Flat iron is my go to steak but I have never put it in a sauce. I sear it in a pan until well browned but rare, remove to a cutting board, rest, then season with spices and cut into strips and sear each strip side crispy.

The marbling keeps it tasty but it has a slight chew although deeply flavorful.

plllog, I haven't cooked/grilled flat iron steak myself. However, it was served recently at a family party. It had been marinated and grilled...fairly quickly, as I recall. The flavor was very good and it was tender. Not exactly filet mignon tender...but tender.

Just curious...what do you mean by "cooking further in the sauce?"

OTOH, ask me about flank, skirt, tri-tip or hanger steaks and I'm good. :-)

I bought it to use in a dish similar to chili that calls for dice of well seared steak. I'm thinking regular steak, like NY, that can get tough if it's in the mix too long. Even though it's in moisture, it loses its juiciness. I'm not sure if the flat iron will do that, or if it needs to be stewed a little once it goes past barely seared.

Flat Iron steak is our favorite for sandwiches. Seared in a hot pan, very rare, then sliced on the diagonal. Very tender, except for the one spot of gristle that is in every one I've bought.

I've used it to make fajitas, also marinated for a quick broil to accompany salad and really like the taste and tenderness, slicing thin across the grain.

I have always marinated and seared. My experience is that it's very tender until (unless) it gets cooked past medium, and then it is something akin to shoe leather. We have a friend that makes a shredded beef and pepper stew with flank steak, but I think it's a long braise, not a shorter cook.

Plllog, you should be warned... I'm a bit sous vide drunk right now! So, how about sous vide ; ) You could sous vide, sear uber fast, the add?

"...or if it needs to be stewed a little once it goes past barely seared."

plllog, my own thinking is that flat iron would be best when grilled or seared...no stewing/braising. However, a quick check online tells me braising can work well. IDK...maybe being a cut from the shoulder helps with that.

I know I've read comments about flank steak being best for braising vs grilling. Not in my opinion.

Flat iron is my favorite steak to cook. Flank steak is my least favorite! But flat iron is delicious grilled. Normal chuck is not like flat iron. Chuck can get veryyyy tender, and flat iron can if it’s cooked properly.

I either grill it, or I pan sear it, put a pat of herb butter on top, and finish cooking it in a 400° oven.

I personally would use it! But flat iron steak, unlike chuck or the NY, is pretty expensive. At least at our store!

"And then there are different names between retail ready cuts and sub primal cuts (from the beef packing plant) which can also get mixed up."

So true! Along with the varied names, some butchers aren't always well informed.

Chloebud, that is so true! I spend time chatting with the younger butchers' helpers, telling them how I plan to cook what I'm buying because they're often clueless. I try to get them to tell me what they've seen their moms cooking.

Aziline, thanks so much for the explanation. I knew most of the part about cuts from my research, but while I'd looked up "clod", I didn't realize why it existed. I really appreciate the explanation of what to do with the gristle. I haven't inspected my piece too thoroughly, but what I think I have is the whole flat iron cut into the two different muscles. The gristle may or may not have been removed.

I'd been thinking about searing it whole, but I think I'll follow your suggestion and cut it first, then sear.

2Many, I could sous vide it for sure, and there's probably a way to make the finished dish sous vide, but I'm not going there, and since the sear has to be done on the stove, and the finish is going to be done on the stove, sous vide, while possible, seems like an extra step.

Basilcook, that's so funny about the price. Flat iron steak was conceived as a cheaper cut. :)

Thanks, all, for your contributions.

plllog, I often hear customers asking butchers "How do I cook it?" I've had moments of cringing when I hear some of their answers.

Regarding prices, crazy! I can still remember buying tri-tip for $1.59/lb. That ship has sailed, for sure! : (

Well, thanks for the explanations. This cut will not be for us. Although I like beef anyway from medium rare to waved over the fire, my husband will NOT eat if there is the slightest bit of pink. It is much easier to cook 2 rib eyes and get his done, but edible and mine the way I like it. For the same reason, I never cook prime rib. I love it, but I refuse to ruin that cut of beef!

So interesting. I've never liked prime rib. At all. I mean, some cuts are more flavorful than others because of what the muscle does, but if someone gave me a prime rib on the condition that I'd have to cook and use it at home (not give it away or anything), I'd probably trim it off as best I could and make it into pot roast or something, I dislike it so much. And here's Sherry concerned about "ruining" it by making it the way her husband enjoys it. :) I'd ruin the heck out of that sucker until it became edible. :) Hm... Maybe best ground up for sloppy joes? But Sherry, as it sounds still like it's similar to skirt in being best practically mooing or cooked to the nth, wouldn't it be perfect for the two of you with one piece made each way?

I got waylaid this afternoon, but I'll be making the dish with the flat iron tomorrow and I think I've settled on slicing it thick, searing, then cutting the strips. Something in between everything. :)

plllog, let us know how it goes with the flat iron. Had to laugh at your comment about cooking prime rib like pot roast. I do enjoy prime rib but totally understand the feeling of not liking something.

Sloppy Joes? NOOOOOOO!!!! :)

Prime rib roast or med rare meats used to not be my thing. "Blood on my plate?!?! Ewwwww!" But working in a meat packing plant (Sales not the fab floor) for 7 years changed my mind on that. Mmmmmmm. And while my husband likes his meat medium he can't stand the fat in a rib eye so it's RI for me and NY for him.

LOL...along with pot roast, definitely NO to turning prime rib into Sloppy Joes! :-O

Aziline, I said if I were given no choice but to accept it and cook it--no giving it away to someone who likes it better--I would make it into something that's more mystery meat than prime rib. I've been served the very best quality prime rib, cooked perfectly medium rare in the center. I'll admit that I like the more cooked outer parts better, but I don't like it. I just dislike the med-rare center more. I don't like the flavor, I don't like the texture, I don't like the fat and I don't like the tooth. Even ketchup can't help it. When other people say, "Oooh, prime rib," I think, "Ew, prime rib". And I like beef, otherwise! So I don't cook prime rib. I promise, I make pot roast out of chuck, but I have been known to use sirloin for sloppy joes. :) It's excellent. :)

Funny how we all have different tastes, isn't it? What makes one say "aaah" makes another say "eeew"! But that's what makes us all interesting, and also unafraid to make something we don't like into something we do : )

I grew up eating all the fat I could stomach in an attempt to gain much needed weight, along with a balanced diet, so was encouraged to eat fat on Prime Rib - my first time I balked, after that I learned to enjoy the flavor (not in excess, however, just a nibble here and there).

DH did not like pink anything - still isn't wild about it, but is growing more accepting. Me? Steak tartare was a favorite, minus the raw egg (not anymore, not safe for me). I do like Prime Rib, but yes, it's got an entirely different texture. I was amazed with both the flavor and texture of skirt steak recently (sous vide and flash seared), and that was a new but great experience. Prior, I just thought it awful - dry, overcooked, tough.

plllog, I think your in-between method will work for you - sounds like what I'd do, but do keep us informed on how it turns out and your thoughts!

"...but I have been known to use sirloin for sloppy joes."

I can understand that a little more. I've actually used top sirloin for chili when I didn't have chuck or ground beef on hand. It was okay but not the same as a braising cut like chuck.

Well, sloppy joes aren't stewed. :) One of the stores near me always has the most beautiful ground sirloin, which they mean for fancy burgers. Makes great sloppy joes, too. :) Sirloin probably gets washed out in the chili, huh? But if it's what you have on hand...

2Many, I have two words for you in re raw eggs: sous vide. Just pasteurize them and carry on. They get a bit cloudy, but handle just the same as perfectly raw. I don't know if I could eat a whole dish of steak tartare, but I don't hate it or anything. I think the iron taste puts me off a bit.

It worked. The recipe itself needs some tweaking, but the meat came out just right. I think slicing made it relax and grow, so I ended up searing the cut sides instead of surfaces (they got top heavy and fell over, and it seemed silly to fight it). Doing the slices meant plenty of sear was still on the meat. I was worried because they shed a lot while resting, waiting for the next step but after everything was combined and they'd been on the heat for awhile they were still very flavorful and tender. I left the pot off the heat for an hour to let the flavors marry, which they did, though I'm not sure it was a good call. The meat did get a bit firmer after the pot was brought to a boil at the end, but not tough or unpleasant. Just less tender. I"m thinking the recipe, which has components cooked separately, would be better if they were kept completely separate until then end, and the sauce made separately, but then it would be a fiddly mess. It still tastes good, mind you. It's really the presentation that's lacking. The meat was good, however, thanks to all your good advice.

plllog, I knew you'd get it : ) Sounds like as you said, perhaps just a wee bit of tweaking for presentation, and there you go!

"but then it would be a fiddly mess", yeah, you may be right about keeping separate, but the fiddliness... argh! On the other hand, I love that you let the flavors marry... It sounds good, and so glad it came out well : ) You know, I find some dishes just don't present as nicely because they need to meld together for a while... I would never describe my chili as attractive, but it tastes good, and that's more important : )

plllog, had forgotten about being able to pasteurize eggs in the sous vide until you reminded me again! I hate buying an entire dozen pasteurized for mousse's, etc. - anything that makes me uncomfortable using raw eggs not cooked. How amazing huh?!

plllog, that sounds pretty good. You could be right about keeping the components separate until the end. Yes...the top sirloin did get kind of washed out in the chili. Not a cut for braising but then I knew that. Probably better to have seared it then add at the end.

I should say that this wasn't actually chili. It's a melange of mushrooms and onions with the beef, some ground turkey, veg and chili adjacent flavors. It was desperately in need of acid without tomatoes and peppers (no nightshades), so I put in some sharp pickle juice, which tasted good, but then I think that may be what muddled the flavors where it was supposed to brighten. I'm going to make a traditional gravy with non-traditional mushrooms (I have some formerly crunchy seasoned shitakes that liked the humidity of our recent storms all too well (i.e., sadly never to be crunchy again). I think that will help goose it up again.

So I've been thinking. Nothing like Friday traffic for thinking. :) I have all these fancy toys. I don't really want to go with gravy or cheese to punch it up, but it needs intensity. The flavor is there, but there's not enough sauce and the sauce is thin, so not over reduced. My mind went on odd flights of fancy and then I thought, maybe I could use the Vita-Mix to liquify a bunch of it? Maybe add a little mushroom powder (umami salt), since it'll need salt if I do that. I mean, hey, "chuck" vs. Vita-Mix? As far as I can tell, it can liquify anything!

It's a disease, I know. The not-chili is really good, and the sauce is mighty fine, but I can't stop until it's toe curlingly good... without tomatoes or turmeric...

Best laid plans department. People have been descending from parts North like migratory birds and upsetting all the meals. The not chili not required. Isn't that always the way? So I don't have to figure out how to make it toe curlingly good. So, instead, I heated some for a quickie dinner for tonight. As one expects (and the reason why one cooks this kind of thing ahead of the date), magic happened in the containers in the fridge. Cold out of the fridge it wasn't much different than yesterday, though both the beef and the turkey had (as expected) tightened up. Heated thoroughly, however, they relaxed, and with a little fresh seasoning, it was toe wiggling, at least, if not downright toe curling.

Yes, this could be anticipated. What I didn't realize is that the beef would regain its steakiness. I don't know how that happens. Magic. I suppose the portion I ate tonight could come from a different part of the pot than what I had yesterday, but really? The sauce also improved just from sitting. And it all made a very satisfying meal.

Good thing, since I have another couple quarts of it. :) I think burritos are clipclopping their way here...

plllog, amazing what a little relaxing and freshening will do! Burritos...good idea...something my DH would like. :-)

The magic happened! I was looking for a quickie lunch for just me, so zapped some of the not-chili, what was left in the small container, about a cup and a half, over some leftover broccoli and cheese. The bit I snagged off the top cold seemed improved. Boy, was it ever! Toes curled! Not every single one, but close enough. The top part, unaffected by the additional broccoli, was divine (and the broccoli was ever so much better with the sauce on it). Much mushroomier, and the spices had melded completely to just flavor. Unless it was me? I had been feeling meh for a couple of days but that doesn't usually affect my ability to taste unless I can't smell (and I could). More likely it just needs time, a la pease porridge, but at least it only needed two days in the fridge. :)

Pillog: An interesting read and i learned a lot about how to cook skirt steak. Glad it turned out well for you.

Now a question from a prime rib lover: I would like to have a sloppy joe recipe that is worth the time it takes to make it. They never seem very tasty to me and not very filling. I can eat a burger and be satisfied; a sloppy joe might take 2-3 to feel the same. Do I just need a good recipe or am I just not a sloppy joe kind of gal?

I'm not sure I can answer the sloppy joe kind of gal question. There are as many different flavors to it as there are to burgers. I've always loved them. My mother would sometimes make me sloppy joe instead of the burgers she was making for the family, just to be nice. I haven't figured out how to replicate her recipe and she doesn't even remember doing it. I know that the dregs of the ketchup bottle and wine to get it out with were involved...

Re satisfaction, I like 'em, so find them satisfying. Maybe figure out why you're unsatisfied? First off, are you eating enough? Sloppy joe started as a way to extend meat, because you can fill the bun with less and not have it seem so meager. It's hard to pile high. I often make them open face on thick homemade whole grain bread, meant to eat with a knife and fork and a good third of a pound per. Or I'll use One Buns, which are sliced flat buns, same diameter, but thin, so both pieces together are worth one slice of bread, and make portions of two per person, with a more usual amount of filling. If it's not the portion of meat, is it the flavor/seasoning/meatiness? Or not getting enough of a chew on to stimulate your alimentary system? (If the last, maybe serve with crunchy raw vegetables?)

I also had a hard time figuring it out and tried a bunch of recipes before finding something that suited me enough to use it as a starting point. It calls for a lot of sauce. Basically, a cup of condiments (ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce (the kind that's good on french fries, not the kind that has to caramelize on the meat), etc.). Pick your poison. That's to more or less 1.25 lb. of meat. Now that I have it down, I don't use nearly that much, and I just squirt. In this, however, is my liking for hamburgers with ketchup and yellow mustard on them, so ketchup and mustard sloppy joes is fine with me. You could use soy sauce and wasabi, though obviously in different proportion. I've used adobo and Mexican pepper sauce. Whatever you use, just make sure to make it strong.

I guess that's the most important thing. With loose ground beef, especially (since Amazon, I can't get the good ground bison I prefer), you need to up the flavor to match the exposure of surfaces. If you're using something strong, add water or stock or beer or wine to make enough volume of sauce (back to that one cup thing). Remember that half the joy of sloppy joes is the sauce soaking into the bread (and the misery when it's too greasy is the sauce soaking through the bread and making a gross mess). It also requires courage with the salt for the same reason, and basic generosity with all seasonings and flavorings.

So, this is what I do: I start with very lean meat. Greasy sloppy joes are icky where on a grilled burger you might want that fat basting it. I used to have to drain the meat on paper towels. With less than 10% fat, I don't have to.

My other "secret" is dried vegetables. I've made sloppy joes with proper chopped onions, peppers, etc., but they have to be sautéed and dried out enough not to screw up the sauce. With not draining the meat, I have the bit of fat and water it sheds, which rehydrates the dried veg. Sloppy joes are for not actually bothering to cook something, IMHO. That meat could be meatballs, or meat loaf, or pirouski, or whatever. Sloppy joes are throw it in a pan and turn it into a sandwich, without even stopping to form it into a burger. I use a generous handful each of It's Delish dehydrated chopped onions, mixed vegetable, and parsley, and sometimes some dried chopped jalapeños from Penzey's. Other times, I'll use some spicy barbecue sauce.

Brown the meat, add S&P and the dried veg. Add generous squirts of ketchup and mustard. Adjust flavoring. Toast or steam bread/bun, or if really really lazy, make sandwich and zap for half a minute to steam the bun with the steam from the filling. If not feeling lazy, add sliced tomato, pickle chips, or whatever moves you. Mixed baby lettuces are particularly good with hotdogs and sloppy joes but they must be at least room temperature. Lightly steamed just until barely softened is better, but not a lazy thing to do.

So...do you think now that you just don't like 'em?

Oy vey. So the visiting birds have been flitting all around and wouldn't be staying for dinner, and I had to produce Sunday dinner as usual, but was unprepared. I didn't buy much at the market the other day because I wasn't going to ne cooking. And I still was going to be visiting until dinnertime so wouldn't have time to cook. I was going to freeze the rest of the not-chili, this morning, but hadn't yet, so threw that in my frozen bag and grabbed some broccoli and cauliflower to kind of replicate last night's version. No cheese, though, so I tore up some good melting cheese and poked it around. The spices were more assertive today, but otherwise it was plateaued. :) There were requests for repeats, though they wanted more cheese.

plllog, so glad you found some magic! Odd though, how it happens sometimes and not others, isn't it? Every once in a blue moon, a dish I wasn't wild about gets some melding time, then it's amazing. And yes, I ask myself the same question you did, was it just me that day? I think not : )

"There were requests for repeats..."

So nice when that happens. :-)

I forgot the important part, which was the meat. It stayed tender and steaky tasting. The thing that shows that it's a bit different is that it's still very cubic. :)

I did anticipate that it would improve with time. All stews do, IMO. What I didn't guess was how measureable the difference was, and how stark the contrast. I put that down to the mushrooms. :)