How to Cook Beef Flank Steak
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Flank steak is a popular and affordable cut of beef that you’ve probably enjoyed in stir fry, fajitas, and on its own. It’s versatile and well suited for any recipe that calls for long, thin strips of beef.
Cooking flank steak is an essential skill for any budding grillmaster to learn. It’s a lean cut of meat which means it lacks that fatty marbling that makes other steaks naturally tender. But if you learn how to cook beef flank steak the right way, your flank steak can be tender and flavorful, too.
What is Flank Steak?
Flank steak, sometimes known as London broil, is a cut of beef taken from the animal's abdominal muscles. It’s typically about a foot long and an inch thick. It’s usually cooked whole.
There’s some debate as to whether flank steak is technically steak at all. The Oxford English Dictionary defines steak as “High-quality beef taken from the hindquarters of the animal.” However, it’s a popular cut of beef that can be the star of the meal or an essential supporting player depending on the recipe.
What Cut of Steak Is Flank Steak?
Flank steak is cut from abdominal muscles. It’s 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 doesn’t mean flank steak can’t be tender, it just means you need to take some extra care while prepping and cooking it.
Is Flank Steak the Same as Skirt Steak?
Though they’re sometimes used interchangeably in recipes, skirt steak is different from flank steak. Flank steak is cut from the flank or abdominal muscles. Skirt steak is cut from the plate or diaphragm muscles. Flank steak is thicker, wider, and has a slightly less beefy flavor than skirt steak. Both should be cut against the grain, and either take to marinades well.
Is Flank Steak Hard to Cook?
No, flank steak is an easy cut of beef to cook. It’s known for having tough muscle fibers (which sounds intimidating) but when flank steak is marinated and cooked quickly over high heat, smoked, or braised, those muscle fibers break down and create a tender result.
Where Can You Buy Flank Steak?
Flank steak is easy to find at most grocery stores or butchers. It might be labeled as London broil, so be on the lookout for cuts with that name. Flank steak is an affordable cut of beef that rarely exceeds $11 per pound.
How to Cook Flank Steak
Understanding flank steak is key to learning how to cook it. You have to use a preparation and cooking method that will enable you to break down those tough muscle fibers. Here are some tips and tricks for cooking flank steak.
How to Prepare Flank Steak? Seasoning and Marinade
The best way to prepare flank steak is to marinate it. Marinating your flank steak for a few hours or overnight will help tenderize the meat. If you don’t have time for a marinade, you can use a rub of spices. However, you may want to use a meat tenderizer to soften the muscle fibers before applying a rub.
Generally, a marinade will provide all the flavor your flank steak needs. You can craft your marinade so it has the flavors you want. We recommend using an acid element like lime juice, a salt element like soy sauce, and olive or vegetable oil to keep the meat juicy. You could alternatively use a rub to season your flank steak.
For our Smoke 'N Grill Flank Steak recipe, we recommend marinating your flank steak for eight hours.
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 cup soy sauce
- 1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 5 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 whole limes, squeezed
Do You Have to Marinate Flank Steak?
You don’t have to marinate flank steak, but many recipes recommend it. It has the dual benefit of making your steak both tender and flavorful. You could achieve both flavor and tenderness with a rub and a little extra work with a meat tenderizer, though. You can also cook your flank steak low and slow in a smoker, or braise it to get tender flank steak.
How Should Flank Steak Be Cooked?
It’s typically recommended you cook flank steak to rare, medium-rare, or medium.
Flank steak is typically grilled over high heat for a short amount of time. It’s a thin cut, so it doesn’t need as much grill time as a thicker steak. You can also braise your flank steak to help break down those muscle fibers.
We prefer to essentially reverse sear flank steak. We suggest smoking the flank steak for three hours at 225 degrees Fahrenheit, then searing for three minutes per side over 450 degrees.
Flank Steak Internal Temperatures
- For rare, aim for 120-130 °F internally.
- For medium-rare, aim for 130-135 °F internally.
- For medium, aim for 135-145 °F internally.
- For medium-well, aim for 145-155 °F internally.
- For well-done, aim for 155-165 °F internally.
How Do You Cook Flank Steak So It's Not Tough?
The biggest key to cooking flank steak so it’s not tough is to not overcook it. Marinating helps but if you cook your flank steak to medium-well or well-done, it’s 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.
How Long Should You Grill Flank Steak?
Since flank steak is a thin cut of beef, it doesn’t need more than a few minutes per side on the grill. In our Cocoa Crusted Grilled Flank Steak recipe, we recommend grilling your flank steaks 3 to 5 minutes per side at 500 degrees Fahrenheit or until internal temperature reaches 135 degrees. The best way to track the internal temperature of your steak is with a MEATER wireless meat thermometer
How Do You Cut Flank Steak?
Flank steak should always be cut against the grain at a 45-degree angle. Thankfully, there isn’t a lot of guesswork involved in finding the grain on flank steak. The grain is apparent by looking at it from above. After your flank steak rests, find the lines running parallel across the flank, and cut at an offset angle. This will maximize the tenderness in your mouth and keep you from feeling like you’re chewing on the same piece of steak for too long.
Flank Steak Recipes
Flank steak isn’t as naturally flavorful as the cuts of beef taken from the back of the animal. It can take on a lot of different flavors for different meals. From straight-forward grilled steak to a stuffed flank steak, here are a few of our favorite ways to cook the cut.
Easy Grilled Flank Steak Recipe
Our Smoke 'N Grill Flank Steak recipe is an easy flank steak recipe. If you’re new to grilling flank steak, try this recipe first.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 cup soy sauce
- 1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 5 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 whole limes, squeezed
- 2 pounds flank steak
- 1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed
- 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 tablespoon diced red onion
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Step 1: Make the marinade
Combine your red wine, vegetable oil, pepper, salt, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and lime juice in a bowl and mix well.
Step 2: Marinate your flank steak
Pour your marinade mixture into a large resealable bag with your flank steak. Squeeze to remove as much air as possible and make sure the marinade is well distributed across the flank steak. Let it marinate for eight hours, turning occasionally.
Step 3: Smoking your flank steak
Let your Traeger preheat to 225 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes with the lid closed. Once your grill has preheated, smoke your flank steak for three hours. After three hours, pull your steak from the grill, wrap it in aluminum foil, and let it sit for 15 minutes.
Step 4: Make your sauce
You can make your sauce either while your flank steak is smoking or while it’s resting after grilling. Combine your cilantro, remaining garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, lime juice from your third lime, red onion, pepper, and salt in a blender and pulse until combined.
Step 5: Searing your flank steak
While your flank steak is resting, preheat your Traeger to 450 degrees. Once the grill is ready, unwrap the steak from the foil and transfer your flank steak back to the grill. Grill for about three minutes per side. Try to get a nice sear and some clear grill marks.
Step 6: Cut and sauce
Let your flank steak rest for 10 minutes. Then cut it in pencil-thin slices against the grain. Serve with your chimichurri sauce and choice of sides.
Grilled Flank Steak With Chilean Salsa
Ingredients
- As needed extra-virgin olive oil
- As needed Traeger Prime Rib Rub
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded and diced
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- To taste kosher salt
- To taste freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
Serves: 6
Cook time: 20 minutes
Grilled Flank Steak With Peperonata
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon fennel seed
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 flank steak
- 5 bell peppers, mixed colors
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 2 fennel bulbs, stalks and cores removed, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
Serves: 6
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Cocoa Crusted Flank Steak
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1½ tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- As needed olive oil
Serves: 6
Cook Time: 6 minutes
Bloody Mary Flank Steak
Ingredients
- 2 cups Traeger Smoked Bloody Mary Mix or V8 juice
- 1/2 cup vodka
- 1 whole lemon or lime, juiced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper, divided
- 1 teaspoon celery salt
- 1 To taste hot sauce
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1½ pounds flank steak
Serves: 4
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Flank Steak Philly
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon horseradish sauce
- 1 whole chipotle pepper
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
- 1 large white onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- As needed adobo sauce
- 1 can (7 oz) chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, diced
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 pound mushrooms, fresh
- 1 whole yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1 whole red bell pepper, diced
- 1 whole green bell pepper, diced
- 1 large white onion
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 4 whole hoagie rolls
- 1/2 pound provolone cheese
Serves: 4
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Grilled Stuffed Flank Steak Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 pounds flank steak
- 6 slices prosciutto ham
- 5 ounces goat cheese
- As needed spinach, fresh
- 1 jar roasted red peppers, sliced
- As needed extra-virgin olive oil
- As needed Traeger Prime Rib Rub
Serves: 4
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Summary
How to Cook Flank Steak on a Pellet Grill:
- Marinade or season the steak.
- Set your grill to 225 °F.
- Smoke for 3 hours.
- Pull steak from the grill.
- Increase temperature to 500 °F.
- Sear for 3 minutes per side.
- Remove from the grill when the internal temperature is between 135-145 °F.
Smoke 'N Grill Flank Steak
by Traeger Kitchen
53 Reviews
Prep Time
20 Min
Cook Time
3 Hr
15 Min
Serves
4
Pellets
Hickory
If the aroma of this flank steak by Christian Wallin is good enough to get the neighbors peeking over the fence and asking for a slice, imagine how good it must taste!
Ingredients
main
| 1/4 Cup | red wine |
| 1/4 Cup | vegetable oil |
| 1 Teaspoon | freshly ground black pepper |
| 1 Teaspoon | kosher salt |
| 2 Tablespoon | soy sauce |
| 2 Tablespoon | Worcestershire sauce |
| 5 | garlic cloves, crushed |
| Juice of 2 limes | |
| 2 Pound | flank steak |
Chimichurri
| 1 Bunch | fresh cilantro, chopped |
| 6 | garlic cloves, crushed |
| 3/4 Cup | extra-virgin olive oil |
| 1/4 Cup | Red wine vinegar |
| Juice of 1 lime | |
| 1 Tablespoon | diced red onion |
| 1 Teaspoon | freshly ground black pepper |
| 1/2 Teaspoon | kosher salt |
1
In a large bowl, whisk together the red wine, vegetable oil, black pepper, salt, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and lime juice.
2
Place the flank steak in a large resealable bag and pour in the marinade, turning the meat to coat. Push out as much air as possible and seal the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for 8 hours.
3
When ready to cook, set the Traeger temperature to 225°F and preheat with the lid closed for 15 minutes.
4
Remove the steak from the marinade and place directly on the grill grates. Close the lid and smoke for 3 hours.
5
Remove the steak from the grill, wrap in foil, and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Increase the Traeger temperature to 450°F and preheat with the lid closed.
6
Meanwhile, make the chimichurri: Add the cilantro, garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, lime juice, red onion, pepper, and salt and pulse until combined.
7
Unwrap the steak and return to the grill. Close the lid and sear until the internal temperature reaches 130°F and grill marks appear, about 3 minutes per side.
8
Remove the steak from the grill and slice into pencil-wide slices against the grain. Serve with the chimichurri sauce. Enjoy!
