Flank Steak Negimaki
Instructions:
- This is an American take on a Japanese classic, scallion- stuffed steak rolls, flavored with a Chinese-inspired marinade. Instead of individual rolls, we stuff a flank steak with the vegetables, then cook it and slice it into stuffed strips. If you don’t want to go to the trouble of making a pocket in the steak, ask your butcher to do it for you.
- One 13⁄4-pound flank steak
- 8 asparagus spears, shaved with a vegetable peeler to the width of a pencil
- 8 medium scallions
- Butcher’s twine
- 1⁄4 cup dry vermouth or dry white wine
- 1⁄4 cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1⁄2 teaspoon chili oil or Asian red chili sauce
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- Canola oil for the grill grate, if using
- To cut a pocket in the fl ank steak, make a long, narrow incision in the thicker, longer side of the steak with a sharp chef ’s knife. Flip the steak over and deepen the incision by slicing farther into the meat at the same place. Keep fl ipping and slicing gently (to prevent tearing) until a pocket is formed—do not cut through to the opposite side but leave 1⁄2 inch of meat on the three remaining sides to hold the pocket together.
- Trim the asparagus spears and scallions to fi t and place in the pocket lengthwise (parallel to the incision), placing each spear and scallion so they alternate directions.
- Tie closed by wrapping and knotting butcher’s twine around the steak at 3-inch increments, perpendicular to the asparagus and scallions. Place in a large loaf pan or a medium baking dish.
- Whisk the vermouth or wine, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, orange juice, ginger, vinegar, chili oil or sauce, and garlic in a small bowl. Pour over the stuffed steak; turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 6 hours, turning occasionally.
- Remove the meat from the marinade; reserve the marinade. Bring the meat to room temperature as the broiler or grill heats.
- To broil:
- Preheat the broiler and line the broiler pan with aluminum foil. Place the stuffed steak in the pan about 5 inches from the heat source.
- Broil, turning occasionally and basting often with the reserved marinade, until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the meat (but not the vegetables) registers 125 F for our defi nition of medium-rare, about 20 minutes, or 145 F for the USDA’s defi nition of medium-rare, about 25 minutes.
- To grill:
- Heat a gas grill to medium heat or build a well-ashed, medium-heat coal bed in a charcoal grill. Oil the grate. Place the stuffed steak on the grate directly over medium heat or on the charcoal grill 4 to 6 inches directly over mediumheat coals.
- Cover and grill, turning occasionally and basting often with the reserved marinade, until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the meat (but not the vegetables) registers 125 F for our defi nition of medium-rare, about 18 minutes, or 145 F for the USDA’s defi nition of medium-rare, about 22 minutes.
- Transfer to a carving board, tent with foil, and let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes. Slice off one piece of twine, then carve by making long slices perpendicular to the vegetables in the pocket (against the meat’s grain). Cut off the remaining pieces of twine only as you reach them while slicing.