Flank at 88 degrees: Fajitas · 232

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. 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.

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. At the counter, read the use on Flank before the photograph. 88 degrees is the internal heat, “Fajitas” is the dish, and 88 is the stage of the fire. Marbling alone does not split stew from grill. Whole-muscle flank is usually ungraded at retail; grain direction matters more than the stamp.

At the counter, read the use on Flank before the photograph. 88 degrees is the internal heat, “Fajitas” is the dish, and 88 is the stage of the fire. Marbling alone does not split stew from grill. Whole-muscle flank is usually ungraded at retail; grain direction matters more than the stamp.