Dinner and Part of a Movie

First, let's get the lousy movie out of the way: "Undertow." Actually, it wasn't altogether lousy. It started out very promising, with convincing performances by Dermot Mulroney and Josh Lucas, but it just lost steam about halfway through. There's only so much murder and mayhem in backwoods West Virginia that one can take while eating.

Now, on to the dinner, which was delicious. I made Carrot Orzo and this:

Balsamic Marinated Steak

½ cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp light-brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp crushed dried rosemary
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp pepper
1½ lb. skirt steak, cut crosswise into 4 equal pieces (Update 12/29/07: I've since used this marinade many times with steak tips, because it's impossible to find skirt steak in the winter. You might have to adjust the grilling time a bit, but it's just as yummy. I tried it once with flank steak, but the meat stayed too tough because flank really requires a much longer marinating time, and I like this recipe because you get a ton of flavor with just a short soak. And guess what: This has become a favorite of all three kids!)

In a resealable plastic bag, combine vinegar, sugar, garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Pierce meat all over with a fork; add to marinade, and turn to coat. Let marinate at room temperature at least 15 minutes, or cover and refrigerate up to 1 day. (I did it at room temperature for about an hour or so.)

Heat grill to high; oil grates. Remove steaks from marinade, allowing excess to drip off. Grill steaks 2–4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to a plate; cover loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest 5 minutes.

Comments

[mommyralf]

Mmmm. We'll be trying this soon, probably sans rosemary, thanks to picky kids. I assume it'll be very tasty without.

[Karen]

Maybe you can halve the marinate and do yours with the rosemary -- it really does add a nice flavor. Once the meat is grilled, the little specks are barely noticeable. (Says the woman who cooked and ate her steak AFTER her kids were in bed.)

[Carol]

This is great! I use a very similar marinade for venison, but I use lots of roasted garlic, fresh rosemary (but could easily use dried) and molasses instead of the brown sugar. Oh and a little crushed red pepper. It's so good.

[melek]

I notice that you are cooikng on a cast iron grill. I just recently bought one. How do you care for it? I've watched a couple of videos (including yours) on how to care for cast iron pans but the grill seems more of a pain because of the grids. And I am not sure if I am supposed to be greasing the whole thing and heating it in the oven every single time I use it.. or only if it's needing to be seasoned. If I have to do that every time I probably won't be using it as much as I'd hoped. =(