How To Cook Flank Steak In The Oven
- Make sure your carving knife is sharp .
- Take a good look at your flank steak and note which direction the fibers are running. Slide your knife back and forth across those fibers – across the grain – cutting your flank steak into slices. Keep each slice no more than 1/4″ thick.
- To make each bite extra tender, hold your knife blade at a 45° angle this is called “cutting on the bias.” Cutting against the grain this way exposes more surface area in each fiber and keeps the fibers from being stacked directly on top of each other in each slice of meat, further weakening the bonds that hold them together.
What Cut Of Steak Is Flank Steak
Flank steak is cut from abdominal muscles. Its located directly underneath the short loin and bottom sirloin, and behind the plate. Since cows use these muscles frequently, flank steak is known for having tough muscle fibers. That doesnt mean flank steak cant be tender, it just means you need to take some extra care while prepping and cooking it.
How To Serve Marinated Flank Steak
The most common way to serve marinated flank steak is as the main entree with sides. Just pick any of the aforementioned sides and call it dinner! That being said, flank steak is also a chameleon and delicious in salads, pastas, fajitas, etc. Here are some fun ideas to mix up how you serve grilled flank steak:
Also Check: Grand Western Steaks Promo Code
Other Delicious Steak Dinners You’ll Love
If you love delicious, meaty, and EASY steak dinners, please click through my favorites below – each recipe has rave reviews from happy readers – and they are all keto compliant and low carb!
And be sure to check out my grilled flank steak, garlic grilled flank steak, and best grilled carne asada recipe ever for different takes on this delicious easy keto flank steak recipe!
How To Grill Flank Steak
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Flank steak is a flavorful cut of meat taken from the flank of the cow. In the hands of a budget-minded cook, flank steak can be a delicious yet affordable alternative to pricier cuts of beef like prime rib, T-bone, or ribeye. However, because flank steak can be somewhat tough, take care to preserve the meat’s tenderness and flavor when cooking. Properly seasoned with a marinade or dry rub, grilled, and sliced against the grain, flank steak is a flavorful steak that is great for sharing with friends and family.
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How To Marinate Flank Steak
Flank steaks love a good marinade. Just a couple hours in the marinade is all it takes to tenderize them and infuse them with plenty of flavor. Check out our Soy-Marinated Flank Steaks to learn about the ingredients that go into a fantastic flank steak marinade. This marinade includes soy sauce, which seasons and flavors the steak, balsamic vinegar, which tenderizes it, vegetable oil, which maintains its juiciness and sugar, which helps it brown and caramelize.
How Do I Know When Flank Steak Is Done
Flank steak is a lean cut of beef, so it is best not cooked above medium or else it can be tough and chewy instead of juicy. I would aim for medium, meaning it will be pink in the middle. That being said, the marinade gives you a little wiggle room, but I wouldnt push it.
Most steaks will take 5-6 minutes per side but this can vary depending on thickness of your steak and desired level of doneness. The best way to see if your flank steak is cooked properly without overcooking is to use an instant read thermometer.
Insert the instant read thermometer into thickest part of the steak to check the temperature. You want the temperature to register 5°F lower than the desired doneness temperature because the steaks will continue to cook while resting.
- Rare steak: 125 degrees F
- Medium rare: 135 degrees F
- Medium: 145 degrees F *RECOMMENDED*
- Medium well: 155 degrees F
- Medium Well
- Well done: 165 degrees F
NOTE: The USDA recommends steaks and roasts be cooked to 145°F and then rested for at least 3 minutes for safety.
If you like rare or medium-rare steak, then grill steak on high heat so its hot enough to get some color on the outside in a short amount of time
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How Long Should You Marinate Flank Steak
Flank steak should be marinated for at least two hours in order to reap the benefits of the tenderizing properties. For the maximum benefit, however, marinate for 12 hours. If your marinade contains citrus or a lot of vinegar like this flank steak marinade or marinades common for steak fajitas, dont marinate longer than 12 hours or the steak can become mushy otherwise, you can marinate the steak for up to 24 hours.
How To Cook Flank Steak On The Stove
All you need is a large skillet to make flank steak on the stove top. Let’s take a look at Flank Steak with Smashed Potatoes to learn about the technique. You’ll heat olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Season the steak with salt and pepper and cook int until it’s nicely browned, about five minutes a side. That was easy.
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Whats The Difference Between Flank Steak And Skirt Steak
Flank steak and skirt steak are both long cuts of meat, and they are used somewhat interchangeably in a lot of recipes. So, whats the difference between the two?
Both cuts are tough because they come from muscular regions of the cow, but skirt steak is the tougher of the two. Skirt steak also has a stronger beefy flavor than flank steak does. Theyre also from slightly different parts of a cow: skirt steak comes from whats known as the plate, and flanks steak comes from the flank.
Those are the essentially the three main differences, and I highly suggest you try both cuts of meat to see which one you like best! For today, though, lets stick to flank steak.
Just Take Me To The Best Broiled Flank Steak Recipe Already
I have readers of every level comfort and ability in the kitchen, and I get a lot of questions on recipes.
As a commitment to Sweet C’s readers, I try to put as much information into my posts as possible for readers.
If you’d like to get straight to the recipe, please click “skip to recipe” above or scroll to the bottom of the page above the comments where you will find the easy printable recipe!
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How To Store And Reheat Beef Flank Steak
Store cooked flank steak, refrigerated, in an air-tight container for 3-4 days.
To reheat, consider the microwave! Simple, yes. But if you add gravy, beef stock, or even a bit of water to the bottom of a microwave-safe container covered with plastic wrap, the microwave doesn’t do too bad.
For stovetop reheating, be sure to add the same liquids to the grilling surface.
If you’ve got the time for oven-roasting, set the temperature to 250 degrees. Add a bit of gravy, beef stock, or water in the pan and cook the flank steak just until heated through, no more.
And there you have it! It really is that easy! Cooking flank steak is not intimidating once you know the rules If you are looking for more great recipes for this weekend, check out the links below! Tri Tip, Ribeye Steak, or Cuban Mojo Pork are other grill recipes that are always huge crowd pleasers Have a great Labor Day weekend everybody!
How To Cook Flank Steak Perfectly
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Flank steak is a lean, flavorful, inexpensive cut that feeds a crowd in a hurry. Learn how to cook it right, and itll be juicy perfection every time!
Flank steak is definitely one of my favorite cuts because, like skirt steakanother favoriteits easy and inexpensive. Better still, its jam-packed with big beefy flavor.
But there are a few tricks to bringing out the best in flank steak. Ignore them and you risk a steak thats tough and dry. Follow them and youll have a satisfying meal, in about 15 minutes, every time.
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How To Cook And Use Flank Steak
- How do you tenderize flank steak? Flank steak is extremely lean with hardly any fat or connective tissue so it does not need to be trimmed but it should be pounded with a meat mallet in order to tenderize the steak.
- Do you have to marinate flank steak? Flank steak needs to be marinated or braised to increase tenderness. Marinating flank steak with an acid such as citrus or vinegar chemically breaks down the tough muscle fibers to produce tender steak. Marinating also imparts tons of flavor.
- How should you cook flank steak? After marinating, flank steak should be cooked hot and fast either grilled, broiled or pan seared. It can become tough when cooked too long at low temperatures unless it is braised low and slow until tender like in ropa vieja there is no middle ground when it comes to cooking flank steak.
- What is flank steak good for? Flank steak is famous for London broil, which is essentially marinated, broiled flank steak. It is also popular for grilled fajitas, steak tacos, carne asada as well as Asian stir fries such as beef and broccoli, pepper steak, Szechuan beef and Mongolian beef. It is equally delicious simply marinated and grilled like in this recipealongside your favorite backyard barbecue favorites. Flank steak is also popular to roll, stuff and tie in pinwheel or braciola due to its even, flat, long shape.
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Cooking flank steak in the oven is a quick and easy way to cook this steak. You need just 5 simple ingredients to make this broiled flank steak recipe, and it takes just 5 minutes to prep.
Since my recipes for cooking sirloin steak and filet mignon in the oven are both reader favorites, I thought it would be fitting to show you how to cook flank steak using a similar method as well.
Whether you think this is the best way to cook flank steak, Ill leave that up to you to decide, but I can tell you with certainty, its delicious and just perfect when you want something simple.
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Flank Steak On A Grill
Its grilling time! Lets cook flank steak on a grill.
Whether youre using a gas grill or a charcoal grill, the cooking will be nearly identical.
Youll need to set your grill up for high heat on one side and indirect heat on the other.
Optional: Marinate the steak with one of my options, or simply use a vinaigrette dressing.
I suggest allowing the meat to take a bath in the marinade for 3 hours or more in the refrigerator.
How Do You Cook Flank Steak So It’s Not Tough
The biggest key to cooking flank steak so its not tough is to not overcook it. Marinating helps but if you cook your flank steak to medium-well or well-done, its not going to be as tender. Smoking for a few hours, and then reverse searing at a higher temperature, will ensure your flank steak is cooked and tender.
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Let It Rest And Cut It Properly
One of the most crucial elements to flank steak is how you carve it. Because of its distinct muscle graining, if you cut it incorrectly, you might be left with much chewier meat.
First, allow the steak to rest for five to 10 minutes. This will seal in the juices and allow the muscles to relax. This is a key element for any steak, but especially important for a cut that is mostly muscle. You can place some aluminum foil over the steak if you are worried about it cooling off.
One it has rested, you want to be sure you are using a sharp knife to slice against the grain. What does that mean, exactly? If the grain is the lines that you see on the steak, slicing against it means you will cut perpendicular to those lines. Dont cut with the lines and instead cut straight across them in the opposite direction. This severs those muscle fibers and makes the meat much less chewy.
Looking For More Great Beef Recipes
If you need more quick and easy beef recipes for weeknights, try these Pressure Cooker Short Ribs! Normally short ribs are weekend fare because they are a low and slow cut of beef. But the Instant Pot makes this recipe much faster.
These Easy Beef Empanadas are a favorite of my kids!
Still Feeling Beefy? Try this Oxtail Soup Recipe too! I have not explained to my kids what an oxtail actually is so as far as they are concerned it is just a super flavorful beef stew.
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The Best Grilled Flank Steak Recipe
The best garlic grilled flank steak recipe ever for delicious juicy flank steak or skirt steak with a crunchy crust on the grill. Perfect easy recipe for grilled flank steak for steak salad, steak tacos, fajitas, and more!
If you love this knockout steak dinner, be ssure to check out some of our reader favorites!
These recipes are tried and true viral hits with our readers and are all easy and loaded with flavor your family will love!
Best Way To Cook Flank Steak
So here is a handy little tip: to properly prepare a Cast Iron Flank Steak, you must have a cast iron skillet. I have more pots, pans, and skillets and kitchen gear than I will ever admit on this website. You might call me a collector . But nothing works better than a good old fashioned Lodge Cast Iron Skillet.
While there are plenty of cast iron skillets that will cook just as well, I just dont know that any of them will ever beat the value. This is the 15 inch Cast Iron Skillet that is my go-to when searing larger pieces of meat. It is big enough to handle the job. A little heavy. And awesome.
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Serving Suggestions For Flank Steak
Mm, what to eat with your 3-ounce serving size flank steak? What is there not to eat with it!?!
- How to Make Easy Chimichurri Sauce< < As mentioned several times, flank steak LIVES for being paired with chimichurri. Do it! Do it!
- Aunt Shirley’s Famous Creamy Mashed Potatoes< < Creamy. Creeeeeamy. It’s in the recipe name, people!
- How to Make Instant Pot Brown Rice< < Put the nutty flavor of brown rice against the beefiness of flank steak and you won’t be sorry.
- My Favorite Coleslaw < < Not too sweet, this coleslaw’s fresh lemon and herbs really make it pop.
- Homemade Green Bean Casserole Recipe< < We’re kickin’ that can of soup to the curb. To the curb, I tell you.
- Cream of Turkey Soup< < A hint of lemon and the shredded carrots make this soup really unique and flavorful!
- Recipe for Roasted Brussel Sprouts< < Brussel Sprouts are less bitter now than in previous generations and making a case for being one of the best “new” vegetables out there.
- Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits< < Fluffy. Buttermilk. Biscuits. Don’t tell me you need more descriptors to click that link.
Juicy Flank Steak Recipe
Yall. Make room on this weeks meal plan, because you absolutely do not want to miss out on this Juicy Flank Steak recipe. I mean, just look at that picture! Dont tell me Im the only one whose mouth is watering
Anyway, its now summertime, which means its grilling time. And, when the grill comes out, so do the steak recipes. Dont get me wrong, we do steak year-round in this household, but grilled steak is different from pan-seared steak, you know?
This tender flank steak will have you wishing grilling season lasted all year long. The meat turns out so juicy, a touch crispy on the outside, and its filled with citrusy, smoky flavor. Serve it with your favorite side salad, some mac n cheese, alongside coleslaw, etc. Whatever you like!
Also, one more thing: This whole meal only takes about 20 minutes to prepare . So, even if its a fairly busy weeknight, steak dinner can still be on the table!
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How To Make Sure Flank Steak Cooks Evenly
A flank steak is sort of wedge-shaped and can range from one to two pounds. Often one end of the flank steak is thicker than the other. If the difference in thickness is more than 1/4 inch, its smart to slice apart the thicker and thinner sides to ensure even doneness. Start cooking the thicker half, and about halfway through cooking, add the thinner half and cook both pieces to desired doneness. Alternatively, you can pound the steak out into an even thickness between two pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Or, if some family members like their steak cooked medium-rare and others like theirs more well done, leave the flank steak intact as is and there will be something for everyone.
