Raise The Steaks Grilling cheaper cuts of meat on a leaner budget

By SUSAN M. SELASKY

Beefsteaks are popular grill-fare for summer meals, from juicy rib-eyes to porterhouses to strip steaks. Great cuts of meat often come with great prices. Splurge if you can, but if you’re on a budget, we have the goods on three cuts of meat done three ways that won’t blow the budget.

You will find these cuts at most grocery stores, meat stores and some warehouse club stores. If you don’t see them, ask the meat cutter for them.

FLAT IRON

This relatively newer cut of meat is cut from the top blade or chuck roast. Meat researchers found that if they cut the gristle away from the center of the roast, they would end up with this tender cut. You may see it labeled as chuck steak or top blade steak.

Grill flat irons whole or cut into individual steaks. Flat iron steak is best cooked medium-rare, but may be cooked to medium without sacrificing flavor or tenderness.

FLAT IRON STEAK WITH BALSAMIC GLAZE

Serves: 4 (generously) ‚Ñ Preparation time: 15 minutes (plus marinating time)

Total time: 45 minutes

1 flat iron steak (11‚Ñ2 to 13‚Ñ4 pounds)

11‚Ñ2 cups favorite all-purpose marinade such as Mrs. Dash Garlic/Herb marinade

Herb butter (optional)

1‚Ñ4cup unsalted butter, softened

2 tablespoons minced fresh herbs of choice

Balsamic glaze

1 cup balsamic vinegar

3‚Ñ4 to 1 cup fat-free reduced-sodium beef broth

1‚Ñ4 cup butter, softened

4 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1‚Ñ4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Place the flat iron steak in a plastic sealable bag and pour the marinade over. Refrigerate and marinate from 4 to 8 hours.

If making the herb butter, mix together the softened butter with the herbs and shape into a log. Place in plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving time.

At grilling time, remove the steak from the marinade (discard marinade) and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.

Meanwhile, bring vinegar to a boil in small saucepan; reduce heat to medium. Cook 10 minutes or until vinegar is reduced to about 1‚Ñ4 cup. Watch carefully, as it can burn. Stir in the beef broth and heat. Mix butter and flour in small bowl until smooth. Whisk the butter/flour into the vinegar/broth until smooth and bring to a boil. The mixture should be the consistency of a glaze and coat the back of a spoon. If it’s too thick, add broth. Reduce heat; simmer 1 minute, stirring constantly. Season the glaze with black pepper. Set aside to serve with the steak.

Oil the grill grates. Place the flat iron steak on the grill over medium-high heat and grill about 8 minutes on one side. Turn and continue grilling another 6-8 minutes or until medium-rare (or desired degree of doneness).

Remove from the grill and let steak rest 5 minutes before slicing against the grain. Serve with the glaze and a dollop of herb butter.

Adapted from www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com.

Tested by Susan M. Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen

TRI-TIP

The Santa Maria, Calif., region claims to have discovered this cut of meat along with its style of seasoning used for grilling. Sold whole it looks like a roast that is about 3 inches thick at its thickest end and tapers to a thinner end. It’s cut from the butt portion of the bottom sirloin. You can buy it already cut into steaks or whole as a roast. Either one is super for the grill as tri-tip is tender and flavorful when cooked medium-rare.

TRI-TIP STEAKS SOUTHWEST STYLE

Serves: 6

Preparation time: 10 minutes (plus chilling time)

Total time: 35 minutes

3 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon salt

2 tablespoons ground black pepper

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

2 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons cumin

1 tri-tip roast (about 2 pounds) cut into thick steaks or left whole

In a small bowl, combine the garlic powder, salt, black pepper, brown sugar, chili powder and cumin. Rub the mixture all over the steaks or whole roast. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 3 hours or up to 8 hours before grilling.

Remove the tri-tip from the refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling.

Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Oil the grill grates.

Place the steaks on the grill and cook about 5 minutes on one side, depending on the thickness. Rotate the steaks 90 degrees — to get those great crosshatch grill marks — for 2 minutes.

Turn and continue grilling until the steaks are cooked to desired doneness, about 5 minutes more for medium-rare.

From and tested by Susan Selasky

for the Free Press Test Kitchen

SKIRT OR HANGER STEAK

This is often a chewier cut but has a great beef flavor. This cut is found in the middle belly side of the animal and at the edge of the loin. It’s sold in long pieces about 1‚Ñ2-inch thick. Unless you are making fajitas, don’t buy too thin a piece. The thicker and longer pieces are best for the grill. To tenderize and prevent them from being too chewy, skirt steaks need to be marinated at least 8 hours. Because these are thinner, they grill rather quickly. Skirt steak takes well to any seasoning and marinade.

SKIRT STEAK SANDWICHES WITH CHIMICHURRI

Makes: 4 large sandwiches

Preparation time: 15 minutes (plus overnight marinating)

Total time: 35 minutes

Marinade and spread

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1‚Ñ4 small red onion, peeled

1‚Ñ4 cup sherry wine vinegar or red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves

1‚Ñ2 cup cilantro leaves

3‚Ñ4 cup olive oil

1‚Ñ2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1‚Ñ2 teaspoon kosher salt

1‚Ñ4 teaspoon crushed red pepper or more to taste

Steak

1 skirt steak, about 1 1‚Ñ2 to 1 3‚Ñ4 pounds

Oil for the grill

Salt and black pepper to taste

1 16-ounce baguette

In the bowl of a food processor, place all the marinade ingredients and pulse to chop them. The mixture should be the consistency of thin pesto; add more oil, vinegar and lemon juice to thin if needed. Remove half of the spread and place in a small bowl; cover and refrigerate.

Place the steak in a large, resealable bag. Pour the remaining marinade from the processor on the steak. Seal bag, pressing the air out and rubbing the sides of the bag so the marinade adheres to the steak. Refrigerate the steak for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat a grill to medium heat and oil the grates.

Remove the steak from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes. Remove the reserved chimichurri sauce in the bowl and let it come to room temperature.

Brush off the excess chimichurri, discarding the marinade. Season the steak with salt and black pepper.

Set the steak over the hot grill. Cook for 6 minutes on the first side. Rotate the steak 90 degrees, and cook another 3 minutes. Turn the steak over and continue to cook until the steak is done, about 6 minutes for medium-rare.

Meanwhile, slice the baguette horizontally and brush the inside with a little oil. Place on the grill to lightly toast.

Once the steak is done, remove it from the grill and let it rest for 5 minutes.

Brush a couple of tablespoons of the chimichurri on the bottom and inside tops of the baguette.

Place the whole grilled steak on the baguette.

Cut into individual sandwich-size servings and serve with any remaining chimichurri.

You can marinate the skirt steak in a marinade other than the chimichurri if desired.

Adapted from www.foodnetwork.com.

Tested by Susan M. Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen

A hot grill means perfect steaks

At Morton’s the Steakhouse in Troy, Mich., steaks sizzle on a grill that reaches a temperature of 800 to 900 degrees. Factor in the radiant broiler, with elements that heat the top and the grill as well, and you get a steak with a nice seared crust and a juicy inside. With a grilling element that hot, executive chef Ed Takacs says, they can get a 2- to 3-inch steak done in less than 15 minutes.

That’s 100 to 200 degrees hotter than most home grills, but Takacs says you can achieve the same results with steaks at home, as long as you do it the correct way.

For starters, choose a good piece of meat.

“It doesn’t have to be pricey; just make sure it has good marbling, especially when grilling outside,” he says. “A bone-in steak will taste better because once the bone gets cooked the marrow releases flavor.”

Check the color of the steaks, too. They should be a nice red — not a dark red — and have creamy white marbling. The steaks should be at least 1 to 11‚Ñ2 inches thick.

And don’t forget, if you’re going to toss some steaks on the grill, it’s just as easy to grill some vegetables along with them. Toss vegetables that are cut large and thick with some olive oil and season with salt, pepper and garlic.

Here are Takacs’ tips for grilling perfect steaks:

UBring steaks to room temperature before grilling.

UMake sure the grill is seasoned well. Oil it down and then preheat the grill.

UHeat the grill to 600 to 800 degrees. “The hotter the better for searing the outside of the steak,” he says .

USeason the meat a little more than you would normally, because some seasoning will cook away.

UOnce the grill is heated, put the steaks on. They should sizzle . If you don’t hear the sizzle, the grill is not hot enough. Pull the steaks off immediately and wait for the grill to heat up more.

UUse the touch factor to judge doneness. A rare steak should feel spongy and give a little bit of resistance — similar to the feeling of squeezing the pad at the base of your thumb.

UFor medium-rare, Takacs says, the steak should be less spongy and offer more resistance, as when you press the very bottom of your palm.

UFor steaks cooked medium, the meat should feel like the middle of your palm on an outstretched hand. “The steak itself should feel firm yet snap back quickly and give some resistance,” says Takacs. “At Morton’s we don’t recommend anything over medium, because the longer you cook them, the more moisture it will release.” If you feel resistance when turning the steak and it’s clinging to the grill, don’t turn it. It’s not ready. The steak should easily come away from the grill grates when it’s ready to turn.

UUse long tongs or a spatula and never use a fork to pierce or turn the steak.

UKeep the grill lid closed — the hotter it stays, the better.

ULet the steaks rest 5 to 8 minutes after grilling and before slicing after they come off the grill so the juices settle down in the steak.

MIXED GRILLED SEASONED VEGETABLES

Serves: 6 (generously)

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

2 red bell peppers, cored, cut into quarters

2 medium zucchini, washed, sliced 1‚Ñ2-inch thick on the diagonal

8 asparagus spears, washed

2 medium onions, peeled, cut 1‚Ñ2-inch thick

3 tablespoons olive oil

Favorite all-purpose seasoning, such as Morton’s Nature Season Seasoning

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Minced fresh herbs for serving such as tarragon, thyme and parsley

Preheat the grill to medium high.

Prepare all the vegetables. Place the peppers, zucchini and asparagus in a large bowl. Place the onions, keeping the rings intact, on a platter. Brush each side of the onions with a little olive oil. Drizzle the remaining oil over the vegetables in the bowl. Season all the vegetables with all-purpose seasoning, salt and pepper to taste.

Place the vegetables on the grill, and grill until crisp-tender on each side. The onions and peppers will take about 8 minutes, and the zucchini and asparagus will take about 5 minutes.

Arrange the grilled vegetables on a platter and garnish with minced fresh herbs.

From and tested by Susan Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen.

Nutritional analysis: 102 calories (44 percent from fat), 5 grams fat (1 gram sat. fat), 14 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams protein, 114 mg sodium, 0 mg cholesterol, 3 grams fiber.