Chef notes
Steak pinwheels are, more often than not, a gimmick perpetrated on the innocent grocery shopping public by impostor butchers, the same insidious forces responsible for prepackaged burgers stuffed with onions, and salmon loosely coated in soggy breadcrumbs and Buffalo sauce under plastic wrap. When, however, you load up the carnivorous jelly roll with cheesesteak-like ingredients (or the fillings of your choice), the results are as novel as they are delicious. The best outcome is the result of quality grill understanding and control, from temperature to placement, so that the delicious contents sear and seal shut without dripping out into the raging flames below. The method being exercised to this end is known as indirect grilling, wherein only half the grill is heated to apex, the other a thermally ambivalent, oven-like holding area, where the charred steaks can finish coming up to user desired doneness without burning. Understanding this concept is key to enjoying the full potential of your grill, no matter the fuel source, so this recipe stands as a test with real-time feedback in the form of cheese dripping tragically out of your once delicious pinwheels.
Ingredients
- 1 (about 2-pound) flank steak, trimmed
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil (such as grapeseed, vegetable or canola) plus 1-2 tablespoons if pan-searing the pinwheels
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 6 ounces provolone cheese, thinly sliced
- 6 (24-inch) lengths of butcher's twine
Preparation
1.Place the flank steak in the center of your work surface with the grain of the meat perpendicular to you.
2.Using a very sharp and long knife, butterfly the steak. Starting on the thinner long side, slice the steak in half horizontally (parallel to the cutting board), stopping just before cutting through to the other side. Open up the steak like a book, creating a steak that is evenly thick and double the size in width.
3.Rotate the steak 90 degrees so that the grain of the steak is parallel with the edge of the counter or cutting board facing you. Optionally, tenderize the steak with a stainless-steel needle tenderizer.
4.Season both sides of the steak with salt and pepper and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours.
5.Meanwhile, heat the 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion starts to get color, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and bell peppers, season generously with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion and peppers are tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a small, rimmed baking sheet to cool.
6.Layer the steak with the cooled onion mixture, leaving a 1-inch border at the top and bottom of the steak. Top the vegetables with an even layer of provolone, maintaining the border.
7.Starting with the long side facing you, tightly roll up the filling in the steak, making it as even as possible. Place the roll seam-side down.
8.Soak the butcher's twine in a bowl of water for 1 to 2 minutes.
9.Tightly tie the twine at 1- to 1½-inch intervals along the length of the roll. Trim off any excess ends of twine. Insert a metal or wooden skewer through each piece of twine.
10.Using a sharp chef's knife, cut off each end of the log, then slice between each of the pieces of twine to create the pinwheels.
If grilling the pinwheels:
Preheat half your grill on high heat. Oil the grates then add the pinwheels cut-side down. Grill until the steak is well charred, 3 to 4 minutes on each side.
Move the pinwheels to the non-preheated side of the grill, cover and cook until the steaks reach an internal temperature of 125 F, 5 to 10 minutes (the temperature will increase to 135 F with carryover cooking).
If pan-searing the pinwheels:
1.Preheat the oven to 375 F.
2.Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons oil in a large cast-iron skillet. Add the pinwheels and cook for about 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and bake 5 to 7 minutes, until the steaks reach 125 F (the temperature will increase to 135 F with carryover cooking).
3.Allow the pinwheels to rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the butcher's twine before serving.
Excerpted from BASICS WITH BABISH: Recipes for Screwing Up, Trying Again, and Hitting It Out of the Park. Copyright @ 2023 by Andrew Rea. Photography Copyright © 2023 by Evan Sung. Reproduced by permission of Simon Element, and imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved.
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