Grilled Flank Steak Recipe

Fire up the grill for this easy to make and incredibly flavorful grilled flank steak! Covered in a simple flank steak marinade and then grilled to perfection, this will quickly become the only steak recipe you make over and over again!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of We Love Fire.

Regardless of the season, I use my grill all year long making things like this easy Juicy Lucy burger, these steak shish kebabs, and this amazingly flavorful marinated filet mignon. And I love a good grilled flank steak! This recipe is extra special because it's marinated in the best flank steak marinade you'll ever make!

I love using the grill because it doesn't heat up the entire house like my oven does. And grilling is way less messy! And the flavor! Grilling meat like this Greek marinated chicken and this grilled maple salmon produces some of the most flavorful and satisfying meals. And I especially love how it tastes when I grill flank steak.

Jump to:

• ✔️ Quick Recipe Overview
• ℹ️ Why This Recipe Works
• 🤷 What Is Flank Steak?
• 🛒 Ingredients You'll Need
• 🗒️ Variations
• 🔪 Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
• Steak Doneness Chart
• 🔪 How To Cut Steak Against The Grain
• 🌡️ How To Reheat Steak
• 🙋🏼 Recipe FAQs
• 💭 Expert Tips
• 🍽️ More Steak Recipes You'll Love
• How To Cook Steak
• Grilled Flank Steak Recipe

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🤷 What Is Flank Steak?

Beef flank steak is a versatile cut of meat and can be cooked many ways such grilled, slow cooked, or braised. You can also smoke flank steak. Because it's such a tough cut of meat, it benefits from being cooked either hot and fast or long and slow on lower heat. If beef flank is overcooked, it can be tough and hard to chew.

Beef flank comes from the abdominal muscles and lower chest of the cow. It's a boneless lean cut and contains minimal fat, yet is incredibly flavorful with a nice beefy taste.

It's deep red in color and consists of long muscle fibers. A thin cut of meat, the muscle fibers runs in a single direction which makes flank the perfect cut of beef for marinating and grilling. When it's grilled to medium-rare and cut against the grain, it's amazingly tender and tastes amazing!

🛒 Ingredients You'll Need

Flank steak is one of the best cuts of beef to take in the flavors of the ingredients it's paired with. Marinating your steak is a MUST if you want a flavorful and tender outcome. I use an easy flank steak marinade that consists of the 5 key elements that helps tenderize the meat and puts the flavor meter over the top!

• Soy Sauce - used for the salt element
• Onions - use a sweet onion, like Vidalia, to add a sugar component.
• Olive Oil - not only is it a flavor carrier, but it is also used to help emulsify all the ingredients into a thick sauce that covers the meat.
• Lime Juice - serves as the acidic ingredient that helps boost the flavors while also breaking down the tough fibers.
• Seasonings - Smoked paprika, cumin, garlic, and cilantro are used as seasonings to provide that extra layer of flavor.

I always serve a Mexican corn salad recipe with this beef flank because it's fresh, flavorful, and the perfect side dish for pairing.

• Corn - fresh cut corn off the cob tastes the best.
• Avocado - should be slightly firm and ripe. Ensure it's not overripe or mushy.
• Tomato - fresh roma, cherry, and plum tomatoes work best.
• Bell Peppers - green and red produce a nice robust flavor.
• Onion - red onion adds a mild and sweet taste.
• Cilantro - adds a burst of flavor and freshness.
• Seasonings - cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper are used to add additional flavor.
• Cotija Cheese - a crumbly must-have topping for the salad that adds a salty, tangy, and slightly sharp taste.

See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

🗒️ Variations

• Instead of using flank steak, try using flat iron steak, skirt steak, or sirloin.
• Try using tamari or coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.
• Regular olive oil or EVOO both work great with this flank steak marinade. Regular olive oil does have a higher smoke point which makes it great for grilling.
• If you have a flavor infused olive oil, it will provide even more flavor.
• Any type of paprika works well. To add a hint of sweetness, use sweet paprika. To add a subtle taste of spice, try using hot paprika.
• If you don't have fresh corn for the corn salad, you can use drained canned corn or frozen corn that has been thawed.
• Substitute yellow or orange bell peppers. You can also use 1 variety or a mixture of all 4.
• Skip the bottled lime juice and jarred minced garlic. Using fresh ingredients will provide the best flavor.
• Feta cheese or Queso fresco are both great substitutes for Cotija cheese.

🔪 Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions

Step 1: Start by making the Mexican corn salad. Chop the red and green peppers and then dice the tomato and red onion. Combine all the ingredients into a large bowl. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until the steak has been cooked and is ready to serve.

Step 2: Next, prepare the marinade. Chop the cilantro and thinly slice the onions. Then combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Step 3: Place the raw meat in either a gallon-size plastic bag or a container with a lid. Allow the steak to marinate for at least 2 hours before grilling.

Step 4: Once it has finished marinating, remove the container from the refrigerator and start the grill, turning it to high heat. The goal is to get the grill very hot, somewhere around 400°F degrees.

Step 5: From there, remove the meat from the marinade and place it directly on the grill grates.

Step 6: Grill for 5-6 minutes on each side to get a medium-rare doneness or until it reaches an internal temperature of 130°F.

When the steak reaches the desired doneness, remove it from the grill.

Step 7: Allow it to rest for 5 minutes before slicing against the grain into thin slices.

Step 8: Remove the bowl of Mexican corn salad out of the refrigerator and spoon it across the meat. Squeeze fresh lime juice on top and sprinkle on the Cotija cheese.

I don't know about you, but I love a versatile recipe. And I'm loving what I can do with this one! You have the option to keep it fancy and serve it with this delicious guacamole recipe and this easy to make Instant Pot Mexican rice. Or, dice it up and make some tacos!

🔪 How To Cut Steak Against The Grain

Cutting steak against the grain is the key to ensuring it's tender, especially when you are dealing with a tougher cut of meat. But what does cutting against the grain mean?

Flank steak consists of long muscle fibers that run in the same direction. Those long fibers are referred to as "the grain of the meat". The goal is to cut the grains into shorter pieces and you do that by cutting in the opposite direction of the way the grains run. This will make it so much easier to chew.

To cut against the grain, cut the meat with a chef's knife at a 45° angle (also called "on the bias") to the cutting board. Don't cut the meat straight up and down because it increases the surface area of the slices making it too thick harder to chew.

When you cut at an angle, it helps break down the muscle fibers and it's easier to cut the meat into thinner slices. You want very thin slices, about ¼ inch. The thinner the meat is cut, the easier it will be to chew.

🌡️ How To Reheat Steak

It's important to know how to properly reheat leftover steak so it doesn't dry out and taste like leather. One of the best methods for reheating steak is to slowly warm it in the oven and then finish it off with a hot sear in a skillet on the stovetop.

To do this, place the leftover meat in an oven safe dish and warm it in a preheated 250°F oven. After 15-20 minutes, sear over high heat with a small amount of olive oil for 1-2 minutes per side.

Reheating steak in the microwave typically dries it out, but you can easily avoid that using this technique. Place the leftovers in a microwave safe dish. Add 2-3 Tablespoons of beef broth over the meat so it maintains the moisture level. Set the microwave to medium heat and cook at 20-second intervals. Ensure you turn the dish at each interval until it is warm.

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