When I was a teenager, I loved to entertain (I still do).  I thought I was a real gourmet, because I knew how to cook – no help from my mom.  We used to have other families for dinner, and sometimes I’d have dinner parties for friends.  My favorite meal was flank steak in teriyaki marinade.  I probably served it 100 times, never thinking that the guests might get tired of it.  The recipe came from a cookbook called A Man’s Taste published by the Junior League of Memphis.  My dad and a friend of his spearheaded this project in an effort to show those Junior League ladies that men could cook too.  And the book was a success.  The recipe below is a version of that original, with the grown-up addition of bourbon.  I think flat-iron is a lovely cut to grill, but you could use flank steak if you prefer.

I never bothered with any embellishments to my teenage steak dinners – I thought an actual recipe from an actual cookbook could not be fiddled with or changed, silly me.  Now, however, I love to add a slice or two of compound butter to any grilled steak. It takes a pretty simple preparation and makes it elegant and full of flavor.  And I have to say, this Southern Bacon Bourbon Butter may be my best version yet.  Sweet and tangy with smoke from the bacon and the grill, it melts lusciously over the meat, leaving just a hint of crispy bacon and green onion behind.

Bourbon Grilled Flat-Iron Steak with Southern Bacon Bourbon Butter

2014-06-20 07:46:12

Serves 4

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Ingredients

1. Southern Bacon Bourbon Butter
2. 1 slice of bacon, cooked until crisp
3. ½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
4. 1 Tablespoon bourbon
5. 1 Tablespoon sorghum
6. 1 green onion, white part only, finely chopped
7. generous grinds of black pepper
8. pinch of salt
9. Bourbon Steak
10. ¼ cup soy sauce
11. ¼ cup cider vinegar
12. ¼ cup bourbon
13. 3 Tablespoons honey
14. 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
15. 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
16. 2 minced garlic cloves
17. 2 finely chopped green onions
18. 1 pound flat iron steak

For the Butter

1. Finely chop the cooked bacon, and place it in a bowl with the remaining ingredients. Use a fork to thoroughly mash and whip the butter until well combined. Scoop the butter onto the short end of a piece of waved paper and use the paper to roll the butter into a tight log, twisting the ends like a candy. Refrigerate for several hours until firm. The butter will keep for a week in the fridge or can be frozen for a few months.

For the Steak

1. Combine the soy sauce, bourbon, vinegar, honey and oil together in a bowl and whisk to combine. Whisk in the ginger, garlic and green onions. Place the steak in a large ziptop bag and pour over the marinade. Seal the bag and squish it around to cover the steak. Place the bag on a plate and put it in the refrigerator. Marinate for several hours, turning the bag over occasionally.
2. Remove the steak from the refrigerator 30 minutes before you plan to grill it. Preheat a grill to medium-high. Remove the steak from the marinade and wipe any excess off with a paper towel. Place the steak on the grill and cook for 5 minutes, flip and cook until medium rare, about 150°, 5 minutes more. Remove from the grill, cover with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
3. Slice in thin strips across the grain of the meat. Serve with thin slices of the Southern Bourbon Bacon Butter melting over the top.

By The Runaway Spoon

The Runaway Spoon https://therunawayspoon.com/