Grilled Flank Steak

It’s summer time which means it’s grillin’ time! At my house that literally defines dinner most nights. Besides the obvious flavor of food cooked over coals, the clean up is so quick and easy. Very few if any pots or pans need to be cleaned when the whole dinner is prepared on your grill (#CommissionsEarned). And when I say the whole dinner, that’s exactly what we do. The meat, the vegetable, and the starch are all grilled!

About Flank Steak

The cut of beef known as flank steak comes from the underbelly of the cow, near the hind legs. Because this muscle is used heavily, it is a tougher cut of meat. But prepared well, it can be very flavorful and tender. A good marinade and cutting across the grain does wonders.

How to Cook Flank Steak

Flank steak is a cut of meat that needs a good marinade to not only intensify it’s natural flavor but also to break down and tenderize the fibers. The marinade you use should have some acidity (e.g., vinegar or lemon juice) and salt to really make the meat tender. In this recipe I use white wine vinegar for the acid and soy sauce for the salt components. These ingredients pull double duty. They provide acidity and salinity while also contributing flavor. It’s best to let the steak marinate for 2-3 hours and no more.

Since it’s grilling season and flank steak is great for grilling, that’s the cooking method I prefer. Other methods such as slow cooking, roasting, and pan frying are also possibilities. But for me, nothing beats the grill when it comes to steak. Because flank steak is relatively thin, cooking time over the coals is pretty short. Three to four minutes per side will get the steak to the sweet spot that I like; right in between medium-rare and medium. Once the steak is done, make sure to let it rest for about five minutes to allow the juices to redistribute. Then it’s ready to be sliced. I like to make my cuts diagonally across the grain.

In the picture above, I served the sliced steak with grilled romaine hearts, grilled asparagus, and grilled onion.

Grilled Flank Steak

Recipe by Tim GreenwoodCourse: Dinner, LunchCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

8

minutes

A grilled flank steak that was marinated and served with grilled romaine, asparagus, and onion.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• 1/3 cup soy sauce

• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar

• 2 Tbsp lemon juice

• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire

• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

• 2 Teaspoons minced garlic

• 1 Teaspoon dried thyme

• 1 Teaspoon black pepper

• 1.5 – 2 lb flank steak

Directions

• Make the marinade by mixing all ingredients besides the steak in a bowl.
• Place the steak in a shallow baking dish and pour the marinade over it. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Flip the steak over and return to refrigerator for another hour.
• Allow the steak to come to room temperature before grilling.
• Grill the steak over hot coals. 3-4 minutes per side.
• Let steak rest for 5 minutes. Slice diagonally across the grain.

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