Flank Steak with Green Sauce Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

What is the best method to cook flank steak? ›

Rub a flank steak with olive oil, season it with salt and pepper and slide it onto a foil-lined sheet pan for easy cleanup. Then just broil it until it's medium-rare, 6 to 8 minutes. No flipping needed.

If you're looking for a tender and flavorful way to cook flank steak, consider slow cooking. Slow cooking allows the meat to break down and become melt-in-your-mouth tender while infusing it with rich flavors.

How Long to Marinate Flank Steak. The ideal amount of time is 12 hours, but you can marinate it for up to 24 hours. You should let it sit in the marinade for a minimum of 2 hours, even if you're pressed for time.

Slice against the grain. Slice the flank steak against the grain with a sharp knife, which means cutting perpendicular to the long muscle fibers. This helps to shorten the muscle fibers, making the steak more tender.

Marinating the steak in salt

Salt not only makes the flank steak taste better, but also helps to tenderize it. Flank steak can be marinated with other ingredients, but if you add only salt and a little pepper, the flavor will also be very good.

Flank steak is on the thinner side, so it doesn't take much time to cook. For medium-rare flank steak cooked under the broiler, it takes about 8-12 minutes, depending on the steak's thickness. If you like your steak cooked to medium or medium-well, use the oven instead of the broiler.

Flank steak is a relatively thin cut, but depending on the thickness of your piece, it should take 3 to 5 minutes per side over a very hot grill (around 400˚ to 450˚) or in a grill pan over medium-high heat.

The critical reason for this is that flank steak, although lean and tasty, is tougher than other cuts of beef due to the many long, thin fibers running through it. To help tenderize flank steak, it is often marinated and cooked by grilling, stir-frying, broiling, or smoking.

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.

Score Meat Before Marinating: To help the marinade penetrate as deeply as possible (especially thicker cuts like flank steak), prick the surface of the meat with a fork or score it with a knife.

Should you poke holes in steak before marinating? ›

Soaking your meat in marinades helps add flavor while making your meat tender. However, depending on how thin you have cut your pieces of meat, the marinade may fail to penetrate all that deep. In such cases, poking holes in your meat will help all the ingredients fully absorb and not remain on the surface.

Experts recommend marinating from the night before or very early in the morning, leaving it to rest in the fridge and covering the marinade with clingfilm. Also, keep in mind that cutting the flank steak into steaks should be done before marinating.

What spices go well with steak? There are many spices available for seasoning a steak, with salt and pepper topping the list. However, other spices, like thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, and minced onion, are also good options to enhance your steak's flavor. Or, use a one-and-done approach with Chicago Steak Seasoning.

Whether you know it by its proper name or have seen it referred to as “London broil” at the grocery store or in certain restaurants, the lean flank steak delivers a strong beefy flavor and, when prepared and sliced properly, an unforgettable texture that sets it apart from other cuts.

Bavette steak is another name for flank steak. It is a popular cut of beef known for its rich flavor and texture. Are skirt steak and flank steak the same? Skirt steak and flank steak are not the same, but they are similar cuts of beef.

The flank steak is taken from below the loin of the cow. Since it is very lean, the lack of fat may make it tougher than other cuts. Thus, this steak is best used in dishes like stews or fajitas because it can soak up the marinades well, ensuring that flavour gets injected into the meat.

Is a flank steak tough? Because flank steak is quite lean, it can be a bit tough if not prepared and sliced properly. Marinating with a little acid, like lemon juice or vinegar, will help tenderize this cut of beef. Cooking until medium-rare and slicing against the grain are key to a tender result.

You'll want to cut the flank steak in advance for recipes like steak stir fry, steak fajitas, or other dishes that require cooking sliced steak. If you have time, place the raw flank steak in the freezer for 30 minutes to chill slightly. This helps hold it together as you slice.