Chinese Beef with Broccoli Is Even Better on the Grill
In the summer, the only cooking I do at home is grilling. When I’m not working, I'm outside, thinking about what I can grill. Recently, I got into a grilled spatchcock chicken rut and wanted to do something completely different. I had some friends over a few weekends ago and wanted to throw them a little food curve ball. I took some inspiration from one of my favorite takeout meals: beef and broccoli. You know the kind: The meal is a little mushy due to sitting in the white takeout container, yet still strangely satisfying.
I was happy with my test drive at home (and so were my friends), but I knew it needed a little work. So I took my notes back into the test kitchen and got to work.
The most important thing is the sauce. I needed to incorporate all the same flavors that make takeout beef and broccoli so good. But in a grilled version, you can't simmer the sauce. Instead, I used a marinade to get the flavor inside the meat. Then, I used the marinade as a baste that would help the broccoli steam and soften up on the grill... and flavor bomb the florets at the same time.
I chose flank steak because it grills quickly, is delicious, and absorbs marinades really well. In fact, it takes less time to make this than to order takeout. Plus, it keeps my only-grill-in-the-summer mantra alive.
