Teriyaki Flank Steak

We had our final barbecue last weekend and since I knew it would be our last of the summer, I choose to have my favorite marinated meat - teriyaki flank steak.   This was always Nick and Lauren's birthday dinner request (both have birthdays in July - right in the middle of barbecue season!)  When Lauren was around 6 years old, she requested teriyaki flank steak for her birthday but I was so busy getting ready for her big day and preparing all the festivities that I decided to buy a bottled teriyaki marinade to save me time and use that instead of this recipe.  When Lauren took her first bite of her dinner she yelled out "This isn't what I wanted for my birthday!!"    I felt so bad and after that I never tried another teriyaki marinade.  This is the tried and true one.

Where did this recipe come from?  Well, that's another story. It's actually from the cookbook A Taste of Terrace Hill. 

Where is Terrace Hill, you ask?  It is where the governor of Iowa lived.  (I don't know if he still does but he did in the 80's.)  Anybody out there from Iowa know if the governor still lives in Terrace Hill?  The cookbook was a gift from my mother-in-law when we lived in Iowa from 1981-1984.  The cookbook is even autographed by the first lady of Iowa, Billie Ray. 

It's a very Iowa cookbook.  The teriyaki recipe is for pork chops, which I've never made because I always use flank steak.  I have used  chicken, though, which is also very good.  Iowa is known for it's pork so, of coarse, that's what they would prefer. We use to eat "breakfast chops" and side pork for breakfast when we lived there and steaks were the size of a pot roast.  I was always amazed at the meat case in the grocery store when we lived there.   There is no shortage of meat when you live in Iowa.

Make 6 servings

1/4 cup lemon juice
1 Tbsp. chili sauce
3/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
3 cloves garlic
4 pounds flank steak

1.  Combine first 5 ingredients.  Put in a container for marinading such as a zip lock bag or a dish with lid that you can flip to marinade.

2.  Place flank steak in bag/dish and marinate for  3-6 hours or overnight.

3.  Place on grill for about 15-20 minutes  on each side or until done.  

You might think that 4 pounds of meat for six people sounds like a lot but I've made this recipe dozens of times and people will just eat and eat until the meat is gone - no matter how much there is.  It's THAT good.  It's definitely a recipe to serve when guests come over and you'll be sure to please.  Mr. and Mrs Governor of Iowa will agree.

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Ray