Flank Steak with Balsamic Onions

Did you ever see the Alfred Hitchcock movie The Birds?  I did when I was a kid and it has scarred me for life.  As a result, I am always very kind to our wild birds, I feed them well, the expensive sunflower seed hearts, not that cheap mixed shit.  One time this winter our feed store was out of the preferred seed and Dave bought a mix of sunflower seeds and some black seed they were supposed to like.  They kicked all the black seed out and only ate the sunflower seeds.

Once in a while, when it is very cold and the birds need a lot of calories, or we (meaning Dave, 'cuz I don't do it) get a little slack and wait too long, one little bird pushes up the sliding window that releases the seed and gets stuck in the feeder.  I alway panic, knowing his little bird brothers, bird sisters, and bird cousins are going to dive bomb me next time I go outside.

So, with our unusually cold spring, the birds have been having a feeding frenzy on our feeder.  Dave often fills it twice a day, and I've added a new line item to our budget just to pay to keep the  darn thing full.

And what, you ask, does this have to do with flank steak?  Well, I had planned on Dave grilling a chicken dish I knew he would hate learn to love and I looked outside and could not bring myself to send the poor defenseless man out to the grill with a plate full of chicken and all those birds watching him.  I value his safety more than that.  After all, who is going to continue to shovel the driveway, since it won't quite snowing, if he is gone?  So I came up with plan B, flank steak.

You gotta love a man who will grill in the snow and likes cheap beer.

He grilled it, the birds sat in the tree and watched him, but I believe they never knew about the chicken plan because he was never attacked.  I'll bake the chicken tomorrow in the oven.

Flank Steak with Balsamic Onions
adapted from Weber Grilling

1 flank steak about 1.5-2 lbs. and about 3/4 inches thick
steak seasoning, I like Executive Chef
3/ 4 cup water
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. honey
1.5 tsp. tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 14 oz. pkg. frozen pearl onions, thawed
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
salt and pepper

Remove flank steak from refrigerator at least 30 minutes before grilling.  Sprinkle generously with steak seasoning.  Preheat grill.

In a medium saucepan mix water, vinegar, honey, tomato paste and bay leaf.  Bring mixture to a boil, add onions and return to boil.  Reduce temperature, cover pot and simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove cover and increase heat.  Boil to reduce liquid until about 5 Tbsp. of liquid remains and sauce is slightly thickened.  Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, grill flank steak over medium high heat.  We like about 7 minutes a side.  Remove from heat, tent with foil and let rest about 10 minutes.

Slice steak against grain.  Serve with balsamic onions on the side.

April 10, 2013     Daylight  14 hours, 40 min., 36 sec.    Temp.  H 2/ L -19 ºF