In this easy flank steak recipe, the steak is marinated in olive oil and spices and broiled to a perfect medium rare. This effortless recipe is ideal for a weeknight dinner, and the leftovers are perfect in a salad!
As much as I enjoy ribeye steak, New York steak, and picanha steak, those are usually reserved for special occasions. When I cook everyday steaks, I choose cheaper cuts like skirt steak, flat iron steak, and flank steak. These cuts tend to be tougher, so you'll want to cook them briefly and cut them across the grain. But they'll reward you with a robust, beefy taste!
Ingredients
Here's an overview of the ingredients needed for this recipe. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.
Flank steak: This cut of beef, called bavette in French, comes from the abdominal muscles of the cow and is widely available in U.S. grocery stores. Most cuts are around 2 pounds. They come folded, and before cooking them, you unfold them.
Marinade: Olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. If you prefer to use an oil with a high smoking point, use avocado oil.
To season: Kosher salt and black pepper.
Variations
My favorite way to vary this recipe is to use different seasonings. Sometimes, I add ½ teaspoon of onion powder and ¼ teaspoon of ground cumin to the marinade. I don't recommend adding dried herbs, as those tend to burn under the broiler.
Instructions
The detailed instructions for making this recipe are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of the steps:
Your first step is to mix the marinade ingredients in a bowl.
Unfold the steak, place it on a clean work surface, and locate the muscle fibers running through it. When it's cooked, you'll want to sever them when slicing the steak, and it's easier to spot them when the steak is raw.
Place the steak in a gallon-size resealable bag. Add the marinade and turn to coat (I use my hands to ensure the steak is coated in the marinade). Seal the bag and marinate the steak at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil (for easy cleanup). Position an oven rack 6 inches below the broiling element (not directly below) and turn the broiler on high (550°F).
Remove the steak from the marinade and season it with salt and pepper. Place the steak on the prepared baking sheet. Place the pan in the oven and broil the steak for 5-6 minutes per side for medium-rare (135°F) or 6-7 minutes per side for medium (145°F). Check with an instant-read thermometer to make sure it's done to your liking.
Transfer the steak to a cutting board. Let it rest for 10 minutes, then slice it thinly across the grain and serve.
Expert Tips
- Like all steaks and roasts, it's important to let the meat rest before you slice it. If you cut into it immediately, juices will escape, and the steak will not be as juicy.
- Please don't skip marinating the steak. The vinegar in the marinade helps tenderize the steak by breaking down the muscle fibers. The marinade also nicely flavors the steak. A previous version of this recipe didn't include a marinade (I simply rubbed the steak in olive oil and spices and broiled it), and it was flavorful but way tougher than this version, which is nice and tender.
Recipe FAQs
Since this is a flavorful but tough and fibrous cut (and I'm referring to muscle fiber here), it's best to cook it quickly and minimally over high heat. Alternatively, you can cook it low and slow, like I do when making homemade beef jerky.
It simply means cutting a piece of meat in a way that severs its muscle fibers, making it easier to chew and digest.
It's best to examine the piece of meat when it's still raw - that's when it's easiest to identify the direction of the grain. You'll look for parallel lines of muscle fiber running down the meat.
In some cuts, such as tri-tip, the grain runs in different directions. In a flank steak, the muscle fibers are prominent and easy to spot, and they also tend to all run in the same direction, as shown in the image below.
Both are thin cuts with great beefy flavor, and both should be cooked medium-rare to prevent them from being tough and chewy.
They come from different parts of the animal, though. Flank steak comes from the cow's abdomen and is relatively lean, while flat iron steak comes from the shoulder (chuck), has more marbling, and is more tender.
The photo below shows the two different cuts.
Serving Suggestions
This versatile main dish pairs well with lots of sides. I especially like to serve it with a salad since it cooks so fast under the broiler, and I can't use the oven to make anything simultaneously, nor do I have the time (or patience!) to cook something on the stove.
So, I most often serve this steak with any of the following:
- Asparagus salad
- Creamy cucumber salad
- Arugula salad
- Broccoli salad
- Tomato salad
- Israeli salad
- Caprese salad
- Cucumber tomato salad
- Cauliflower potato salad
- Asian cucumber salad, as shown in the photo below
It also pairs well with pickles, including quick pickles and pickled red onions.
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 4 days. I keep them in a glass food storage container, as shown in the image below.
Reheat them covered in the microwave at 50% power, or add them cold to a salad. I sometimes use them in this Cobb salad instead of chicken. Here's a photo of the cold leftovers arranged on the simplest salad - lettuce, tomatoes, kalamata olives, and a drizzle of ranch dressing.
You can also place the leftovers in freezer bags and freeze them for up to three months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge.
More Steak Recipes
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Recipe Card
Broiled Flank Steak Recipe
Video
Ingredients
Marinade:
- 4 tablespoons olive oil - or avocado oil
- 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder - minced
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Steak:
- 2 pounds flank steak
- 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or 1 teaspoon of any other salt, including Morton kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the marinade ingredients (olive oil, vinegar, garlic powder, and smoked paprika).
- Unfold the steak and place it on a work surface. Examine it and locate the meat fibers - later, when it's cooked, you'll want to cut across them.
- Place the steak in a gallon-size resealable bag. Add the marinade and turn to coat (I use my hands to ensure the steak is coated in the marinade). Seal the bag, removing as much air as possible, and marinate the steak at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Position an oven rack 6 inches below the broiler element (not directly below). Preheat the broiler to high (550°F). Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup.
- Remove the steak from the marinade. Let excess marinade drip off, but don't wipe it off the steak. Season the steak with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Place the steak on the prepared baking sheet. Place the pan in the oven and broil the steak for 5-6 minutes per side for medium-rare (135°F) or 6-7 minutes per side for medium (145°F). Check with an instant-read thermometer to make sure it's done to your liking.
- Remove the steak to a cutting board. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Slice the steak thinly against the grain. Serve immediately.
Notes
- According to the USDA, whole cuts of beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F (medium) with a 3-minute rest.
- The nutrition info assumes that half the marinade will remain in the bag.
- Please don't skip marinating the steak. The vinegar in the marinade helps tenderize the steak by breaking down the muscle fibers. The marinade also nicely flavors the steak.
- Like all steaks and roasts, it's important to let the meat rest before you slice it. If you cut into it right away, juices will escape into the cutting board, and the steak will not be as juicy.
- Cutting against the grain means cutting a piece of meat in a way that severs its muscle fibers, making it easier to chew and digest. It's best to examine the steak when it's still raw - that's when it's easiest to identify the direction of the grain. You'll basically be looking for parallel lines of muscle fiber running down meat. In a flank steak, the muscle fibers are prominent and easy to spot, and they also tend to all run in the same direction, so they are easier to sever.
- You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 4 days. Reheat them covered in the microwave at 50% power, or use them cold in a salad. You can also place the leftovers in freezer bags and freeze them for up to three months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge.
Nutrition per Serving
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sarah says
does a throw away pan work for the broiling?
Vered DeLeeuw says
If the disposable pan is made of aluminum foil, it should work:
"Rather than always putting down a sheet of aluminum foil on a sturdy broiler pan, you can also use a disposable aluminum foil pan. Foil pans can be purchased inexpensively at supermarkets and then used as a standard broiler pan; there's no messy scrubbing or cleanup."
https://www.livestrong.com/article/472492-can-i-cook-on-aluminum-foil-in-the-broiler/