Grilled Flat Iron Steak Sandwich with Korean Marinade

5.28.10

First off, next Wednesday Lazaro at Lazaro Cooks has graciously accepted the request and will share his talent and terrific recipe here! He will be I Just Love My Apron's FIRST guest blogger! Please check in and give him a warm welcome hug next Wednesday.

Summer is right around the corner but Seattle is still cold. People are getting ready for summer: summer dishes, BBQ, and summer drinks; while I'm getting ready for summer dresses. Is that relevant? I hope it is! Well, we set up a patio set in our backyard recently and were hoping to get good use out of it and enjoy a warm breeze or two. A few days later after the setup, it had rained, been cold, and cloudy. Great. Thanks Seattle.

It took us a while to decide to set up the patio and fight the rain. What we used before was mysterious. We somehow managed to survive in the backyard with 2 camping chairs and a handmade coffee table for 2 years. I know...I know...don't even tell me how pathetic we were. Therefore, it was to the point that okay we have to get "real" patio furniture.

When I made this dish, it was the last time to say good bye to the "temporary patio furniture".  It was kind of sad but it's a change for the better right? That particular weekend was so nice and warm. Grilling was a good choice to enjoy the weather. Do you remember the Korean roasted rice cakes post? I had leftover sauce (the dragon sauce) and didn't have the heart to throw it away (I'm a "won't leave a leftover" kinda girl), so I tried to marinate the meat I had in the fridge with it and make a sandwich. It turned out great. This time I made a new sauce and evolved it to a "better" sandwich.

The sauce recipe is posted here.

A better sandwich in this case means, bigger, more meat, more veggie, more spicy, and with more crispy bread. I marinated the meat overnight to get the most flavor from the marinade. The only thing I didn't like about the dish was the fact that I doubted my flat iron steak had been treated humanely. Some of you may ask, why don't I just give up beef?  Simple answer--I can't completely give up beef. I'd love to but eating beef once in a while isn't such a bad idea right? It's like how you can't give up dessert because it's just so satisfying when you have it once in a while. Your adrenaline pumps up. Adrenaline makes you happy..

While my hubby was grilling the meat, I was setting an outdoor dining scene for us and our little dog, Bella. It was simple and I didn't waste any sweat! - -2 camping chairs, a small table, flower, Bella's food bowls and her bed. That was it. Pouring a glass of wine for the hubby and myself, and just waiting for the meal in the sun was just so relaxing. It's clear that I need summer right now, right at this moment.

Sun please come and take the cold away!

Grilled Flat Iron Steak Sandwich with Korean Marinade

Yield: 6 sandwiches

Ingredients:

1 lb flat iron steak

1/2 or 1 cup Korean saamjang marinade*(aka Korean dragon sauce)

1 cup roasted onion*

1 cup shredded lettuce

3 jalapenos, seedless and sliced (optional)

Bunch of cilantro

6 roll ciabattas or baguettes, cut in half lengthwise but not all the way
4 TBS margarine or butter

Directions:

• Marinade your choice of meat overnight or at least 2 hours in a sealed zip lock
• Remove the meat from the marinade and save some of marinade for brushing
• Heat up the grill to 400 F and cook for about 8 mins on each side for medium rare or to your desire of doneness
• When the meat is almost done, grill baguettes until slightly toasted
• Spread margarine or butter over both slices of baguettes
• Brush the meat on both sides with the leftover marinade. Cook for a few mins.
• Turn off the grill and remove the meat from it.  Let it sit for 10 mins for the juice to come out
• Start assembling each sandwich; shredded lettuce, a few sprigs of cilantro, jalapenos, meat and then roasted onions on top. Top it with another side of the bread. Enjoy!

Yep, that's our dining scene

Yum!

Grilled Flat Iron Steak Sandwich with Korean Marinade