Flank steak and Gochujang lettuce cups
Flank steak lettuce cups are exactly what's required on a balmy evening. They're quick to cook and feel super fresh. Moreover, the whole meal can be prepared outdoors if needed. We favour flank for this recipe as it cooks quickly and evenly in one piece, and can be sliced into perfectly sized portions for piling into crunchy lettuce cups. Marinate the steak overnight with soy and a beef booster rub from Wats-on-the-BBQ, before grilling over a hot BBQ. You'll have dinner on the table in 30 minutes.
Ingredients
800g flank steak
A head of cos lettuce
A jar of Meatsmith roasted sesame Gochujang
Marinade ingredients
1/4 cup soy
2 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 cup neutral oil
1 heaped tablespoon brown sugar
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons of Watson-the-BBQ Beef Booster (or pepper rub)
1 teaspoon salt
Preparing the marinade
Make the marinade by whisking all the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl.
We like to slice into the steak before it is marinated to increase the steak’s surface area. Cut diagonally across the grain into the steak at 1.5cm intervals. This technique makes sure the marinade really penetrates the beef as it amplifies the char and flavour at serving time.
Take the flank steak from its wrapping and place it in a shallow dish. Pour the steak marinade over the beef, making sure it is evenly coated. Marinade the steak overnight or for at least four hours.
Lighting the charcoal and cooking the steak
Using a charcoal chimney, light the coals for the BBQ. Half an hour of heating makes sure these are white hot.
Empty the charcoal into the base of the BBQ, making sure ¾ of the coals are heaped on one side of the BBQ and the rest are laying flat on the other side.
When ready to cook the beef, place the flank steak over the direct heat of the coals. Cook the steak for 4minutes per side (or until it reaches an internal temperature of 57C on a meat thermometer for medium rare).
Once the steak is cooked through, take it off the heat and allow it to rest for 10 minutes, covered on a rack.
Assembling the lettuce cups
Prepare the other ingredients by tearing the lettuce into cups, cutting the lime wedges and picking some fresh coriander leaves.
Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1.5cm pieces and season with sea salt.
Assemble the lettuce cups by placing a piece of flank steak into each cup then dressing with a teaspoon of Gochujang sauce, fresh coriander leaves and a squeeze of lime juice.
While we prefer to grill over charcoal, this method can easily be transferred to a gas BBQ or a cast iron frying pan. The key here is to make sure the steaks are cooked quickly and rested appropriately, ensuring tenderness.
Explore the technique
