Grilled Soy-Lemon Flank Steak with Arugula Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you cook flank steak so it's not tough? ›

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.

How long does it take to grill flank steak? 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.

Place the steak in the bowl and turn it, so it is completely coated with the marinade. (You can also place the steak and marinade in a plastic freezer bag and place it in a bowl.) Chill and marinate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

TIPS FOR GRILLED FLANK STEAK RECIPE

Pound the steak to an even, thin thickness to tenderize and for even cooking. Don't marinate much longer than 12 hours or the muscle fibers can break down and become mushy but please aim for 12 hours for optimal flavor and juiciness.

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.

Add 1–2 tbsp. of vegetable oil or butter to the skillet (enough to coat the bottom) and immediately place the Flank steak in the hot skillet. For a perfect medium-rare Flank steak on the stove, sear in a skillet for 12–13 minutes, turning about 1 minute before the halfway point. A meat thermometer should read 130°F.

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.

Flank steak is known for being a finicky cut, and if you accidentally keep it on the grill for even a minute too long, you can end up with one that's dense and chewy rather than tender. Don't worry, though. If you know what you're doing, flank steak can be just as delicious as any other, more expensive slab of meat.

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.

Is it okay to marinate steak in soy sauce? ›

This marinade of soy sauce, ginger, garlic, honey and lime is ideal for steak, but it works beautifully with any tender meats like burgers, boneless chicken, tuna and swordfish, all of which can be turned in the sauce before putting them on the grill.

The most important tip for grilling a perfect steak is a HOT grill. Use indirect and direct heat on either a charcoal or gas grill for the best results. Sear the first side of your steak on the hot side of the grill and finish in indirect heat after flipping.

There are several ways to velvet, but at its most basic level, it involves marinating meat with at least one ingredient that will make it alkaline. This is what tenderizes the meat, especially cheaper, tougher cuts. “People go for either egg white or baking soda as they are both alkaline ingredients.

The big advantage of dry rubs, and the reason we love using them so much, is that they don't add any additional moisture to the exterior of a piece of meat the way that a marinade does.

Cut Across the Grain.

It's the muscle fibers in flank steak that make it tough; making thin slices across the grain cuts through the fibers, giving you tender pieces of meat.

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.

Salting. Most cuts of steak benefit from being salted up to an hour in advance of cooking, but especially tougher cuts. In addition to seasoning the steaks, salt helps break down proteins and make the meat more tender.