Make ahead question

Hi all:

I am making a stuffed flank steak for a dinner party tomorrow night that calls for marinating the steak for 2 hours then rolling it around a stuffing of prosciutto, roasted peppers, spinach, olives, etc. Is there any reason that it wouldn't be OK if I made it a few hours in advance and it sat stuffed in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours? Thank you for your wisdom.

Hellodali wrote:Hi all:

I am making a stuffed flank steak for a dinner party tomorrow night that calls for marinating the steak for 2 hours then rolling it around a stuffing of prosciutto, roasted peppers, spinach, olives, etc. Is there any reason that it wouldn't be OK if I made it a few hours in advance and it sat stuffed in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours? Thank you for your wisdom.

I'd do it without a second thought.
Jamie

Jamieson22 wrote:I'd do it without a second thought.

I'll second that.

In fact, letting it rest a while might actually improve it (the meat and stuffing may hold together better, the flavors will combine, etc.).

Best,
Michael

eatchicago wrote:

Jamieson22 wrote:I'd do it without a second thought.

I'll second that.

Third here, plus it sounds delicious!

With flank I'd even marinate longer.

So what's the rest of the recipe?

I make a similar dish and always roll it in advance in plastic wrap and let it sit for a few hours. I think it allows the mold to set. I would make sure that you thoroughly dry off the marinade before assembling otherwise you may have a soggy mess if it sits awhile prior to cooking. (I don't know what type of marinade you're doing, but I recommend Cook's Illustrated "paste" marinades for flank steak.)

Good luck!

Hi all: Thanks for the feedback. I also get a bit nervous about stuffings and so like to double check. The marinade is a sherry vinegar, garlic and cilantro, olive oil. The stuffing is roasted red peppers, prosciutto, spinach, a little more cilantro, Spanish manzanilla olives and golden raisins (good thing Tom Colicchio isn't coming over for dinner )

Hellodali wrote:I also get a bit nervous about stuffings and so like to double check. The marinade is a sherry vinegar, garlic and cilantro, olive oil. The stuffing is roasted red peppers, prosciutto, spinach, a little more cilantro, Spanish manzanilla olives and golden raisins

The concern with making ahead items with stuffings is that the filling won't chill quickly enough when refrigerated or cook through by the time the outside food is done, therefore giving harmful bacteria time to grow. So you should never prepare ahead something like a stuffed turkey where you have a large quantity of stuffing inside a big bird.

I don't see any risk with a thin filling rolled up in a pounded flank steak.