If you’re looking for an epic steak pinwheel recipe for your next gathering, you’ve come to the right place! Steak pinwheels are a fun way to add complimentary flavors to steak, making the opportunities endless! In this recipe I used a combo of pesto and provolone, but use this as a guide to nurture your steak pinwheel creativity in the future!

What is a Steak Pinwheel OR Steak Roll Up?

A steak pinwheel, which is a flattened steak rolled with different fillings, is the perfect delivery mechanism for tasty fillings and cheese. For this recipe, I used a homemade pesto and provolone, but this is your chance to experiment! Get your favorite cheeses, sauces and other fillings to find the next perfect combination your friends and family will be raving over.

Steak Pinwheel Ingredients: Start with Flank or Skirt Steak

Not only do steak pinwheels look and taste great, but they’re pretty easy to put together as well. When making a steak pinwheel, it’s best to choose a flank or skirt steak. They’ll also roll best if you can pound them flat with a baking pin or mallet before making roll ups. One entire skirt steak can be stuffed and rolled, yielding between 6 to 8 1″ inch pinwheels per entire skirt steak. Use twine to keep the pinwheels together while cooking and then cut the twine off before serving.

Slicing into a steak pinwheel shows the perfect mix of steak, provolone and pesto.

This steak pinwheel recipe calls for homemade pesto, which is fast and easy to make with a lot of ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen — fresh basil, parmesan cheese, walnuts, garlic, olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. Pesto is a really versatile sauce that can be added to a bunch of dishes to add a punch of freshness. But in a pinch, a store-bought pesto will do the trick. If you do buy store bought Pesto, look for pesto with no seed oils!

Where I Buy My Steak: I’ve recently started buying my meat from Greensbury Market which is a company that sources all organic meat from small farmers. I read the Glyphosate report from the Institute for Responsible technology and needless to say, I decided that I needed to make a conscious effort to only support regenerative agriculture and buy meat from cattle I know has not ingested GMO feed laden in pesticides like RoundUp. It’s more expensive to buy organic, but it’s worth it to me to know I’m not feeding my family food that could give them cancer.

Ingredients for Pesto and Provolone Steak Pinwheel Recipe:

Steak Pinwheel:

1 lb. skirt or flank steak
8 oz. sliced provolone cheese
Cooking twine
½ cup pesto (recipe below)

Basil Walnut Pesto:

3 cups fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
¼ cup walnuts
3 cloves garlic
½ cup olive oil
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

How to Make a Steak Pinwheel (aka Steak Roll Up):

Pesto:

Combine all dry ingredients except salt, pepper and olive oil in a food processor or blender. Pulse until coarsely chopped.
Next, with the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil and process until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Yield: makes about 1 cup of pesto.

Pinwheels:

Pound skirt steak flat with a mallet or baking pin. Spread the pesto onto the steak.
Layer cheese onto the steak so that the steak is totally covered with pesto and cheese.
Roll the steak up into a pinwheel slowly so all the filling doesn’t leak out, and then secure with twine in multiple places (depending on the size of your steak) so that when you slice the pin wheel into 1-inch pieces, each piece will still be secured with twine.
Preheat your grill to 400 degrees outfitted with GrillGrates on the flat griddle side. Spray with duck fat spray or your desired high heat cooking oil.
Grill the pinwheels until each side has a nice crust (the cheese will form a slight crust with the steak) and the internal temp of the streak registers 125 internal temp for medium rare, or your desired internal temp.
Remove and let rest a few minutes under foil before serving. Serve with remaining pesto and your favorite sides. Enjoy!

Cooking the steak pinwheels on a GRILL GRATES adds a nice outer crust to the meat.

Besides the ingredients, to make this dish you just need a mallet for the steaks, twine to hold the pinwheels together, and a grill. To add a little extra somethin’ somethin’, I cook the steak pinwheels on the flat side of GRILLGRATES. It creates a beautiful outer crust for a bit of a crispy crunch to each bite. (I always recommend GRILLGRATES for anyone who does any grilling. GRILLGRATES offer even cooking, epic charmarks and the versatility to flip them over and turn your grill into a flat top grill which is what I used here. I learned about GRILLGRATES on the Steak Circuit- no one does a steak competition without a set of GRILLGRATES because that is how you get those epic char marks!

Tools Needed to Make Steak Pinwheels:

Kitchen Twine
Bamboo Skewers (this is optional but I find it really does help hold the meat together in a tight roll up)
Mallet or Rolling Pin for pounding the meat
meat thermometer to test the internal temp of your steak. I recommend the Thermapen! Don’t overcook your skirt or flank steak!

Tips for Making a Steak Pinwheels:

So the pinwheels cook evenly, slice into 1″ slices (mine are thicker than that in these pictures). This will ensure the cook evenly and get done in the middle.
I recommend using a flat surface like the GRILLGRATE flipped to the flat side OR you can use a cast iron pan – this is to ensure all your cheese doesn’t fall through the grates and will form a crust on the pinwheel.
While you don’t need to do both, I find that using both the skewers and twine help keep the steak rolls ups together while on the grill.

Now, you’re ready to wow everyone at the next football game or party with a plate full of these steak pinwheels. Let me know if you toy with the stuffing ingredients, I’m always looking for more ideas!

Steak Pinwheels FAQ:

Q: What are Steak Pinwheels?

A: Steak Pinwheels are a dish made by pounding a thin slice of steak, spreading a filling on it, rolling it up, and cooking it.

Q: What type of steak is best for Steak Pinwheels?

A: Flank steak or skirt steak are the best cuts of meat for making Steak Pinwheels because they are thin and easy to roll.

Q: What can I use for the filling?

A: You can use a variety of fillings for Steak Pinwheels such as cheese, vegetables (spinach, mushrooms, peppers), bacon, or ham.

Q: How do I pound the steak thin enough for the pinwheels?

A: Place the steak between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound it with a meat mallet until it is thin and even.

Q: How do I cook Steak Pinwheels?

A: Grill or broil the Steak Pinwheels until they are cooked to your desired doneness. The cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the meat.

Q: How do I keep the filling from falling out of the Steak Pinwheels?

A: Use toothpicks to secure the Steak Pinwheels before cooking.

Did you try this recipe? Don’t forget to tag me on instagram so can see your creation! Leave a comment below and share your flavor profiles! Cheers my friend! ~ Robyn