I have a significant backlog of recipes waiting to be blogged, but I made this one yesterday and two things prevailed upon me to post it immediately:

1) This week’s BSI (blogger secret ingredient) is beef so this is perfect timing to submit it for the contest, and

2) It’s so delicious, I couldn’t wait!

Fish aside, I’m not much for meat.  I’ll put a bite on my plate, then fill the rest with dessert vegetables and potatoes, etc.  Then I usually share what little meat is on my plate with Jessie.  But this steak was so delicious I was sneaking bites of it from the platter before Dennis came home and almost couldn’t stop myself.  Between us, we ate an entire 1-lb flat iron steak in one sitting.  It was just incredible.

Dennis was beside himself.  “How did you get it so juicy?  What did you do to this?  This is so good.  What did you put on it?  THIS is the best steak I’ve ever eaten.”  “Even over the steak au poivre?” I asked.  “Yes, even over that one.”  An hour after eating, Dennis looked over at me and said, “That steak was really, really good.”

This recipe was inspired by my friend, Suzie*, who shared a recipe for Balsamic & Garlic Glazed Strip Steaks with me last summer.  At the time, I knew my hubby would love it but I didn’t think I’d ever use it.  Then I happened to pick up a flat iron steak because it was on sale and because I’d never heard of it before.  I had NO idea what I was going to do with it so I searched all the recipes I had for steak to get some ideas, and found Suzie’s.  The marinade was just PERFECT for this steak.

*Suzie just started her own food blog this week!  If you’ve been reading long, you’ve seen many recipes on my blog from her.  She’s a great cook with a great sense of humor.  Check her out here!

Flat iron steak is the second most tender cut of meat, next to the tenderloin, and that obviously helped with the resulting steak.  The acid from the balsamic vinegar also tenderizes it a bit during the marination process, so you’re left with an incredibly juicy and tender piece of meat.  The marinade is simple but just perfect.  I couldn’t believe how delicious it made the meat!

Balsamic Vinegar & Garlic Glazed Flat Iron Steak

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

½ cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 (1 lb) flat iron steak
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, olive oil and garlic. Reserve ¼ cup marinade and pour the rest in a large Ziploc bag. Put the steak in, press out the air and zip it up. Let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour before grilling.

Meanwhile, light your charcoal mound in the grill (yes, I was grilling yesterday-the weather was so nice!) and then spread the coals out once the fire dies and they get ashy around the sides. Remove steak from bag, discard marinade. Salt and pepper steaks. Grill covered for ten minutes on each side for medium-well, brushing with extra marinade while it cooks.

Set grilled steak on a platter, tent with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes so juices can recirculate throughout the meat. Enjoy!

Recipe source: adapted from Suzie S.