Make Our Highly Rated Flank Steak Recipe Your Answer to "What's For Dinner?" (2024)

FAQs

What is a good side dish for flank steak? ›

The best side dishes to serve with flank steak are mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, tomato soup, cauliflower rice, aloo gobi, steamed vegetables, beef and broccoli, gluten-free pasta, carrot mash, pumpkin soup, curried rice, tahini roasted broccoli, green salad, grilled onions, cherry tomato gratin, zesty grilled ...

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.

Flank steak should be served rare or medium rare, otherwise, it may be too dry. If the steak isn't done enough to your liking, return the steak and pan to medium high heat for a few minutes. Let the steak rest: Remove the steak from the pan to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes, covered with aluminum foil.

How many people does a flank steak serve? A flank steak can weigh about 1.5 – 2 lbs and will vary in weight depending on the size of the hind quarter. At the recommended ½ pound per person, a 2 lb flank steak can feed 4 people.

To help tenderize flank steak, it is often marinated and cooked by grilling, stir-frying, broiling, or smoking. No matter the cooking method, with or without a marinade, you should always cut flank steak across the grain for the most delicious results.

Flank steak is famous for its meaty flavor, but its lack of marbling (interior fat veins) means that it's tougher than some other cuts. Cooking it to medium-rare will keep it juicy, and slicing it very thinly across the grain will reduce its chew.

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. Cut into thin strips.

Does flank steak get more tender the longer you cook it? Yes and no. It depends on HOW you cook it, and even then, there are limits. Flank steak, as you probably already know, is one of the tougher, but more flavorful pieces of steak.

Price. Flank steak is generally one of the most affordable cuts of beef you can find. Yet it tends to come at a slightly higher price than the Skirt steak. This is largely because the Skirt cut is a little more tender, and therefore easier to cook with different methods.

Because flank steak is relatively thin, it's best to cook it over fairly high heat so that it can develop a flavorful crust on the outside before it's overcooked on the inside. This means a flank steak will do best with quick, high-heat cooking methods like grilling, broiling, and pan-searing.

Do you rinse flank steak before cooking? ›

No, you should not rinse steak—or most other meat for that matter. "You should not rinse freshly cut steaks, chops, or even chicken breast,” World Master Chef Fred Tiess tells Southern Living.

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.

Follow the directions for how long to grill Flank steak. For the perfect medium-rare Flank steak, grill for 9–12 minutes, turning about 1 minute before the halfway point. A meat thermometer should read 130°F. Rest your Flank steak for 5 minutes before serving, covering lightly with foil.

Other names for flank steak include London broil and skirt steak, which is actually a different cut (more on that in a moment). This cut of steak comes from the abdominal muscles of the animal, right behind its chest. As you'd expect from that muscle-y area, the meat can be somewhat chewier than other steaks.

Baked potato is a classic with steaks, a good Carb Compliment. Or on a lighter fare, grilled asparagus and / or tomatoes. The two most common traditional side dishes among famous steakhouses like Peter Luger are mashed potatoes and creamed spinach. Sauteed mushrooms, baked potato, wedge or Caesar salad, also appear.

Skirt steak is a good choice for grilling or barbecue. Flank steak should be cut into thin slices before cooking, making it a poor choice for the grill. Skirt steak benefits from marinade which can help to tenderize the steak.