Flank at 88 degrees: Fajitas

The grain should run clearly in one direction, and the silverskin should already be trimmed away. Sear the outside hard, then always cut at a right angle to the grain. Cutting with the grain ruins it. Whole-muscle flank is usually ungraded at retail; grain direction matters more than the stamp.

Colour, sinew, where the fat sits, and thickness are what you check before you pay. Ask for the thickness that matches “Fajitas.” Use 88 degrees and 88 when you cook. Salt after you know the job. Do not play with undercooked meat. Cook Flank to 88 degrees and serve it as “Fajitas.” The other figure to watch is 88. Do not time a hard-working muscle like a thin steak. Colour before heat is not doneness. Abdominal muscle with a coarse but remarkably consistent grain. That consistency is the whole trick: slice it thinly against the grain and a tough cut becomes dramatically tender.

Cook Flank to 88 degrees and serve it as “Fajitas.” The other figure to watch is 88. Do not time a hard-working muscle like a thin steak. Colour before heat is not doneness. Abdominal muscle with a coarse but remarkably consistent grain. That consistency is the whole trick: slice it thinly against the grain and a tough cut becomes dramatically tender.