Ten minutes with a knife buys you the barbecue's best-kept secret

Inside every blade steak there's a flat-iron trying to get out — you just have to remove the seam of gristle running through the middle. It's honestly a ten-minute job with a sharp knife, and what you're left with are trim, even steaks that barbecue beautifully: tender, big-flavoured, and built for high heat. Do it once and you'll never look at blade the same way again. Fire up the barbecue, keep the seasoning simple, and slice it across the grain — that's the whole game.

45 mins 2 servings Prep 30 minsCook 15 minsMain CourseAmerican

Ingredients

  • 430g Your Farmer grass-fed blade steak (2 steaks)
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp flaked salt
  • 1 tsp cracked black pepper
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley (for the board sauce)
  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped (for the board sauce)
  • Squeeze of lemon juice (for the board sauce)
  • Pinch of chilli flakes (optional, for the board sauce)

Instructions

Work with the steaks cold from the fridge — firm meat is far easier to trim. Lay one flat and find the pale seam of gristle running through the centre.

430g blade steak

With a long, sharp knife held flat against the seam, slide along its top side in smooth strokes to free the upper piece of meat. Flip and repeat under the seam. Repeat with the second steak — you now have four trim, even mini flat-irons. Save the seams for the stock bag.

Rub the steaks with 1 tablespoon of the oil, season all over with the salt and pepper, and let them stand for 20 minutes while the barbecue heats to high.

1 tbsp olive oil2 tsp flaked salt1 tsp cracked pepper

Barbecue over direct high heat for 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium-rare — these are thin, even pieces and they cook fast. Pull them the moment they feel springy rather than firm.

While they rest for 8 minutes, pile the parsley, garlic, chilli flakes and remaining oil onto a serving board with the lemon juice and chop-mix them together with a pinch of salt.

2 tbsp parsley1 clove garlic2 tbsp olive oilsqueeze of lemon

Slice the rested steaks across the grain, roll the slices through the board sauce and juices, and serve straight off the board.

Appears in

Pack B & Pack D shares — Blade (~430g)

Your Farmer CSA grass-fed beef share — vacuum-sealed steaks, roasts, mince and sausages, paddock-to-plate NSW & ACT delivery
CSA Grass Fed Beef Share
From $176.67

What a Flat-Iron Actually Is

The flat-iron is one of butchery's better magic tricks. Blade muscle is genuinely tender — its one flaw is the sheet of connective tissue running through the middle, which is why whole blade steaks get sent to the slow cooker. Take that seam out and what's left grills like a premium steak: even thickness, fine grain, and the big, beefy flavour that hard-working shoulder muscle carries. Butchers charge accordingly when they do the trimming. Do it yourself on a Your Farmer® blade pack — about 430g, two steaks, from Pack B and Pack D beef shares — and you get the same result for braising-cut money, plus the quiet satisfaction of a job done with your own knife. Go slowly on the first steak; the second takes half the time.

Swaps and Variations

No barbecue? A ripping-hot grill pan or heavy frying pan does the identical job indoors — same times, windows open. The board sauce is endlessly flexible: swap in coriander and lime for tacos, or go full chimichurri with oregano and red wine vinegar. And here's a share tip worth knowing: the BBQ steak in Pack A and Pack C shares is oyster blade — the same muscle family, already flat — so the technique on the barbecue carries straight across. For the broader hot-and-fast playbook, our BBQ steak night guide has you covered.

Storage and Leftovers

Trimmed raw flat-irons keep, well wrapped, for 2 days in the fridge — so you can do the knife work on Thursday for Saturday's barbecue. They also freeze well for up to 3 months if you trim the whole pack ahead. Cooked leftovers keep 3 days: don't reheat them — warmed-over steak toughens — just slice thin and cold into a steak sandwich with mustard, or lay the slices over a rocket and parmesan salad. The trimmed seams aren't rubbish — bag them in the freezer with your bones and they'll pull their weight in the next stock.

Blade lands in every second delivery when you reserve a grass-fed beef share — and now you know both of its lives.

Frequently asked questions

What knife do I need for the trimming?

Any long, sharp, thin-bladed knife — a boning or filleting knife is ideal, but a sharp carving knife works. Sharpness matters far more than the style of knife; a dull blade tears instead of slides.

I cut through the meat in a few spots. Is it ruined?

Not at all — slightly ragged pieces cook and taste exactly the same. Every butcher's first flat-iron looked worse than yours. Neatness comes with the second and third pack.

How do I tell medium-rare without a thermometer?

Press with tongs: medium-rare feels springy, like the base of your thumb with fingers relaxed. These thin pieces move fast, so check early — and remember they firm up a touch more while resting.

Can I cook the blade steaks whole instead of trimming them?

Yes — sear them whole, hot and fast to medium-rare, and eat around the centre seam. Trimming just gives you edge-to-edge tenderness and even, cheffy slices.

0 commentson DIY Flat-Iron: Trim a Blade Steak and Barbecue It Properly

Three Simple Steps

A whole table of real food.

Your Farmers grow grass-fed beef and lamb, pastured eggs and the best eco-grown veggies and produce — every item grown to the same ecological standard, every farmer one you can know by name. One subscription, your whole real-food shop.

01

Reserve your share — or try a pack

Subscribe to a share of the harvest, or start with a one-off fixed pack.

02

Make it your own

Pick your delivery rhythm and what's in the box. Skip or cancel anytime — no lock-in.

03

Cook, savour, know your farmer

We deliver in a reusable esky we collect next time. No couriers, no waste.

5.0
Vendor:Your Farmer

CSA Grass Fed Beef Share

Price$176.67
Vendor:Your Farmer

CSA Pastured Lamb Share

Price$183.33
Vendor:Your Farmer

Grass-Fed Steak Box

Price$158.89
Vendor:Your Farmer

Grass-Fed Mince, Sausage and Diced Beef Pack

Price$264.44
Vendor:Your Farmer

Grass-Fed Beef and Lamb BBQ Box

Price$286.67
Vendor:Your Farmer

Pastured Lamb Roast and Slow-Cook Box

Price$155.56
Vendor:Your Farmer

Quarter, Half or Whole Cow: Grass-Fed Beef, Cut Your Way

Price$1,145.00
Vendor:Your Farmer

Whole Pastured Lamb, Cut Your Way

Price$525.00

More Recipes

View all

Osso buco-style braised grass-fed lamb chump chops in tomato sauce over soft polenta, topped with gremolata.

Osso Buco-Style Braised Chump Chops with Gremolata

The Milanese treatment — chops braised low in white wine and tomato, lifted at the end by lemony gremolata

Osso buco is Milan's great braise, and the finishing touch is what makes it: gremolata, a raw scatter of lemon zest, garlic and parsley chopped fine, stirred in right at the end. Against an hour and a half of slow, rich braising, that fresh, sharp hit is a revelation — it stops the whole thing feeling heavy and makes you reach for another spoonful. Lamb chump chops stand in beautifully for the traditional veal shin here, their fat and connective tissue melting into a glossy sauce over soft polenta. It takes time, but almost none of it is yours. This is a dish to be proud of.

Read moreabout Osso Buco-Style Braised Chump Chops with Gremolata

A thick bowl of split pea and lamb bone soup topped with shredded lamb and mint.

Split Pea and Lamb Bone Soup

Pea-and-ham thinking, straight from the lamb paddock

Every Australian family has a pea-and-ham soup story, and every one of those soups leans on the same trick: a bone in the pot doing the heavy lifting. This is that trick with lamb bones instead of a hock. The split peas collapse into a thick, velvety base, the bones give the broth real depth and body, and a pinch of smoked paprika stands in for the smokehouse if you want that familiar edge. It's the thriftiest pot in this whole collection — pantry peas, add-on bones, one lazy afternoon — and it eats like a hug.

Read moreabout Split Pea and Lamb Bone Soup

Grass-fed T-bone steak sliced and served with homemade tarragon bearnaise and chips, bistro style.

T-Bone with Bearnaise from Scratch

The sauce that turns a steak into an occasion

Béarnaise has a reputation as chef's territory — it isn't. It's three egg yolks, a sharp tarragon reduction and a stream of warm butter, whisked over gentle heat until it turns thick, glossy and faintly wobbly. Twenty minutes of honest attention, most of it while the steak rests. And there's no better steak to learn it on than a grass-fed T-bone: the fillet side was born for béarnaise, and the sirloin side isn't far behind. This is occasion cooking you can pull off on an ordinary Saturday.

Read moreabout T-Bone with Bearnaise from Scratch