INGREDIENTS:

• Flank Steak
• Cheese Provolone
• Ham
• Vegetables

TRIM YOUR STEAK

Trim off any large bits of excess fat and silver skin using a sharp boning knife. Smaller swaths are totally fine. Since we’re going to be rolling the steak into a clean cylinder, square off the edges using your boning knife. The scraps can be saved for another use.

Arrange the steak so that the grain runs parallel to the front edge of your cutting board.

START BUTTERFLYING

Holding your free hand flat against the top of the steak, insert the knife along the trimmed edge of the steak and start slicing horizontally through the middle. The goal is to work the knife through, cutting with the grain, from one side to the other, leaving the back edge intact like the spine of a book.

FLATTEN IT

Lay the meat out flat, then pound the seam with the palm of your hand or a meat ponder (gently!) until the whole steak lays completely flat in a perfect rectangle.

START FILLING WITH MOIST INGREDIENTS

Start spreading your stuffing over the beef. Any number of flavorful stuffing work, including relishes and spreads, thinly sliced meats and cheese, or vegetables. We like this version with salami, two cheeses, and bread crumbs, or the one we have pictured, made muffler-style with Italian cold cuts, provolone, and an olive salad.

Start by spreading your moist ingredients directly over the surface of the meat, leaving a one-inch border at the top and bottom.

LAYER DRY INGREDIENTS

Next, layer your dry ingredients—like cold cuts—in a very thin layer, again leaving that one-inch gap at the top and bottom.

LAYER CHEESE

Layer your thin-sliced cheese

START ROLLING

Start rolling the flank steak away from you, keeping everything as tight as possible and trying to prevent the fillings from squeezing out of either end.

SKEWER IT

Insert a skewer through each piece of twine. Without the skewer, the slices would buckle and collapse once they even start cooking. The skewer helps them keep their pretty shape until served, which means better presentation, more even cooking, and better filling-retention.

SLICE IT

Slice the steak cleanly into cylinders using long, steady strokes in between each piece of twine.

SEASON GENEROUSLY

Once the pinwheels are sliced, season them generously with salt and pepper.

START THEM HOT

In my Complete Guide to Grilling Steak, I recommend starting thick steaks over the cooler side of the grill, then finishing them off with a sear for more even cooking and better moisture retention.

In this case, however, that method doesn’t work out so great—the cheese melts and drips out of the pinwheels as it warms up.

FINISH COOL

Transfer the steaks over to the cooler side of the grill once they’ve seared. This will allow them to finish cooking through gently (with the cover on), and opens up that hot side for grilling up some quick-cooking vegetables (like the asparagus stalks and king oyster mushrooms I’ve got).

USE A THERMOMETER

Make sure to use a good instant-read digital thermometer like the Thermapen to take the core temperature of your meat. What you’re looking for is around 120°F for medium-rare, or 130°F for medium. As soon as the steak hits it, transfer it to a plate to rest, in order to maximize its juiciness.