More Mundane Meanderings.

Ingredients

• 1 flank steak
• A good handful of fresh herbs (e.g., sage, rosemary, thyme)
• 1 clove of garlic
• 8-10 black peppercorns
• A large pinch of kosher salt
• 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil

Trim all of the unappetizing bits off of the flank steak and let it rest on a cutting board while making the herb rub. Strip the herbs' leaves from the stems and place in a mortar and pestle. This can probably be done in a food processor or with a nice, sharp knife, but what's the fun in that? Add the peppercorns, kosher salt, and the peeled garlic clove to the herbs and grind the whole mess into a green paste. It may take a bit of work, but rosemary has an unpleasant habit of sticking between teeth if left whole.

Add enough olive oil to the paste to loosen it up a bit. You don't want it runny, but it should be thin enough to spread easily over the flank steak. Stir it up and smear half of it over each side of the steak with a spatula (or your hands). Leave the meat on the cutting board while you preheat the grill.

Once preheated, turn the grill down to about medium heat and put on the flank steak. Flip the steak every two to three minutes to ensure a nice, evenly cooked-through piece of meat. Once the flank steak feels somewhat firm to the touch (see this interesting guide to steak doneness) or reads whatever temperature you prefer on an instant-read thermometer, remove the steak to a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil for at least five minutes.

After the meat had rested, cut it into thin strips—about half-an-inch—across the grain of the meat. Be prepared a mess with this step, since meat juices tend run when cutting it. Serve and enjoy!