Flank - beef

hamsam

I am hoping somebody could help me as I bought some flank today with the intention of using it for a steak and kidney pie. Does anybody know if this will be OK and I am wondering how other people use it.

Thanks

tessie_bear

hi...i purchased some in costco last week...is it the same as skirt ?...i am going to cook mine in gravy in the sc....i would think after long slow cooking it would be nice in a pie or a pudding....i havent used it yet though so cant be much help

splodger_seedswapper

the flank from beef is generally quite coarse and fatty - the thin end of flank is usually used for stocks, curries, stews etc - the flank taken from nearer the leg tends to be more tender though - so could be ok for a pie although i would be tempted to cook it long and slow just in case

re the skirt - it is from the same area of the flank - it is the lean muscle there and it is commonly used in pies - but as with the flank a slow cook would be better than a quick fry

valk_scot

I use flank beef (or runner beef as we say in this part of Scotland) to make really thick beef and barley broth. I don't find it a very sucessful cut for stewing because it's too fatty but it makes fabulous stock for broth and you can skim the fat off. Then I make the rest of the soup (pearl barley, carrots, shredded leeks and peas), shred the layers of lean meat up with my fingers and return it to the broth. The cats like the layers of boiled up fat so it's not wasted!

splodger_seedswapper

that is really what i would use it for too - makes a fabby stock - but it has been ages since i had a piece of beef in my house - even a cheap cut like flank - so no beef broth for me for a while

hamsam

Thanks for all your replies - still not quite sure how to cook it but I too bought it from Costco - so I have quite a bit to experiment with. I must say that it does not look very fatty at all.

Sure I learnt many years ago about all the various cuts but I have shopped in supermarkets for far too long and only know of braising, stewing, etc!

WeegieWumman

re: tessie bear,
I bought 'flank steak' in Costo last week also. It was my first time ever buying this particular cut of beef. Not a sign of fat on it anywhere. Stewed it long and slow. It tasted lovely. I really must get round to using my slow cooker.

meanmarie

Wish that I could get my hands on a flank ( skirt) steak....seem to have disappeared off the animals in my part of the world! As I remember it, it was lean and wonderful stuffed and roasted.....

Marie

valk_scot

Flank steak and plain old flank beef are two completely different cuts though. Flank beef is like belly pork, with thin layers of meat and fat on top of one another.