Chipotle Flank Steak with Cilantro Lime Butter

One of my favorite ways to cook is to grill. This recipe is one of my favorites for any time of year, but especially over the summer. It’s the perfect size for the family or double it up for guests. If you are feeding a smaller family and not 6 ravenous wolves, you may even get a little left over for a sandwich, wrap or to throw on a salad for lunch later in the week. However, I will warn you that this is sooooo yummy, you may not have anything left but the bits on the cutting board.

There’s just something about lime, chipotle and cilantro that scream summer to me. Easy and grilling also have the same effect. Let’s face it, it’s hot and we get lazy, so easy is a plus. I think you will agree with me that not only is this super easy, it is about the best you can get with easy, and your family will never know you didn’t marinate or slave all day on this piece of meat.

You can serve this straight up with a side of rice and beans or use it as the meat for fajitas. Throw an easy tossed salad together, with some lettuce, red peppers, corn and black beans and add the flank steak to the top, dress with a little of your favorite salsa and you have a simple summer evening salad. Put your favorite corn chips and salsa out for munchin and you’ll have a crowd pleaser. The hubby would most likely at this point like me to tell you to pair a cold Corona with it as well 😉

This steak is amazing as is, but what puts it over the top is adding the cilantro butter to the top. It just makes it a little richer and adds a depth of flavor with it’s fresh ingredients that melt over and down into the meat. The butter takes it from great to out of this world- DO NOT SKIP THE BUTTER STEP! It’s all in the details they say…so why wait any longer, here are the details that will have your neighbors peeking over your fence…

Chipotle Flank Steak with Cilantro Lime Butter

Steak

2lb Flank Steak

Juice of one large lime

3/4 tsp dry ground mustard

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

3/4 – 1 1/2 tsp of Chipotle Chili Powder (amount depends on how spicy you want it to be, 3/4 is pretty mild)

Salt and Pepper

Butter

1/2 stick of unsalted butter (1/4 cup)

2 tsp finely chopped fresh cilantro

1 very small scallion sliced and very thinly chopped

Zest of one lime

Juice lime over both sides of steak and generously sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix all the other dry spices in a small bowl. Put half on one side of the meat and rub it in by hand, flip the meat and add the other half of the spice mixture to the other side of the meat, again rub in all over the meat by hand. Set it aside as you start the grill and make the butter.

Soften the butter to room temperature or zap it in the microwave for a few seconds until you can smoosch it with a fork. Add your finely chopped cilantro, scallion, lime zest and a pinch of salt ( I love kosher salt for this) and pepper to the butter and mix and mash with a fork.

Now get that baby on the HOT grill – yeah HOT, no cooking on low, I leave it on HIGH the whole time which is about 6 minutes per side for rare…I do ours for about 8/9 min per side, I take it off and let it rest for 5 minutes then put the butter on top and start slicing it on an angle AGAINST the grain. The goal is super thin slices. The butter melts down in between….YUM YUM YUMMMMY.