Cookie's Kitchen

I actually started this blog in 2011 (do you still call it a blog? does anyone actually read WordPress anymore? what’s a sub stack? is that like a sleastack?) It was originally intended to be a food blog, full of my favorite recipes. I ended up posting 12 recipes took some very bland pictures of the recipes, and then waited 9 years before posting a smattering of other things including something about how much i love salami and orange tic tacs (Those were two separate posts). I recently revisited those recipes and deleted all of them in hopes to organize the blog a little bit and get a fresh start. Having written 2 other posts in the past several months leaves me feeling a bit prolific. Prolific enough to add another recipe, or my first, depending on when you are reading this. This, however is not just any recipe. It is the one that has anchored many a Mueller Christmas eve, caused several people to race each other to see how many they could consume, and is the main reason that I smell like bar-b-que every Christmas Eve candlelight church service. I humbly present my recipe for Steak Roll Ups.

The very first steak roll up as I know it was created by my mom, who started making them at some point in my adult life, however I do not exactly remember when. We showed up for what was most likely a birthday dinner or otherwise special occasion and mom had concocted these perfect balls of meat that tasted like they had come straight from heaven itself. When I asked her for the recipe, she hastily wrote down the following on a small note card and gave it to me:

• Flank Steak
• Thick Cut Bacon (2 or 3 large packages)
• Vegetable Oil
• Italian Bread Crumbs
• Worcester Sauce
• Shredded Parmesan Cheese (the good stuff) (3 cartons at least)
• The largest bottle of A1 Sauce you can find.

That’s it really. Seems simple enough, however there is a certain way to do steak roll ups right. When is the best time to make them, where to get the ingrediants, how many to make? All very good questions that I will answer as I spend way too much time and words writing about meat.

The first question is when? It’s a pretty big project, and to the disdain of my family, something I’m not quite prepared to make every weekend. When mom first started making them, it was more of a summertime treat. However, in my opinion the quality and heaviness of the meal didn’t always slot neatly into a summer barbeque. It did not take much time for steak roll ups to make its way onto my Christmas eve menu. We never did a sit down Christmas eve, and once it was my time to start hosting and making the food, steak roll ups fit right in as an easy to eat delicacy that would impress friends and family alike and would be very easy to scale up if necessary.

The next very important step is sourcing the ingredients. Of the five main ingredients, the oil and Worcester is usually fine if you already have some in your fridge or cupboard. Also, as long as the breadcrumbs aren’t expired and are the Italian style, you are usually fine picking up any brand. However, when it come to the flank steak, bacon, and parmesan, you will need to be a little more discerning. Shredded parmesan is a must, since I’m not sure grated parm would give you the same result. Honestly, I’ve never tried it, but I’m not willing to waste a batch of steak roll ups on an experiment. The better the quality cheese, the better the taste. If you have time, shredding a block of parmesan yourself is probably the way to go, but if you are pressed for time, then getting a package of pre-shredded parm is fine.

Thick cut bacon is mandatory as it holds up to the rolled out flank steak. You probably don’t need to get anything super fancy. Middle of the road bacon is probably fine, but you want to stay away from flavored bacon as it might complicate the flavor profle. As far as the flank steak goes, getting a fresh cut from the meat counter is would be better than a pre-packaged one since it it larger and thicker. These pics are from pre-packaged flank steak, but getting it from the meat counter would be recommended in most cases when you are feeding lots of people. The first step is to cut all of the flank steak against the grain, a little thicker than the bacon. Cut all of the flank steak into slices. You will basically need as many slices as you have pieces of bacon. It’s an imprecise science, but you will get the hang of it after you have made them a couple of times.

Once all of the flank steak has been cut into slices, put them into an 8×11 inch container with oil and Worcester sauce. Eyeball it. The flank steak should be mostly submerged in the oil, which should be an overall brown color from the Worcester. Marinate the steak for three or for hours, but overnight is best. When you are ready to make the roll ups, you need a good working space. I usually cover the entire space with saran wrap, including the rolling pin that i use to roll out the steak.

Line six pieces of steak next to each other and roll them out. When rolled out properly, each piece will actually resemble a piece of bacon and should fit on the bacon one for one. When you get to the ends of the flank steak, you might need to use two pieces per piece of bacon if they are not long enough. The rule of thumb is that you want the flank steak pieces to be as long as the bacon pieces. When I first started making this, I used to do one at a time, roll out the steak, then put the piece of bacon on it, filling, then roll it up and put it on a skewer. It took about three times as much time as it does now. Basically, you want to do as many at a time as fit on one skewer. Once you have the steak rolled out, grab six pieces of bacon and put each piece of flank steak on each piece of bacon. You are now ready for the filling.

The filling is a mix of Italian style crumbs and parmesan cheese. If you use one cup of bread crumbs, then use 1/2 a cup of cheese and scale up in those proportions. Into the breadcrumbs and cheese mix, pour in enough of the marinade to make the mixture moist. Take a good amount of the filling and place it onto each strip of bacon and flank steak, and press the filling to make sure that it adheres to the flank steak.

When you roll the flank steak, you want to roll it as tight as possible and then slide the skewer through the thickest part of the bacon. You will have room for about six rollups on each skewer.

When all the roll ups are on the skewers, separate them just a little bit, so they don’t get stuck to each other while cooking. If that happens, the sides that are touching tend to be a little underdone. Also, in regards to the skewers, metal skewers are preferred, and the thicker the better as the rollups can be a little heavy on the skewer. Now a decent sized piece of flank steak and three or so packages of bacon should get you around 30-40 rollups, which should be enough for a decent sized party. Most of the time, 3-5 roll ups should be more than enough for anyone, and since leftover rollups are just as good as fresh ones, there is no issue making more than you need. When you are ready to grill, turn your grill on high to start and then back it down to medium. You may want to put something on the grate to keep the bacon from sticking. Pam for the grill is usually a good choice. As the roll ups start to cook, you will definitely get flame flare ups from the bacon grease. Make sure that you are moving the roll ups frequently to make sure that everything is cooked evenly and to minimize any big flare ups. You may also want to consider moving them away from directly heat occasionally to minimize the potential for burning and bad flare ups. When they are done, they will be slightly charred on the outside, but cooked all the way through.

It’s hard to say what the complete cook time is on all the roll ups, but I would say probably 45 minutes to an hour. When you are done, you can wrap them with a aluminum foil and put them in the oven to keep warm at 170 degrees until it is time to eat. As far as what to make with them, potato salad is a pretty good option. It’s something that you can make a ahead of time and put in the fridge to chill. Once you get started on the roll ups, it’s difficult to focus on cooking anything else along with them, so it’s good to have any sides prepared ahead of time. If done correctly, each one of these suckers basically tastes like a fillet mignon. The A1 sauce is a must with these as well. It will definitely enhance the flavor. If you decide to make these, let me know. I would love to hear how it goes. Good luck!

Here’s a short version for your recipe card:

Paul’s Steak Roll Up Rules

1. Use thick-cut bacon.
2. Slice flank steak against the grain.
3. Marinate it overnight if possible.
4. Pound/roll the steak until it looks like a strip of bacon.
5. Use 2 parts Italian breadcrumbs to 1 part Parmesan for the filling.
6. Moisten the filling with the marinade.
7. Roll tightly.
8. Use sturdy metal skewers and leave space between the rolls.
9. Grill over medium heat and watch the bacon flare-ups.
10. Serve with A1 Sauce.
11. Make more than you think you’ll need. Leftovers are a feature, not a failure.