Grill Flank Steak

Flank steak is a flavorful cut of meat taken from the flank (lower abdominal region) 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 and other steak varieties (T-bone, ribeye, etc.). However, because flank steak can be somewhat tough, care must be taken to preserve the meat's tenderness and flavor when cooking. Properly seasoned with a marinade or dry rub, grilled, and sliced against the grain of its tough fibers, flank steak makes a fantastic addition to nearly any feast. See Step 1 below to start grilling!

Ingredients

For Flank Steak

  • High-quality flank steak - about 1 lb for every 3 people eating
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Meat thermometer (optional)

Marinade[1]

  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Alternate Marinade Recipe

  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 3 tbsp. (45 g) olive oil
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp. (30 g) Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) honey
  • Hot sauce or chili paste (optional)

Dry Rub[2]

  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Steps

Preparing Your Meat for Grilling

  1. Score your steak. Regardless of the seasonings (or lack thereof) you choose to use for your flank steak, you will probably want to begin by scoring it, especially if you have a thick piece of meat. Scoring is a process in which shallow cuts are made into the surface of the steak to allow both heat and seasonings to penetrate deeper into the meat. To score your flank steak, place the flank steak on a cutting board, then use the tip of a sharp knife to make several shallow cuts into the surface of both sides of the steak in a diamond pattern. Try to make each cut about {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} deep.
    • If you can, cut against the grain of the meat. As we'll eventually learn, the general rule with flank steak is to always cut against the grain to reduce the meat's toughness.
  2. Choose a marinade or dry rub for your steak. If cooked correctly, flank steak can taste great without any seasoning at all. However, proper seasonings give this dish a burst of zesty flavor that can make it absolutely irresistible. When it comes to seasoning your flank steak, generally, your two options will be to use a marinade or a dry rub. Marinading your steak means letting soak in a mix of flavorful liquid ingredients so that it absorbs its flavor, while a dry rub is exactly what it sounds like — a mix of dry ingredients that you rub onto the outside of the steak. Both options can result in great flank steak. However, these seasoning methods aren't usually used together, so it's a wise idea to decide which method you're using before you start to cook.
    • Note that sample marinade and dry rub recipes are listed above in the "Ingredients" section.
    • If you're using a marinade, you will want to begin early so that your flank steak has enough time to soak before cooking. Generally, you'll want to let your meat marinate for at least 2-3 hours, though marinating for as long as overnight can give stronger flavors.
  3. Mix your seasonings. Whether you're using a marinade or a dry rub, the basic process for preparing each is the same. Simply combine the ingredients in a single vessel and mix thoroughly until the ingredients are combined. When you've achieved a thorough mix, your seasonings are ready to be applied to your flank steak.
    • If you're not interested in the pair of delicious marinade and dry rub recipes listed above, it's easy to make your own. For marinades, you'll want to start with an oil base (like olive oil or vegetable oil) and add your preferred seasonings, some of which should be acidic liquids (like citrus juice or vinegar) to cut the oil. To make a dry rub, simply combine dry or powdered ingredients that you like. A good mix of sweet, salty, savory, and spicy flavors is always a good bet.
  4. If marinading, soak your steak. If you've chosen to add flavor to your steak with a marinade, begin by pouring the marinade in to a large zip-lock bag, then add the flank steak. Squeeze most of the air out of the bag, then seal it securely shut. Knead the bag to be sure the steak is completely coated in marinade. Leave the marinating steak in its bag in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours; some prefer to allow the meat to marinate overnight. Note, however, that the longer you allow your meat to marinate, the stronger it will taste.
    • If you don't have any zip-lock bags handy, you can soak your meat in a bowl covered with plastic wrap, a tupperware container, or any other plastic container with a seal.
  5. Alternatively, apply your dry rub. On the other hand, if you're more interested in the tasty exterior crust that a dry rub provides, skip the marinade and apply your dry rub instead. Pour your dry rub into a large bowl and drop your flank steak in. Use your hands to toss your meat in the dry rub until it is completely covered. Be generous with your dry rub — you want every surface of your flank steak to receive a thorough coating.
    • When done, let the meat sit until it reaches room temperature, or, if you're not grilling immediately, place it on a platter in the refrigerator.

Grilling to Perfection

  1. Fire up your grill. Whether you're using a gas or charcoal grill, you'll want it nice and hot by the time you plan to start cooking. Use the directions below to get your grill to the perfect flank steak-grilling temperature:
    • For gas grills: Light one burner and set it to "high". Allow to sit for several minutes (with the grill's lid closed) before cooking. If possible, leave a second burner off so that there will be space to transfer the meat to for slow-cooking after the initial sear.
    • For charcoal grills: Pour charcoal into the bottom of the grill until the entire bottom surface is covered. If possible, push all of the charcoal to one side so that one half of the grill has no charcoal under it. This portion of the grill will be used for slow cooking after the initial sear. Light the charcoal and allow to burn freely until the flames die down and the charcoal turns mostly grey. The grill surface should be quite hot; you should not be able to hold your hand near the grill for more than a second.
  2. Pat your meat down with a paper towel. When meat cooks on a grill, the characteristic black and brown "sear" that creates a crispy, delicious exterior can't begin to form until the moisture on the outer layer of the meat has evaporated. Since it takes a great deal of energy to evaporate water[3], grilling meat that's soaking wet is not only an inefficient use of the grill's heat, but also a bad idea for those looking to cook a crispy browned steak. To eliminate the moisture from the surface of the meat, use a dry paper towel to pat it down until it's slightly damp, but not dripping.
    • If you used a dry rub, you may not need to perform this step, as the powdered ingredients will likely have soaked up much of the moisture already and patting with a paper towel can cause the rub to come unstuck from the meat.
  3. Add your steak to the grill. When your grill is nice and hot, carefully use a grill brush to paint the metal bars with olive oil or vegetable oil above the burner or charcoal. Then, transfer your flank steak to the grill directly onto the spot you just applied oil to. You should hear a noticeable sizzling sound as soon as the meat touches the grill surface. Let the meat sit momentarily.
    • If you don't have a grill brush handy, you can try bunching up a paper towel and dipping it in your oil, then using this to paint the grill. Be careful when attempting this method, as it requires you to get your hand very close to the hot grill surface.
  4. Use the first few minutes of cooking to sear your meat. Once you've placed your meat on the grill, let it cook undisturbed for about 3 or 4 minutes, then flip it over with a pair of tongs. If your grill was hot enough, your steak should be well-browned with crispy dark brown or blackened portions. If it is not well-seared, immediately flip it back over and allow it to continue cooking. Otherwise, cook the other side for 3-4 minutes before flipping again. Cooking the flank steak over high heat initially helps "sear" the meat, creating a crisp outer layer that tastes great and gives your meat a mouth-watering texture.
    • Contrary to popular belief, searing the meat doesn't actually "seal in the moisture".[3] The steak's internal juices can flow out of the meat just as easily after it's seared as they can before. The primary reason for searing is simply for taste and texture — most people like a crispy, caramelized exterior on their meat.
  5. Cook over lower heat for the remainder of the cooking time. After each side of the steak has been seared to the point that its exterior appears brown with crisp black areas, transfer your meat to a cooler area of the grill with your tongs. On a gas grill, this means moving the meat over a burner that's set to "off", while, on a charcoal grill, this means moving the meat over the side of the grill that contains no charcoal. While high heat cooking is great for searing the meat's outside, it's difficult to cook the meat all the way through over high heat without burning it. For this, low, steady heat is best, as it gives the inside of the meat a chance to catch up with the outside without burning the latter. Cook in this way for about 3 more minutes per side.
    • Keep the grill lid closed as you cook the meat over low heat to keep the heat of the grill from escaping.
  6. Remove the meat when it reaches about 130o F (54.5o C). After searing both sides and allowing the meat to cook over low heat, your meat should be done. To make sure, test with a meat thermometer. Stick the pointed end of the thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. Ensure that the tip is not touching the grill surface, then wait for a temperature reading. Generally, a reading of 130o F (54.5o C) means your meat is cooked to a delicious medium-rare. Different readings can give different levels of done-ness, but you will want to take care not to remove any meat with a temperature of less than 120o F (49o C) or so, as undercooked meat can be unsafe to eat. Below are approximate temperatures for different levels of done-ness:[3]
    • 120o F (49o C): Rare
    • 130o F (54.5o C): Medium rare
    • 140o F (60o C): Medium
    • 150o F (65.5o C): Medium well
    • 160o F (71.1o C): Well done
  7. Alternatively, check for done-ness by making a small slice in the meat. If you don't have a meat thermometer, don't worry — it's still possible to test the meat for done-ness the old-fashioned way. As a general rule, the pinker the inside of your flank steak is, the less it has been cooked. Slice a thick section of the meat open to examine the inside. If the inside of your meat has a tougher texture than the outside, has a bright pink color, and/or has juices that don't run clear, your meat still needs to cook. If, on the other hand, the outside edges of the meat are brownish-grey while the inside retains a light pink color and the meat's juices run clear, you're ready to eat!
    • For well-done flank steak, cook until the meat is just barely pink or greyish-brown all the way through. Note that because flank steak is naturally somewhat tough and cooking a piece of meat to well-done can cause it to become even tougher, this isn't usually done.

Serving

  1. Use clean plates and silverware for serving. After you remove the meat from the grill, it should not touch any cutlery or plates that you used to handle it when it was raw. Either use entirely new serving utensils or wash the old ones thoroughly with soap and water before using them again. This prevents a condition called cross-contamination in which bacteria from the uncooked meat transfer to the cooked meat via unclean kitchenware. These bacteria can cause you to become seriously ill if ingested. Even death is possible, though it is exceedingly rare.[4] In any case, you will definitely want to avoid cross-contaminating your flank steak with unclean utensils or plates, so be sure that you only touch your cooked meat with clean kitchenware.
  2. Let the meat "rest" under aluminum foil. When you remove the meat from the grill to a platter, cutting board, or other serving surface, don't immediately cut into it. Instead, allow the meat to sit for 10-15 minutes. Cutting into the meat immediately causes the meat's internal juices to spill out onto your plate or platter, leading to a less juicy, flavorful cut of meat. On the other hand, allowing the meat to "rest" for a short time gives the moisture a chance to be re-absorbed by the meat's muscle fibers, making the meat ultimately more tender and moist. Since flank steak is somewhat tough by its very nature, it's extra-important to give it time to rest so that the meat is as tender as possible when you eventually bite into it.
    • To keep your meat warm while it rests, take a piece of aluminum foil and fold it over the meat like a tent. The foil helps retain the meat's internal heat, ensuring your first bite is still pleasantly hot even after the meat has rested.
  3. Cut the meat against the grain. After it has rested, place the grilled flank steak on a cutting board. Examine the flank steak to determine the direction of its muscle fibers — there should be long, thin lines running in one direction on the surface of the steak. Use a sharp knife to cut the steak thin diagonal slices against the grain of the muscle fibers. In other words, cut the meat at a perpendicular angle to the lines on the surface of the meat.
    • Doing this help makes the meat as tender as possible. Much of the reason that flank steak is so naturally tough stems from the fact that its muscle fibers are fairly taught and strong. Cutting the meat against the grain severs the muscle fibers, releasing their hold on the meat and giving a more tender texture.
  4. Season with salt and pepper and serve. Congratulations! Your flank steak should be ready to eat. If you desire, at this point, you may want to season the meat with salt and pepper or garnish with any extra ingredients of your choosing, though your meat should be mouthwatering as-is. Enjoy!
    • Your flank steak should serve roughly three people per pound, though, if they are very hungry, it may take up to one and a half pounds to serve three people.



Tips

  • Alter the marinade to suit your preferences. Other ingredients that work well include dry wine, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, Dijon mustard and fresh lime or orange juice. Experiment to find the blend that you like best.

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Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/grilled_marinated_flank_steak/
  2. ↑ http://leitesculinaria.com/86103/recipes-grilled-flank-steak-chile-rub.html,
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/06/the-food-lab-7-old-wives-tales-about-cooking-steak.html
  4. ↑ http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/bacteria/

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