Easy Grilled Flank Steak
This Easy Grilled Flank Steak starts with a flavorful marinade made with pantry ingredients before grilling it to perfection!
A simple, 6-ingredient marinade makes this one of the tastiest and best flank steak recipes. The complexity of the flavor palate cannot be rivaled!
Why You Must Make
- This is a quick, delicious, flavorful marinade.
- It’s perfect for marinating flank steak before grilling.
- It’s made with kitchen staples, so you may already have everything on hand!
Have you ever had a marinade in mind, but were short just one ingredient? Like the ginger root that’s shriveled in your vegetable drawer? The green onions that were on your shopping list, but you forgot to purchase? That’s why I am a huge fan of this Easy Grilled Flank Steak Recipe.
I’m never without one of the essential components of this recipe, so as long as there’s a flank steak in my fridge or freezer, this dinner will happen! Soy sauce? Check. Red wine vinegar, ground ginger, fresh garlic, and vegetable oil? More checks. And it’s one of the best ways to enjoy a flank steak—I guarantee!
Easy Marinade for Flank Steak
Besides being chocoholics, the hubby and sons are beefaholics. When one of the boys had a birthday or was heading back to college, I prepared “steak.” They became beef lovers as tots, and always lumped flank steak in with filet mignon, strip steaks, and ribeyes when discussing our entree.
It was another steak–and they enjoyed it as much as those latter options as long as it was cooked rare. Or just short of mooing as Bill would phrase it. We grill all year long, and there was the time I was out of town and the boys and their dad lugged the Big Green Egg into the house because the lid was frozen on and it needed to defrost! Or the times a golf umbrella was secured with duct tape to allow grilling during a summer monsoon.
Ingredient Notes
- Kitchen Staples – Vegetable Oil, Minced Garlic, (affiliate link to garlic press) Brown Sugar
- Soy Sauce – Adds umami, the savory sense of taste.
- Red Wine Vinegar – The acid helps tenderize the beef. It’s also great to have on hand for making salad dressing.
- Ground Ginger – I always have it in my pantry since I love making gingersnaps. Some minced fresh ginger is a viable substitution.
- Flank Steak – Score, if desired. Scoring it when you cut shallow lines against the grain of the flank steak; this allows the marinade to penetrate a little deeper into the meat. A flank steak is a long, thin, fibrous cut of beef. It’s usually tenderized by marinating, then broiled or grilled. Cutting thin slices against the grain is key to having tender pieces.
Expert Tips
Once I started grilling flank steak for the family, it became a regular on our menu rotation. I varied the marinades, but otherwise used the same technique for cooking. Here are a few pointers if you’re new to grilling this cut of meat.
- Before you marinate your flank steak, “score” or carefully cut into the meat against the grain (perpendicular to the lines you see running across the meat). I make shallow cuts about an inch and a half apart from one long side to the other, on a slight diagonal. Or you can have your butcher score your beef for you.
- PRO-Tip: Besides helping prevent the beef from curling while on the BBQ, scoring also helps the marinade permeate the beef.
- Beef can take a longer marinating time than chicken or seafood. Marinate overnight or place the flank steak in the marinade early in the day you’re planning to grill for the best results.
- I like to marinate in a well-sealed Ziploc bag to avoid spilling marinade into the fridge. Been there, done that! It also makes it super easy to flip the bag a few times throughout the day for even marinade distribution.
- PRO-Tip: Flank steak is best grilled to medium-rare. If it’s overcooked, it could be tough and/or chewy. My family prefers rare, but I prefer it a little more done.
- PRO-Tip: Pull the flank steak off the grill before it comes to the desired temperature. Cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. This resting time allows for the juices to redistribute, and the temperature will continue to rise about 10 more degrees, so take this into account (meaning you can remove it from the grill before it comes to your goal temperature/doneness).
- PRO-Tip: Slice the meat thinly across the grain (this is from one long side to the other). This makes for tender slices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Flank steak is a cut of beef from the abdominal or “flank” region of the steer. It’s also known as London Broil. It’s a thin, long cut of beef that is well-exercised, so it can be tough if not cooked or sliced properly.
I recommend grilling your flank steak to medium-rare, but my husband prefers rare and my dad always liked it medium or more well done. So cook to your desired doneness.
Here are some guidelines:
When grilling, pull your beef off the grill when it’s 5-10ºF less than the desired doneness. Cover with foil and let rest 5-10 minutes. The juices will redistribute, and the temperature will increase up to the desired temperature.
RARE beef will have a Cool Red Center. The goal is 125ºF but pull the meat off at 115-120ºF.
MEDIUM RARE beef will have a Warm Red Center. The goal is 135ºF, but pull the meat off at 125-130ºF.
MEDIUM beef will have a Warm Pink Center. The goal is 145ºF, but pull the meat off at 135-140ºF.
MEDIUM WELL beef will have a Slightly Pink Center. The goal temperature is 150ºF, but pull the meat off at 140-145ºF.
WELL DONE beef will have a Little or No Pink in the Center. The goal temperature is 160ºF, but pull the meat off at 155ºF.
Yes. Most marinades contain an acid, like lemon juice or vinegar, that tenderizes by denaturing or breaking down the protein in the meat. If left in the marinade too long, too much of the protein will break down, making the meat mushy.
We prefer grilling as the heat creates the Maillard reaction, a chemical reaction that gives browned food its delicious, distinctive flavor. But broiling works well. Cook to medium rare for the best results.
This is when you slice meat perpendicular to the direction of the meat fibers. This makes the meat more tender and easier to eat.
You May Also Like:
- Red Wine, Soy Marinated Flank Steak
- Flank Steak with Chimichurri
- Korean Grilled Flank Steak
- 30 Marinades for Grilling
- Plus, all my Favorite Main Dish Recipes.
What’s your favorite cut of beef to grill? Let me know in the comments!
Grilled Flank Steak Recipe
An easy, flavorful marinade for your flank or tri-tip. Adapted from my friend, Becky.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 pounds flank steak, scored if desired*
Instructions
- Score both sides of your flank steak by making shallow diagonal slashes over the surface. This will allow the marinade to penetrate a little deeper.
- Combine all marinade ingredients in a large ziplock bag. Add flank steak, seal, and chill for 6-8 hours (turning occasionally) or overnight.
- Bring to room temp before grilling to the desired doneness.
Notes
* Cut very shallow slits perpendicular to the grain the whole length of the steak, flip and repeat. This helps the marinade permeate the meat.
Total time does not include marinating time.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 530Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 179mgSodium: 1285mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 0gSugar: 5gProtein: 65g
Thatskinnychickcanbake.com occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although thatskinnychickcanbake.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased can change the nutritional information in any given recipe. Also, many recipes on thatskinnychickcanbake.com recommend toppings, which may or may not be listed as optional and nutritional information for these added toppings is not listed. Other factors may change the nutritional information such as when the salt amount is listed “to taste,” it is not calculated into the recipe as the amount will vary. Also, different online calculators can provide different results. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information obtained is accurate.
22 Comments on “Easy Grilled Flank Steak”
I come from a beef-loving family but have scaled back a bit. When I do have a steak or hamburger, I also prefer to hear a MOO or two.
I have flank steak that I have taken in and out of the freezer several times. Hopefully, it’s still edible so that I can try your recipe.