This week finds us in Detroit, Michigan, AKA Motown, The Motor City, City of Champions, The D, or whatever else you might call it. Nevertheless, Detroit is a vibrant city with many fun and exciting things to do and places to visit. Detroit also loves its sports and none more so than Allrecipes' cook, Ron, a dyed-in-the-wool Detroit fan-atic! This week, Ron whips up his own version of a tailgating meat-fest with his delicious Flank Steak Marinade and (OMG!) Bacon Explosion!
This week, Allrecipes cook, Ron is whipping up a delicious Flank
Steak Marinade. Additionally, his surprise Bacon Explosion is
enough to make me an Atkins Disciple for the rest of my "unblocked arteries" days on earth. The flank steak recipe has been
in Ron's family for years, from his grandmother/grandfather. It is a quick, simple marinade that will keep your guests coming for
more. Ron once entered a contest in a local grilling competition and came in 2nd place his first time out! As for the Bacon
Explosion, it's an insane barbecue flavor in an artery clogging roll, no matter how you slice it. If you have a smoker, you have
to try this one.
Although it is not as tender as loin and rib steaks, when marinated, broiled or cut against the grain, flank steak becomes quite
tender. Because marinades include acids such as tomato-based products, lemon juice, wine, vinegar, pineapple or ginger, they tend
to tenderize the steak. Keep in mind that a good marinade should have a delicate balance of spices, acid and oil.
To get the most out of a marinade, score the meat with approx. 1/8 inch cuts. Marinade in a plastic bag for at least 2 hours
(overnight if you can).
It is recommended to rest the meat at least 20 minutes after removing from the grill and to slice against the grain.
Marinated Flank Steak
A wonderful, on the grill flank steak recipe your friends and family will love!
Spicy Lime-Cilantro Marinated Flank Steak
This can be used in fajitas, as an appetizer, or a main dish
Beer and Brown Sugar Steak Marinade
The flavors of this marinade complement and do not overwhelm the natural taste of beef.
Ron is a passionate home cook who decided that after years in the family business, it was time to do what he loves to do for a
living - COOK! Finishing culinary school at Oakland CC, he is a banquet chef at the Orchard Country Club. A busy, dedicated
husband and father to 2 boys, he has been a member of Allrecipes for over 10 years and encourages his family's help in the kitchen.
Ron's son is autistic so making meals that he will eat has been a creative challenge. He loves to grill year round and his other
"favorite" dishes to cook are appetizers.
"Appetizers are a fun wonderful way to set the tone for the evening. A good appetizer will keep them coming back for more all night long."
If Ron was a food, he admits it would be bacon. "Bacon makes the world go round. You could wrap a shoe in bacon and I think that would really have the potential to be rather tasty."
"...if ever the sun rises upon Barbecue, its flavor vanishes like Cinderella's silks, and it becomes cold baked beef - staler in the chill dawn than illicit love." ~ William Allen White
I came to Detroit, following the siren's song of Ron's Flank Steak Marinade. I almost packed up and moved my family there after
tasting his surprise gift to a hungry traveler, the artery-clogging Bacon Explosion. I now know what I want my last meal to be!
Before we sat down to gorge on beef and pork, we toured Detroit. I don't know what I was expecting, but downtown Detroit is a beautiful city. From the waterfront to Comerica Park and Ford Field, to the giant boxing arm of world heavyweight champion Joe Louis and the Marshall Fredericks "Spirit of Detroit" sculpture, this city is worthy of a slow walk from one end to the other.
And the sports. Detroit is a sports town. Despite the historic struggles of the Lions, Detroit is still one of the more successful sports cities. In fact, it is one of the only cities to have its baseball, basketball, and hockey teams all win titles in the past 30 years. Detroit earned its championship nickname in the 1930s. During this decade, the Tigers, Lions and Red Wings all won titles. Detroit boxing great Joe Louis captured the Heavyweight title and held it for 11 years. And Eddie Tolan, a black student from Cass Technical High School, won two gold medals at the 1932 Olympics. Since then, the winners kept coming. The Detroit Lions won the championship in 1952, 1953 and 1957. Local great Thomas Hearns won seven boxing championships. More recently, the Detroit Red Wings (1997-98) and Detroit Pistons (1989-90) each celebrated back-to-back victories, and came back to win championship titles again in 2002 and 2004 respectively. The Red Wings also brought the Stanley Cup home in 2008. Detroit has great bragging rights, and can easily brag that this is, indeed, a City of Champions, my favorite nickname for the city. For sports fans it's a great place to be and that's where I met up with Allrecipes cook and Michigan native, Ron. When I asked him what his favorite holidays were, he replied, "It would have to be Michigan vs. Michigan State football games and the Super Bowl. They may not be "real" holidays, but it gives me a large group of my guinea pig friends to try out all my new recipes on." Perhaps, there's a little irony in serving pork to guinea pigs, but I digress.
After our tour around the city, we headed back to Ron's kitchen and backyard where he proceeded to wow me with exquisite bovine and pork dishes. There's not a lot more I can say that would describe just how good this food was, but I was considering moving in to Ron's neighborhood just so I could sit at the cool kids' table! Thanks, Ron for great company, great food, and a great city!
Visit Detroit
Visitor information on the Motor City, the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau.
City of Detroit
The Official Website of Detroit
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