ'd Leg of Lamb with garlic and rosemary

Lamb is so aromatic cooking on the grill.  I think the entire neighborhood could smell this delicious scented roast from our backyard.  

I will shamelessly  highlight a new item that I purchased at that Williams Sonoma class!  It is an instant read thermometer.  It is magical indeed.  I kept inserting it periodically into the leg of lamb.  It instantly reads the temperature.  I was able to pull that meat off at just the right time in order for it to rise  a little more while cooling.

I would definitely cook this again.  The scents are divine, the cut of lamb isn't too lamb-y.  I scooped out the garlic and served it with the juices from the meat.  

My brother and his wife are a lovely couple with 2 bright and fun teenage boys.  I love bringing everyone around the table with a succulent meal like this one.

Barbequed Leg of Lamb wrapped in Rosemary with Garlic and Honey

Take Home Chef, Episode 20: Deanna's Menu

INGREDIENTS

20 large branches fresh long-stemmed rosemary

Six 24-inch/60-cm long strands of kitchen twine

One 6-pound/2.5-kg whole leg of lamb, large bone removed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 garlic cloves, bruised (I used more because I love garlic)

1/4 cup/90 ml honey

PREPARATION:

Soak the rosemary branches and kitchen twine in cold water for 1 hour. This will help prevent the rosemary and twine from burning while they are on the grill.  Prepare the barbecue for high heat. Sprinkle the leg of lamb generously with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Grill the leg of lamb for 5 minutes, or until brown on all sides. Transfer the lamb to a baking sheet. Rub the garlic over the outside of the lamb then place the garlic pieces inside the lamb.  Lay the strands of kitchen twine horizontally across a work surface, spacing them evenly apart.  Lay the rosemary branches perpendicularly atop the twine.

Spread half of the honey over 1 side of the lamb and lay the lamb honey side down atop the rosemary. Spread the remaining honey over the top and sides of the lamb. The honey will help adhere the rosemary to the lamb.  Tie the twine as tightly as possible around the lamb and rosemary, completely encasing the lamb with the rosemary. 

Decrease the heat of the barbecue to medium so that the temperature inside the barbecue is about 350°F/170°C (use an oven thermometer to help gauge the temperature inside the barbecue).  Place the lamb on the grill.  Cover the barbecue and grill the lamb about 1 hour and 30 minutes, turning the lamb on a regular basis, or until an instant-read meat thermometer registers 140°F/60°C when inserted into the thickest part of the lamb meat.

Transfer the lamb to a carving board and let rest for 30 minutes.  Remove the twine and rosemary from the lamb.  Carve the lamb into slices and serve with any juices that accumulate on the carving board.