Tony Zentgraf
Bourbon & Balsamic Flat Iron with Bourbon Peppercorn Sauce
This Bourbon & Balsamic Flat Iron marinade is a win! But if it wasn’t for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s need to find uses for larger less popular cuts of beef, there wouldn’t be a Flat Iron steak. Flat Iron steaks are cut from the top blade which weighs about 3 lbs and when broken down into steaks yields 4 steaks between 8-12 ounces. Usually cut into rectangle shape about 10-12″ long and about 1″ thick.
It wasn’t until 2001 when the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association began promoting the new cut. National restaurant chains began featuring this cut on their menus.
Bourbon & Balsamic Flat Iron topics –
- The Marinade Is Where It’s At!
- Selecting the Right Bourbon
- Green Peppercorn Sauce
- But What Are Green Peppercorns?
- Why Use a Wireless Thermometer
- Recipe
The Marinade Is Where It’s At!
The Bourbon & Balsamic marinade is amazing on any cut of steak. It would even impart great flavor into pork loin, bone in chop or tenderloin. Working together, the acid in the balsamic, alcohol of the bourbon and the herbs and sugar work to relax the protein strands of the flat iron.
Balsamic vinegar brings in acidity along with sweetness. Both balsamic and bourbon bring in complex notes along and pair well with grilled meats. Because balsamic has a low acidity and is aged in wood barrels the complex notes are made to pair with bourbon.
With leaner cuts of meat such as flat iron, flank, skirt steak or even pork loin can benefit from this marinade. It doesn’t work the same as a brine but it does impart the flavors into the meat. As the meat is marinating, the flavors in the marinade attach to the oil in the marinade. As the meat mainates, the salt in the marinade does help to draw moisture out of the meat and then pull some of the marinade flavor back into the meat.
Selecting the Right Bourbon
As many of you probably know by now, bourbon is a go to in our household both as an ingredient and as a nip. “Bourbon is Our House Wine” as I like to say. But there’s no turning down a glass of vino either.
For this recipe, I chose to use Knob Creek 9yr bourbon. The flavor notes of this bourbon go well with the steak marinade as well as the Peppercorn Sauce. Knob Creek has notes of vanilla, caramel, nuttiness as well as smokey notes from the charred white French oak barrels. There are notes of pepper in the mouthfeel and some even say green peppercorn as well.
There are hundreds of styles of bourbon on the market and just as many flavor notes that can change a recipe. I recommend using what you like, but because of the different complexities of each one some may work better than others due to the different flavor profiles.
Green Peppercorn Sauce
Green Peppercorn Sauce is a classic French cream sauce. Peppercorn Sauce can be made with varying ingredients, different types of peppercorns or different types of alcohol. Historically, whiskey and bourbon were not in the repertoire in the French kitchen hundreds of years ago.
Traditional alcohols used in the making of peppercorn sauce would have been wine, brandy, or cognac. Cognac definitely is not the same as Bourbon but there are similarities. Both have similar maturations, vanilla and woody notes from oak barrels is where the similarities end. Cognac has sweeter and fruitier notes and it ages the complexities increase.
Using Knob Creek 9yr works amazingly well in this sauce because of the similarities to cognac. The woody notes along with the peppery bite add to the green peppercorns in the sauce. As you reduce the bourbon, the flavors intensify to boost the flavors.
But What Are Green Peppercorns?
Green Peppercorns come from a perennial woody stemmed vine. The yellow green flowers develop into a green peppercorn when ripe. Black, white and green peppercorns all come from the same plant. Pink peppercorns are actually from Brazilian pepper tree.
Green peppercorns are the fresh fruit of the vine. Once they are dried they become black peppercorns. White peppercorns come from the outer layer of the black peppercorns being removed to expose the inner white of the spice. Once the green peppercorn is harvested and either eaten fresh or brined, the flavor is milder than other pepper and has a complex flavor that pops when you eat them.
Using green in the peppercorn sauce gives a nice flavor and a the softer texture is nicer than a black peppercorn which hard and not easily eaten. Adding some brine adds some complexity to the sauce.
Why Use a Wireless Thermometer
Digital thermometers are the standard in the commercial and home kitchens. Wired thermometers are great but the wires limit what you can do because the probe wire has to be attached to the monitor outside of your grill, smoker or oven.
Why not ditch the cord and get an accurate reading to get the perfect cook. The MeatStick wireless meat thermometer is the solution! With its advanced technology, you can achieve perfect meat dishes every time and take full control of your cooking. I like the Chef X because of the size, it is perfect for everything from steaks, pork shoulder or fish.
Check out The Meastick selection and pick one up to support CulinarySeasons.com
Culinary Seasons’ Recipes with The Meatstick Chef X
You need to make this Bourbon & Balsamic Flat Iron with Bourbon Green Peppercorn Sauce! Enjoy!
Bourbon & Balsamic Flat Iron
Print RecipeEquipment
- KAMADO JOE - with cast iron grill grate
- The Meatstick Chef X - wireless thermometer
Recipe Multiplier
- 1 ea Flat Iron Steak - (approx 1 ½ to 2 lbs)
- 2 tbsp Shallot minced - approx 1 shallot
- 1 tbsp Garlic minced
- ¼ cup Bourbon
- ¼ cup Balsamic Vinegar
- ¼ cup Brown Sugar
- 1 tbsp Rosemary minced - Fresh
- 2 tsp Dry Thyme
- ½ tsp Red Chili Flakes
- 1 tbsp Dry Mustard
- 2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Salt
- ¼ cup Water
- ¼ cup Olive Oil
Seasoning prior to Grilling the Flat Iron after Marinade
- ½ tsp Kosher Salt - Reserve to Seasoning the Steak
- ½ tsp Black Pepper - Reserve to Seasoning the Steak
Bourbon Peppercorn Sauce Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 ea Shallot minced - Large
- 3 ea Garlic Cloves minced
- ½ cup Bourbon
- 1 ½ cup Beef Broth
- ⅓ cup Heavy Cream
- 3 tbsp Green Peppercorns in Brine
- 2 tsp Brine from Green Peppercorns
- 2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
- ¼ tsp Kosher Salt
- 2 tbsp Cold Butter - Cut into pats
- 2 tbsp All Purpose Flour
Instructions
Preparing the Marinade
- Mince the Rosemary and Garlic
- In a mixing bowl, combine the Herbs, Sugar, Spices, Bourbon, Balsamic Vinegar, and Water.Whisk to combine.
- While whisking the ingredients, slowly drizzle in the Olive Oil.Emulsify the oil into the vinegar/spice mix. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved.
Marinating the Flat Iron
- Trim any unwanted fat from the Flat Iron, there shouldn't be too much as it is a lean cut of meat.
- Place the steak into a resealable bag.Pour the marinade over the steak in the bag. Press the air out of the bag as much as possible. Then seal.
- Marinate the Flat Iron for 6 – 24 hours in the refrigerator.
Grilling the Flat Iron
- Approximately 1 hour before you are ready to grill, remove the Flat Iron from the marinade and rest at room temperature to bring the steak up in temperature.
- Preheat the grill to high heat. Use cast iron grill grates or a cast iron pan to get a great sear on the meat.
- Insert The Meatstick Chef X wireless probe thermometer into the Flat Iron on the side.
- Season the Flat Iron with Salt and Black Pepper.
- Grill the steak on the first side for approx 2-3 minutes.Then turn the steak on the grill to develop diamond grill marks on the steak.Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
- The Meatstick Chef X wireless meat thermometer will give you a live to the moment temperature of the meat on their App. Flip the steak when it reaches halfway to the desired temperature.Example: Medium Rare – 125° flip the meat at 65° to allow for enough time to get a good sear on the second side.
- Once you flip the steak to the second side, repeat the process if you want to have diamond marks on the second side. If not, no problem, grill until the desired temperature is reached.
- Once the steak reaches approximately 5° below the target temperature, remove from the grill to rest. This will allow the meat to retain its juices.
- Make the Peppercorn Sauce while the steak rests.
- Once the steak has rested for 10-15 minutes, slice across the grain. On the bias as you cut through the meat.Serve with the Bourbon Peppercorn Sauce
Making the Bourbon Peppercorn Sauce
- Watch Video to see cooking demonstration.
- Mince the Minced Shallots and Garlic.
- Heat the Oil in a Saute Pan over a medium high heat.
- Add the Shallots and saute until translucent.
- Add the Garlic and saute for a minute until fragrant.
- Turn the heat to high and add the Bourbon. Reduce the Bourbon by half (approx 2-3 minutes)
- Add the Beef Broth and bring to a boil.
- Add the Black Pepper, Green Peppercorns and the Brine.Cook until reduced by half.
- Remove the pan from the heat.While whisking the sauce, add the Heavy Cream. Pour slowly while whisking to incorporate.
- Return to a medium heat and bring to a medium simmer.Simmer for a 2-3 minutes to reduce slightly.
- Taste for seasoning, add Salt as needed.
- Place the Butter pats into the flour. Best if the butter is not refrigerator cold. Press the butter into the flour so it adheres to the butter. Alternatively, the sauce can be thickened with a cornstarch slurry.
- While the sauce is simmering, add the flour coated butter. Swirl the pan or whisk the sauce to incorporate the butter while simmering.
- Let the sauce cook over a medium heat until the sauce reaches the desired thickness. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon. (flour and butter to thicken needs to cook to thicken as a roux does)Alternatively, if thickening with cornstarch, you will only cook the sauce until it is reaches the desired thickness. Cornstarch thickens quickly.
- Serve the sauce with the Bourbon & Balsamic Marinated Flat Iron Steak!
