In this easy flank steak recipe, the steak is rubbed in olive oil and spices, then broiled to a perfect medium rare.
This 30-minute 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 almost always opt for cheaper cuts such as skirt steak, flat iron steak, London broil, and flank steak.
These cuts tend to be tougher, so you'll usually want to cook them briefly and then cut them across the grain. But they'll reward you with a robust beefy taste that the more expensive cuts do not have.
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this recipe. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
Flank steak: Most cuts are around 2 lb. They come folded, and before cooking them, you unfold them. I usually get them at Costco or Whole Foods, but they are widely available in most grocery stores.
Olive oil rub: This tasty rub contains olive oil, minced fresh garlic, kosher salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. As you can see, I like to use Diamond Crystal kosher salt when I cook. If you use any other salt, you'll need to reduce the amount you use by half.
Variations
My favorite way to vary this recipe is to use different seasonings. So when I mix the olive oil rub, I sometimes add spices such as smoked paprika, chili powder, and ground cumin.
I don't recommend adding dried herbs, as those tend to burn under the broiler.
If you add more spices, you will need to add an extra tablespoon of olive oil.
Flank Steak 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 line a rimmed baking sheet with foil (for easy cleanup), turn on the broiler, and place the baking sheet in the oven. You want it to be hot so that the steak cooks evenly without you needing to turn it.
- For this recipe, you'll want to use an oven rack positioned 6 inches below the broiler unit. So not directly below - that would be too hot.
- Now that the pan is heating up under the broiler, let's mix the rub! You'll grab a small bowl and use a small rubber spatula or a fork to stir together olive oil, minced garlic, kosher salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. (Photo 1).
- Place the steak on a clean work surface. Locate the muscle fibers running through it (as shown in the video below). 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.
- Now, rub the olive oil mixture all over the steak (but focus more on the top when coating it). It's easiest to do this with your hands. (Photo 2).
- Next, carefully remove the hot pan from the oven and place the steak in its center. Return the pan to the oven (again, 6 inches under the broiler unit), and broil the steak until it's browned and medium-rare, for about 8 minutes. (Photo 3).
- Pull the pan out of the oven and transfer the steak to a cutting board with two large spatulas. Cover it loosely with foil and let it rest for 10 minutes, then slice it thinly across the grain, as shown in the video below. (Photo 4).
Expert Tip
Like all steaks and roasts, letting the meat rest before you slice it is important. If you cut into it immediately, juices will escape into the cutting board, and the steak will not be as juicy.
Even when resting it properly, you'll see that some of the juices have escaped into the cutting board. That's inevitable, but we want to do everything we can to minimize that, which means resting the meat before slicing it.
Recipe FAQs
This cut of beef comes from the abdominal muscles of the cow. If you've ever eaten at a French bistro and been served "bavette," that's the French name for this cut.
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 meat.
In some cuts, such as tri-tip, the grain runs in different directions. But 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 I demonstrate in the video 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.
Serving Suggestions
This is a versatile main dish that 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
This steak also pairs well with pickles, including quick refrigerator pickles and pickled red onions.
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 4 days.
You can gently reheat them, covered, in the microwave at 50% power or chop them cold and add them to a salad. I sometimes use them in this Cobb salad instead of chicken.
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Recipe Card
Broiled Flank Steak Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 1 teaspoon of any other salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 pounds flank steak
Instructions
- Position an oven rack 6 inches below the broiler unit (so not directly below). Preheat the broiler to high (550°F).
- Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place it in the oven and allow it to heat up for about 5 minutes while you prepare the meat for broiling.
- In a small bowl, stir together the olive oil, minced garlic, kosher salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Set the mixture aside.
- Unfold the steak and place it on a cutting board or another work surface. Examine it and locate the meat fibers - later, when it's cooked, you'll want to cut across them.
- Rub the steak all over with the olive oil rub.
- Carefully, using oven mitts, remove the hot pan from the oven. Place the steak in the pan. Place the pan in the oven and broil until the steak is browned, about 8 minutes for medium-rare.*
- Remove the steak to a cutting board. Loosely cover it with foil and let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Slice the steak thinly against the grain, as shown in the video below. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- *The USDA says that whole cuts of beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F (medium) with a 3-minute rest.
- 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. You can gently reheat them, covered, in the microwave at 50% power, or chop them cold and add them to a salad.
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition per Serving
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 
sarah
does a throw away pan work for the broiling?
Vered DeLeeuw
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/