Flank Steak with Basil Dressing (Cook's Country)

Here's how ours turned out

Our local PBS station runs Cook's Country on Saturday afternoons, and I frequently watch it, especially if I am doing the laundry while Tom watches college football.

Last Saturday, this recipe looked so good, I thought we should try it, and it did not disappoint!

Super easy to make.  Tom seasoned and grilled the steak.  I made the basil dressing.

---Barbara

Source:  WSKG website Cook's Country Episode 1302  (adapted)

Grilled Flank Steak with Basil Dressing

Serves 6

Cook's Country says:  For a grilled flank steak with a char-kissed exterior and a perfectly cooked interior, we had to revisit the idea of the marinade. A wet marinade is the enemy of good browning. On top of that, the test kitchen has proven that marinades barely penetrate the surface of meat. But since salt and sugar (when applied far enough in advance) do dissolve and penetrate deep into the meat, we skipped the marinade and simply seasoned our steak with salt, sugar, and pepper. To cook this wedge-shaped cut to the same internal temperature from end to end, we set up our grill with a cooler side and a hotter side. After briefly grilling the entire steak on the hotter side, we positioned the steak so that the thinner portion was over the cooler side of grill to save it from overcooking. And finally, we made a vinaigrette of olive oil, basil, lemon, honey, garlic, and pepper that we drizzled over the perfectly grilled steak.

We season this steak with sugar in addition to salt and pepper to help promote browning during the relatively short cooking time.

INGREDIENTS

Steak

• 1 (2-pound) flank steak, trimmed
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper

Basil Dressing

• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. For the steak: Pat steak dry with paper towels and sprinkle with sugar, salt, and pepper. Transfer steak to plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

2. For the basil dressing: Whisk all ingredients in bowl until well combined; set aside.

3.  Preheat the Grill on high until hot.   Clean and oil cooking grate. Place steak on hotter side of grill and cook (covered if using gas) until browned on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Flip steak again and rotate so that thin end is over cooler side of grill and thick end remains over hotter side. Continue to cook (covered if using gas), flipping steak every 2 minutes, until thick end of steak registers 125 degrees (for medium-rare) or 130 degrees (for medium), 2 to 6 minutes longer.

Tom's way:  2 minutes per side, flipped 2 times for a total of 8 minutes, then 1 minute per side, bringing total cooking time to 10 minutes.

4.  Transfer steak to a cutting board, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 10 minutes.  Cut into narrow strips on the bias (across the grain).  

5.  Transfer steak to a shallow platter and pour dressing over the top.

B