Red Chile Steak with Plantains
Flat iron was our steak of choice though any thin cut steak can be used. Flank steak would be a good substitute. We made our steak medium rare, but you can cook them however you’d like if they can be sliced thin. Don’t skip the part where you let the meat sit on a cooler part of the grill for 5-10 minutes before you serve it. This will give you the juiciest steak because it gives the meat a little time to reabsorb its juices. Let the onions and plantains sit on a cooler part of the grill during cooking for a similar effect.
The plantains in this recipe should be as ripe as your can find, but not all the way black. When they are black they are too mushy, so try to get a nicely ripened yellow one. Green plantains will be too starchy and hard for this recipe, so avoid them if you can.
The Ancho Powder used in this recipe is a huge part of the spice rub, so don’t leave it out. When you’ve finished adding your dry spice rub to the meat, leave it in the fridge for a little while and let it work its magic. This can’t be called marinating since there is no liquid, but we suppose you could call it a rest or something like that. It’s almost like a spicy nap for the meat, with a heated blanket of ancho powder.
Chop and then toss your plantains and onions with whatever salsa you prefer. You can make your own, or you can buy something premade from the store. Leaving the plantains and onions plain and serving salsa on the side is another viable option.
- 4 cloves garlic, minced finely or crushed
- 1/3 cup Ancho Powder
- 4 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp Mexican Oregano
- 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
- 4 tsp Black Pepper
- Salt to taste
- 1-1/4 lb flank steak, or flat iron (we prefer flat iron)
- 2 yellow to black ripe plantains
- Vegetable oil
- 1 medium red onion, cut into 1/4 inch slices
- 1 cup Salsa - See Roasted Salsa Verde or Roasted Tomato Salsa
- Heat one side of gas grill to medium-high, or light a charcoal grill and prepare coals to one side.
- Mix together garlic, ancho powder, sugar, oregano, cumin, pepper and 5 tsp salt until thoroughly blended. Spread a heavy coating on the steak, about 1-2 Tbsp. Cover and refrigerate left over rub.
- Cut the ends off of both plantains, then split them lengthwise in half leaving the skins on. Lightly oil both sides of the plantains and red onions. Place the plantains and red onion on the hot part of grill until browned on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Move the plantains and onions to the cooler side of the grill while you cook the steak.
- Place steak on grill over hot coals. (I usually spray some cooking oil on both sides first.) Cook steak until desired doneness. 3-4 minutes per side for medium-rare, slightly longer for medium. Move steak and plantains and onion onto a cutting board and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Remove skins from plantains, chop into 1/4 inch pieces and place in bowl. Chop onion to the same size and place in bowl. Stir 3 Tbsp of salsa into mixture. Season with salt to taste. Slice steak into thin slices. Serve with remaining salsa.
