Vampire Steaks

Difficulty level:

Intermediate

Grill these Vampire Steaks up for Halloween or any night you want a delicious flank steak dinner. This recipe for Vampire Steaks with Garlic Red Wine Reduction uses flank steak marinated in garlic then grilled to perfection. It’s topped with a red wine reduction made with garlic and onions. It’s just the right amount of cheesiness for Halloween, while still being grown up enough to serve at any dinner party. (Just leave out the bats and vampire cutouts for fine dining.) Either way, you’re sure to love this steak!

Ingredients

2 lbs flank steak
2 tsp jarred minced garlic
1 tsp dried minced garlic
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper

For the Garlic Red Wine Reduction:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 ½ cups sweet onion diced, or roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic crushed, more or less to taste
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 cups red wine
2 cups beef stock
2 tbsp butter

Instructions

Please Note:

I make my red wine reduction ahead of time. It takes about an hour, or slightly more to get a beautiful thick sauce. I highly recommend using a cast iron pan. I find the reduction never works correctly in a saucepan. You want a wide, shallow pan to make this kind of sauce. Plan ahead so the sauce is done before you cook the steaks.
Also make sure to note the instructions for the steak. I marinate mine over night, or a minimum of 4 hours before cooking so make sure you’re factoring these things into the timing of your meal prep.

For the Garlic Red Wine Reduction:

1. Dice your onions, or slice thin strips if you prefer.
2. Place a large cast iron pan or skillet on your stovetop, and turn heat to medium high. Pour olive oil in the pan. Place onions in pan and allow to cook until they start to turn golden brown.
3. Add the garlic and continue to cook for about 1 minute, no more than 2 minutes.
4. Add the balsamic vinegar and cook for a few more minutes. You want the vinegar to essentially cook off and the mixture to become syrup like in texture.
5. Add the wine and cook until it reduces by ⅔. This takes away, so don’t feel like you have to rush this step. Just keep checking it until it starts to cook down.
6. Add the beef stock to the pan, and bring to a boil. Allow it to come to a full boil, then reduce to a simmer, allow it to cook until it’s reduced by ⅔. Again, don’t rush it. Check on it and wait for it to fully reduce. It’s not a super quick process.
7. If you don’t want pieces of garlic you can remove them but I like to leave them in. The flavour is amazing when you bite into it.
8. Add butter to the pan and turn heat up a little bit. Whisk until the mixture thickens into a nice consistency. It should be thick but still able to drizzle over steaks. Set aside until needed.

For the Vampire Steaks:

1. Lay flank steak on a cutting board.
2. In a bowl mix the minced garlic, smoked paprika, salt and pepper together.
3. Rub the spice mixture all over both sides of the flank steak.
4. Put the flank steak in a container and cover tightly. Place in fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, or preferably overnight.
5. Take the flank steak out. Discard any juices.
6. Preheat your grill to a medium high heat. Allow it to reach the proper temperature, just like preheating an oven.
7. Place the steak bottom side down first. Close the grill lid and allow to cook for about 4 to 6 minutes, depending on how you like your steak. If you like it rare flip it sooner, if you like it well done flip it later.
8. Lift the grill lid and flip the steak over so the top side is down on the grill grates. Close the grill lid and allow to cook for about 4 to 6 minutes, depending on how you like your steak. If you like it rare flip it sooner, if you like it well done flip it later.
9. Remove the steak from the grill and allow to rest on a cutting board for about 5 to 10 minutes.

How to put it all together:

Slice the steak into diagonal thin strips, pour red wine reduction over top.
Pour a nice glass of Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon to go with your dinner.
Enjoy with a big old vampire loving smile!