How Long Does It Take To Grill Flank Steak
Since flank steak is a thin and lean cut of meat, it doesnt take terribly long to cook. Over a lower heat, itll take 8-10 minutes on both sides depending on the doneness youre looking for.If you crank up the heat on the grill, itll only take 5-6 minutes on both sides which will also give the meat a great char on the outside.
How To Store And Reheat Grilled Flank Steak
- Storage: transfer flank steak to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to five days.
- Microwave: transfer sliced steak to a microwave safe plate. Microwave for 60 seconds then at 15 second intervals as needed.
- Skillet: warm sliced flank steak in a skillet on the stove top over medium heat, stirring often until warmed through.
- Oven: Transfer steak to a baking sheet, cover with foil and reheat at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes or just until warmed through.
Use A Meat Tenderizer
This is one of the easiest, no-fail ways to tenderize flank steak. Simply put the meat between plastic wrap or wax paper on a cutting board and pound using a weighted mallet that can be purchased at any multi-purpose store or grocery store. If you do not have a weighted mallet, a rolling pin or anything with some weight like a skillet works great as well. Pounding the meat softens it by flattening the muscle and helping blend the muscle, collagen and fat prior to grilling.
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Buy The Right Cut And Salt It Well
Start by buying a flank steak from a trusted source that has deep red coloring and a small amount of fat along the muscle lines. It also helps to try to find a flank steak that is as evenly sized as possible, so you dont have significantly thicker parts that cook at different times. The average flank steak should be around two pounds.
Flank steak is naturally tougher than other steaks so it does require a bit of forward planning but luckily that forward planning can be as little as an hour, rather than the time-consuming marinades that many believe is necessary.
The fallacy of marinades is that anything beyond the salt does not actually penetrate deep into the meat. Sugars and spices have too large of molecules to go beyond the small cracks in the surface. So, no matter how long your steak is sitting in a beautifully prepared marinade, the flavors will not do much more than they would if you poured them on top after cooking. The real secret is in the salt.
Salt actually can alter the structure of proteins and muscle fibers, making it particularly useful for cuts of meat with a lot of muscle to be tenderized. That alteration makes the meat more tender and allows it to hang onto more moisture the two most important elements when dealing with a flank steak.
Is Broiling An Option
Yes! In fact, some people prefer broiling flank steak over other methods. Broiling helps cook the steaks much like grilling would, which helps create crispiness around the edges without overcooking it. The trick is to only cook for about 5 minutes on each side to medium rare. Any further and youll risk overdoing it, turning your beloved flanks into hockey pucks. Allow resting for about 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
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Oven Cooked Flank Steak
If youre wondering whats the best way to cook flank steak in the oven, youll be happy to know that theres one tried and true method that literally takes only a few minutes of your time to churn out great-tasting meat. Before you place the steaks in the oven, coat them with a mixture of olive oil and your desired spices to keep them from drying out in the oven. Then, its as simple as placing the steaks on a pan, cooking them on high heat on one side for about five minutes, and then on the other side for three to four minutes or until medium rare. Allow resting for about 10 minutes before serving.
The Best Flank Steak Marinade For Juicy Flavorful Buttery Tender Flank Steak Every Time
This flank steak recipe will have everyone singing your praises, begging for the recipe and coming back for seconds and thirds. The flank steak marinade creates melt-in-your-mouth tender, juicy steak with complex savory, tangy, sweet and spicy notes. The marinade is made with soy sauce, balsamic, lemon juice, brown sugar and seasonings that infuse the steak with tons of flavor. And the best part of grilled flank steak? Its SO easy with zero clean up! Marinate then grill thats it! Flank steak is also extremely versatile and can be served up with your favorite sides like mashed potatoes and fruit salad or in salads,wraps,pasta, sandwiches and more.
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How To Tenderize Flank Steak Quickly
Complex pieces of meat, such as flank steak, throw broil, brisket, and holder steak, are not only less costly than their less fatty counterparts, but they also provide significantly more taste when cooked to perfection. In any case, you wont receive any of that taste until you add a few crucial steps to their processing. Here are six various cooking methods, ranging from a lengthy, slow simmer to the force of saltwater.
Hammer It Out
Meat softens and mellows after being beaten, allowing it to cut and consume easily. One of the simplest and safest methods is to press the flesh between two cling wrap or parchment paper sheets and smash it before grilling.
Tackle The Force Of Salt
We use salt to season meat to give the steak extraordinary flavors.
Utilize An Acidic Marinade
Consider an acidic marinade for extreme, more slender slices of steak like a skirt, holder, and flank, as well as London cook, for more delicate outcomes and much more exterior richness. A marinade must comprise acidic fixings such as yogurt, soft drinks, vinegar, buttermilk, citrus juice, and wine.
Think About The Kiwi
Chemicals in kiwifruit together with pineapple, pears, and papaya tenderize hard meat. The kiwifruit, in especially, is an excellent option because it has the most delicately balanced flavor.
Take A Good Blade Work
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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The Challenge Of Flank Steak: It’s A Lean Cut
Flank steak is a long, thin, lean cut of beef. It presents challenges to grillers everywhere for three reasons. First, it lacks marbling , which provides taste. Second, it’s a chewier cut of beef, which many people find tough. Third, its thin nature causes it to cook quickly so that most people severely overcook it. I’ve seen this happen a dozen times. The cook seasons and slaps it on the grill. They overcook it, and when it’s served it’s tough as nails, dried out, and has no taste.
What Is Flank Steak
Flank steak is a lean, somewhat tough but flavorful cut of beef that benefits from the tenderizing effects of a marinade. It is best cooked medium rare and thinly sliced at an angle across the grain of the meat.
Prepared this way, marinated, cooked quickly at high heat, and thinly sliced, flank steak practically melts in your mouth. This recipe calls for grilling the steak, but if you don’t have a grill, you can prepare the steak in a large cast iron frying pan as well.
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Skirt Steak Vs Flank Steak
- What is the difference between flank steak and skirt steak? Flank steak is a thicker, wider cut of meat than skirt steak. Flank steak and skirt steak come from two different parts of the cow which affects how tough they are. Skirt steak comes from the diaphragm muscle of the cow which contains more tough muscle fibers than flank steak and is therefore tougher these fibers, however, also boat a more intense flavor.
- Can I substitute skirt steak for flank steak? If you want to substitute skirt steak for flank steak, it should only be cooked to rare or medium-rare otherwise it will be too tough and chewy to eat.
Grilling Flank Steak Instructions
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Sear Over Direct Heat
Flank steak barbecues extremely quickly over direct, high heat.
How To Freeze Flank Steak
You may freeze the flank steak either after it is cooked or as soon as its added to the marinade.
- Freeze Marinating Steak: Add steak to the marinade in a freezer bag, squeeze out excess air, label and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight then use immediately.
- Steak: After you have cooked the steak, let it cool completely then transfer it to an airtight container or plastic freezer bag and squeeze out any excess air. Freeze for 2 to 3 months.
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How To Tenderize Flank Steak
Flank steak that is properly tenderized, marinated, cooked, and cut against the grain is flavorful and melts in your mouth. Whether you are new to grilling or have been firing up the pit for years, anyone can grill a delicious flank steak and thats tender, juicy, and have everyone begging for more. Below are the five necessary steps for grilling flank steak.
How To Make A Juicy Grilled Flank Steak
Beware bundles with rips or moisture in the lowest half of the plate, regardless of the type of steak youre buying. The meat ought to have a nice color and feel clammy, however not moist. The flesh should feel solid and chilly to the touch, and any sliced corners should be equal and not worn out.
If youre not using the whole steak for your recipe, chop it along the middle and save the rest in the refrigerator for later. Presently that youve mastered the most exemplary method to cut flank steak, you can effectively utilize this cutting across-the-grain procedure to any slice of meat that is typically tougher for fork-delicate flesh.
The matter of how you cut flank steak will have a massive effect on how light your meal is. Regardless of whether youre slicing flank steak uncooked or after its been cooked, cutting it across the grain is a perfect idea. Well explain to you how to slice flank steak to get the juiciest grilled steak.
There is a proper and incorrect technique to chop flank steak, just as there are other things. The primary explanation for this is that flank steak, although thin and delicious, is firmer than some further meat cuts because of the numerous long delicate threads running across it. Flap steak is usually marinated and prepared by barbecuing, sauteing, searing, or smoking to soften it.
Following Are The Ways To Make Easy And Most Juicer Flank Steak:
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How To Make Grilled Flank Steak
The key to grilling a tender, juicy flank steak is to get the job done hot and fast! Turn your grill to high heat, about 450 degrees. Let the grill heat up for about 15 minutes so that its good and hot. Sear for 1 minute on each side and then turn the heat down to medium to finish cooking.
Flip once about halfway through after youve turned your grill to medium. Times for medium, medium rare, etc, are below in the recipe. I HIGHLY recommend a meat thermometer. Every grill and flank steak is different. Meat thermometers do not lie.
What Is A Flank Steak
What exactly is a flank steak you ask? Well, its a flavorful, versatile and low fat content cut of beef. Sometimes called a London Broil or jiffy steak, it is best enjoyed by cutting it against the grain to retain the texture and tenderness. Sometimes just salt and pepper is all this steak needs before hitting the grill, but today I am sharing an amazing marinade with you. It is a variation of my Steak Marinade with some minor tweaks.
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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:
Temperature To Grill Flank Steak
Grill your flank steak high and quickly for a superb steak, then start serving it moderate-rare to moderate. Using a meat thermometer, measure the warmth of the steak till it reaches 130 degrees Fahrenheit to 135 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep in mind that after the meat has been removed from the grill, it must rest.
It will keep cooking after removing it from the barbecue, so withdraw it approximately five degrees before your ideal finishing. I suggest using a moment scan thermostat.
I prefer a simply advanced thermometer to examine the meat while it cooks. When the steak achieves your desired warmth, please remove it from the grill. I never advise cooking flank steak past medium. If you cook it beyond 145 ° Fahrenheit, it will shrink out and become intense.
Here are the objective temperatures based on your preferred level of doneness:
- Unusual/Rare: 125 ° Fahrenheit, bright red in the middle, and pinkish exterior
- Moderate Rare/Unusual: brilliant red in the middle, brownish from the outside, the temperature must be 135 ° Fahrenheit.
- Moderate Steak: steak will be pink from the core, and the exterior will be brown. The temperature must be 145° Fahrenheit.
- Moderate Well steak: The heat must be 155° Fahrenheit, while the interior will be pink and the exterior will be brown.
- Well Done: 165 degrees F, evenly brown everywhere
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Cooking Your Beef Flank Steak Recipe
Once your grill is hot enough, brush the metal bars of your grill with vegetable or olive oil using a grill brush. You are now ready to place your flank steaks on your grill. As soon as your steaks come in contact with the surface of your grill, they should start to sizzle. Pro Tip: If you do not have a grill brush available, you can use bunched up paper towels dipped in oil. Make certain your hand does not come into contact with the surface of your grill.
During the first few minutes, you will be searing your flank steaks. This will require between three and four minutes. Use a pair of tongs to turn over your steaks. Provided your grill was nice and hot, you should see blackened or dark brown areas of your steak with a crispy appearance. If your meat is not well seared, turn it back over immediately and let your meat continue to cook.
Once your flank steaks are well seared, cook them on the other side over high heat for another three to four minutes. This will ensure you have a crispy layer on both sides for a great taste and the ideal texture. You will enjoy the caramelized exterior of your steaks. Once both sides of your flank steaks have been seared, you will need to move them to a cooler section of your grill. You can do this using your tongs.
- Rare: 120 degrees Fahrenheit
- Medium-Well: 150 degrees Fahrenheit
- Well done: 160 degrees Fahrenheit
