Grilled Korean-Style Skirt Steak

Alongside the Kimchi Fried Rice, this is another recipe from the October issue of Food Network Magazine. Called Korean style marinade, the usage of cola hardly has anything to do with Korean cooking. It reminded me of a time when cola was very popular in some Chinese cooking too. 

Regardless, it's a clever way to add cola into a marinade. Not only the sugar content of it works as a sweet sauce, the acidity also tenderizes the meat and therefore allows all the flavors in the marinade to pierce through the meat's tissue. It's very important to pierce some holes with a fork on the steak before marinating. The result is these perfectly grilled medium rare steaks with tons of flavors. My boyfriend went crazy for them and said we're one more step closer to our catering business.

4 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds skirt steak, trimmed and cut crosswise into 4 - 5 1" pieces
• 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup cola
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
•  kosher sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 large white onion, cut into 2-inch-thick wedges
• 6 to 8 slices thick-cut bacon 

Directions:

1. Pierce the steak a few times with a fork. Toast the sesame seeds in a skillet over medium heat until golden, shaking the pan, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.
2. Combine the sesame seeds, garlic, cola, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the steak, onion wedges and bacon, turning to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
3. Remove the steak and onion wedges from the marinade with a slotted spoon and transfer to a baking sheet. Heat a grill pan over high heat. Grill the onion wedges and peppers, turning, until charred, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a platter. Grill the steak until charred, 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium rare.