Grilled Rum Marinated Flank Steak Sandwiches with Chipotle Lime Aioli

Servings: 8
Preparation Time: 30 minutes plus marinating the steak

1 (1 ½ pound) flank steak
½ cup dark rum
2 tablespoons brown sugar
4 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 cup mayonnaise
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, seeded and finely diced (about 1 tablespoon)
Juice of 1 medium lime (about 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

16 slices Parmesan Thyme Bread (see page 00) or other fresh baked bread
6 ounces mesclun lettuce mix (about 2 cups)
3 large beefsteak tomatoes, sliced into ¼-inch slices
2 large red onions, sliced into ¼-inch slices

Place the flank steak into a shallow dish. Whisk together the rum, sugar and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Pour this mixture over the flank steak, coating both sides.

Marinate the steak in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or as much as overnight.

Whisk together the mayonnaise, chipotle, lime juice and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat a grill pan over medium high heat. Remove the steak from the marinade. Reserve some marinade for the onions. Grill the flank steak in the pan until medium rare, about 8 to 10 minutes per side. Remove the steak to a cutting board and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes.

Place the red onion slices in the pan. Drizzle with a bit of the reserved marinade. Cook until just beginning to brown, about 4 to 6 minutes. Pour off any extra drippings from the pan. Grill the bread slices in batches until just toasted, about 1 to 2 minutes per side.

Cut the flank steak diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Spread 1 tablespoon of the chipotle lime aioli onto 8 slices of the toasted bread. Top with slices of flank steak, grilled onions, tomato and lettuce. Top with an extra dollop of aioli and the remaining bread slices.