Bill Kim’s Honey Soy Flank Steak

Bill Kim says: “This is one amazing steak. It’s simple to prepare and you get maximum flavour in a short period of time. Flank steak is a lean cut, so be careful you don’t overcook it; medium-rare is ideal. Piercing the steak with a fork before marinating it is key to getting all of the rich, tangy, sweet flavours of the marinade throughout the meat.”

Honey Soy Flank Steak

Serves: 6

Prep time: 15 minutes
Marinate time: 1 hour
Cook time: 8 minutes

1 cup Soy Balsamic Sauce (see below)
⅓ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup honey
3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
3 pounds (about 1.4 kg) flank steak

Method:

1. Combine the Soy Balsamic Sauce, oil, honey, vinegar, salt and chili powder in a bowl and whisk until well mixed. Place the flank steak in a large, shallow dish and pierce it all over with a fork. Pour the marinade over the steak and turn the steak to coat evenly. Cover and marinate at room temperature for 1 hour.

2. Heat the grill for direct heat cooking to medium (350° to 375°F /175° to 190°C).

3. Place the steak on the grill grate and cook, turning it once, for 3 to 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare. You can cook it a minute or two longer if you prefer your steak cooked medium, but flank steak should not be cooked past medium or it will be chewy.

4. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice the steak against the grain, arrange the slices on a serving platter, and serve.

Soy Balsamic Sauce

“This recipe is very dear to my heart, as it was my first attempt to use ingredients that didn’t normally go together, but made sense to me. In Asian cooking, vinegar is often used to cut saltiness from soy sauce or other ingredients. For me, balsamic vinegar has the perfect mix of sweetness, acidity and body to combine with the brown sugar and soy sauce here.”

Makes: 1 cup
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

1 teaspoon cornstarch, or as needed
2 tablespoons water
¼ cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
½ cup balsamic vinegar
½ cup soy sauce

Method:

1. In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and water until the cornstarch dissolves and the mixture is the consistency of heavy cream, adding more cornstarch if the mixture is too thin.

2. Combine the brown sugar, vinegar and soy sauce in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Stir the cornstarch mixture briefly to recombine, then stir it into the soy-vinegar mixture and simmer over low heat for about 3 minutes, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.

3. Remove from heat, let cool completely, then refrigerate in an airtight container. This sauce will last for months without going bad.

Reprinted with permission from Korean BBQ: Master Your Grill in Seven Sauces, copyright © 2018 by Bill Kim with Chandra Ram. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.

Photographs copyright © 2018 by Johnny Autry