Description
Borrowed from, ‘Modern Potluck’, by Kristin Donnelly, Brock thought this would be terrific with leftover smoked brisket, and I think it would also work with seasoned ground beef (the salad mix that is). It’s worth it to try it this way though, and it’s way worth it to cook the meat ahead so that it’s shredded and waiting for you in the fridge for an effortless weeknight dinner option – enjoy!
Ingredients
Flank Steak Salad (Lettuce Tacos)
Steak
2, (1 1/2 to 2 lb.) flank steaks, each cut cross-wise into 3 pieces
1 large yellow onion, large dice
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
1 (2-inch) piece of ginger, peeled and quartered
1 star anise AND 4 whole cloves AND 1 cinnamon stick
1 T. kosher salt
Put everything into a large pot and then add in enough water to cover the meat by a good 2 inches. Bring it all to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and allow it to simmer (skim off the foam as needed) until the beef can be pulled apart with a pair of forks – this will take 45 minutes to an hour. Remove the pan from the heat and allow it all to come to room temperature, then using a fork (or your hands, I found this easiest), remove the beef from the pot and finely shred it into a large bowl. Take your time with this and make sure that all of the fat is removed. Add in about a half cup of the cooking liquid, check for seasonings (you may wish for more salt), then either allow the beef and liquid to sit for a few minutes, or cover it up and put it into the fridge until dinnertime.
Dressing
2 T. freshly squeezed lime juice
4 t. EACH fish sauce AND hoisin sauce
1 t. sriracha AND a pinch of kosher salt
Place all 6 ingredients into a well sealed container and shake well to combine, or whisk them together in a small bowl and set aside.
Salad
1/2 c. finely chopped green onions or scallions
1 c. EACH chopped fresh mint AND chopped cilantro
Instructions
For serving – avocado slices, warm rice or grain, butter lettuce leaves to serve as taco shells, more sriracha or hot sauce, lime wedges
The shredded flank steak can be either chilled or at room temperature (very tasty both ways), so when you’re ready to serve, pour all of the dressing over the beef then gently fold in the green onion, mint and cilantro. Your ‘salad’ is now ready to eat. We chose to make tacos. Using a lettuce leaf as the base, we added a bit of warm brown rice, Brock and I covered the rice with more sriracha, and then we filled our ‘tacos’ with the flank steak salad. Garnish as you wish and dive in!
- Category: Beef, Make-ahead, Salad