Grilled Teriyaki Steak with Honey Ginger Balsamic and Blood Orange Olive Oil

For great tasting teriyaki beef, we wanted something more than throwing steaks on the grill and lathering overly sweet, factory-bottled teriyaki sauce during the last few minutes of grilling. Inspired by something we saw in Cooks Illustrated, we created a recipe for a quick marinade and a teriyaki glaze that worked perfectly to deliver tender pieces of beef with a rich teriyaki flavor. Marinating the steaks in a soy sauce-based marinade for only 30 minutes not only gave the beef a deeper flavor but the soy sauce acted as a brine for the meat rendering it juicy and tender. Our Honey Ginger balsamic offers the sweet and spicy flavor profile without the fuss of peeling and grating fresh ginger and the Blood Orange olive oil adds a fresh citrus note. Whether you use this recipe for a main course or an appetizer (slice the steak thinly and skewer before grilling), serve the meat with the teriyaki glaze and you’ll never go back to bottled teriyaki sauce.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds flank steak
• toasted sesame seeds, as a garnish

MARINADE:

• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup mirin (a sweet Japanese cooking wine that can be found in the international section of your grocery store or any Asian market)
• 2 tablespoons Olive This! Blood Orange Olive Oil
• 3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
• 2 tablespoons Olive This! Honey Ginger Balsamic vinegar
• 2 medium scallions, white parts only sliced thin (save the green parts for a garnish at the end)

GLAZE:

• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup sugar (orig called for 1/2 cup but was too sweet)
• 1/2 cup sake (you can substitute vermouth if you don’t have sake)
• 1/2 cup mirin
• 1 tablespoon Olive This! Honey Ginger Balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

DIRECTIONS

Cut the flank steak with the grain into 3 or 4 long strips.

Cut the strips at a 45 degree angle into 4 to 5 small cutlets.

Combine all the marinade ingredients (soy sauce, mirin, blood orange olive oil, garlic, honey ginger balsamic, white parts of scallion, sliced) into a bowl and whisk.

Transfer steak and marinade to a zipper locking bag. Remove as much air as possible and seal. Store in the fridge for about 30-45 minutes (do not exceed 1 hour) turning every 15 minutes or so to marinate evenly.

While the meat is marinating, prepare your glaze. Combine all glaze ingredients into a cold sauce pan. Whisk together well to remove any dry pockets of cornstarch. Now is a good time to start your grill. Set the grill to high and cover.

Bring the glaze mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring once in a while, until sauce thickens to a syrup and reduces to about 1 cup (about 12-15 minutes). Set aside about 2/3 of the glaze for serving. Use the remaining 1/3 cup of glaze for grilling.

Once the meat is done marinating, pat the cutlets dry with paper towels. This step is important to achieve proper searing.

Clean and oil grill grates well. Grill steak on first side for about 3-4 minutes until well seared and darkened. Flip steak and grill the second side for another 3-4 minutes to achieve the same searing.

Brush the steaks with the teriyaki glaze. Flip and grill for 30 seconds to achieve a nice caramelized color. Brush the second side, flip and grill for another 30 seconds. Repeat glazing once or twice more to achieve desired color. Transfer steak cutlets to a plate and let meat rest for at least 5-10 minutes.

When ready to serve, cut steak into thin slices and garnish with scallion greens and sesame seeds. Generously spoon reserved teriyaki sauce on sliced steak. This main course goes well with white or brown rice and be sure to leave some reserved sauce on the table for your guests to indulge.

MAKES ABOUT 4-5 SERVINGS

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