Tenderized flank steak?

[Pierogi]

A while back, I saw a recipe in one of my cooking magazines for a spicy Asian beef stir fry that used flank steak. It sounded awesome (and flavor-wise it was really good.....), so I made sure I had what I needed, and got a flank steak to make it.

Tonight was the night. I pulled the meat out of the package, which was clearly labeled "flank steak" and started to cut it into the across-the-grain thin strips I needed for the recipe. I immediately noticed something odd....the meat looked as though it had been run through a tenderizer, like a "cube steak". I believe they call the process jacquarding. Each of my strips had that distinct, quite characteristic, honeycomb texture to it.

Now, I've been cooking for over 30 years, and I've sliced a few flank steaks in my day. Never saw anything like this before. The meat also gave up quite a bit more moisture than I expected, so much so I had to drain the pan, and then drain the strips after they'd sat for a bit on a plate like the recipe suggested.

Anyone else encounter this? Is this yet ANOTHER example of the dumbing down of our commercial food? You know, "I'm all like, uhhhhhhhh, if it isn't tender, people won't buy it..." Me, I know what to expect from a flank steak. When I buy that cut, I expect a little chew in it.

BTW, I bought this abomination at my "gourmet" Ralphs, which is a Kroger outlet. I tossed the wrapper before I realized how watery the meat was, so I have no idea if it was also "enhanced" in addition to the obvious tenderizing.

[nibor]

This is what made me decide to give Gelson's and Bristol Farms my business, despite the outrageous cost. We are finding good meat at good value at Costco now.

[Peter the eater]

Flank steak is one of my favorite cuts. Its not very popular in my community but still it remains overpriced at $6 or $7/lb - I suppose it has something to do with the fact there's not much flank steak in a given cow.

The odd time flank shows up on the shelf it has a sticker on the package calling it a simmering steak and describing how to marinate it. I have never seen one that's been pre-jacquarded.

I really like the chew, as long as it's cut thin across the grain I find the beefiness hard to beat. Olive oil rub, black pepper, coarse salt:

Then its gas grill until crunchy outside and rare inside.

So to answer the question (I get a little excited when there's talk of flank steak) I don't think its necessarily an example of the dumbing down of our commercial food. The retailer probably just wants to make it a bit more foolproof for the general consumer, I can understand that. But since added processing usually means added price and in this case diminished quality, I think I'll pass on mechanically tenderized flank steak.

I didn't know Ralph's is a Kroger store - I've liked Ralph's the odd time I've been.

[markk]

I don't think its necessarily an example of the dumbing down of our commercial food.

I think that it is.

We live in an age of over-processed, refined foods, and I'm sure that a lot of people are scared-off by the "chew" of flank steak.

When I was a kid in the 1950's and 60's, my mother would sometimes bring back skirt steaks from the butcher that had been run through a thing that looks like a medieval torture device that perforated it. We quickly asked her not to do that, as we all preferred the chew.

Edited February 26, 2008 by markk (log)

[Katie Meadow]

That watery piece of meat sounds extremely icky. I want the privelege of marinating my own flanksteak, thanks.

I too love flanksteak, and when we grill a whole slab we like to marinate it for most of the day in olive oil and lots of aromatics. I do think it's a cut that benefits from marinating, if it isn't being slow-cooked like a brisket. If I am doing a stir-fry and will be cooking thin slices quickly over very high heat I only marinate the cut slices for maybe 15 minutes, as per my recipes.

I'm getting increasingly fussy (squeamish, practically) about meat; I don't eat a lot of it, but when I do, I want to know that it's been touched by the fewest hands--or processes--possible.

[Toliver]

...I tossed the wrapper before I realized how watery the meat was, so I have no idea if it was also "enhanced" in addition to the obvious tenderizing.

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I don't think it was "enhanced". My theory would be that the tenderized texture of the meat turned your flank steak into a meat sponge ([HOMER]Mmm...meat sponge[/HOMER] ), trapping moisture inside every nook and cranny. That could explain the extra water in the pan when cooking.