Jump to Recipe

This flavorful Soy, Orange Juice, and  Red Wine Marinade is made with kitchen staples and is perfect for flank steak!

Marinating for about 8 hours in this Easy Flank Steak Marinade infuses magnificent flavors into the beef, helps to tenderize, and then grilling adds delicious smoky nuances. It’s ideal for a summer barbecue!

Easy Marinated Flank Steak slices on a white plate.
Table of Contents hide
1 Why You Must Make
2 Reader Endorsement:
3 Tips for Grilling Flank Steak
4 Ingredient Notes
5 How to Make
6 Frequently Asked Questions
7 You May Also Like:
8 Soy, Orange Juice, Red Wine Marinade

Why You Must Make

  • I love recipes that are 5 ingredients or less! Don’t we all need a ton of these in our repertoire? Much as I enjoy creating an entree with as many layers of flavor as ingredients, there are many days when I’m overextended with little time for measuring and chopping.
  • There are only 3 ingredients in this easy marinade recipe!!
  • It’s super versatile and can be used with flank steak, bone-in chicken, pork chops, and even shrimp! See how long to marinate each of these in the frequently asked questions below.
  • Most of us have these ingredients on hand, plus it’s tasty enough for company and easy enough for a weeknight meal.

Reader Endorsement:

From Eva: “We had this wonderful marinated steak on Saturday, and I can fully attest that it truly tenderized the flank steak. Definitely will be my go-to recipe from now on.“

Flank steak marinated in a Soy, Orange Juice, Red Wine Marinade sliced on a round white plate.

Tips for Grilling Flank Steak

  • PRO-Tip: Lightly scoring (cutting into the top layer of the beef) against the grain of the flank steak allows for the marinade to permeate a little deeper into the meat.
  • Place the beef and marinade ingredients into a gallon Ziploc bag and remove most of the excess air. Agitate the bag so that all sides of the meat are exposed to the marinade.
  • Place in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours. A longer marination could make your beef overly salty, but this depends on your taste buds. If you start with frozen flank steak, you can easily marinate it overnight.
  • Grill your flank steak to your desired doneness. Use an (affiliate link) Instant Read Thermometer to check the internal temperature. PRO-Tip: Remember to allow for carry-over cooking, meaning the temperature of the meat will rise 5-10 or more degrees while it rests after you pull it off the grill.
  • Check the end of the post for how long to marinate your chicken, meat, and seafood.
  • When you pull the steak off the grill, place it on a Wooden Cutting Board, with grooves to catch the juices, and cover the cooked beef with foil. PRO-Tip: Let your flank steak rest for about 10 minutes before slicing. This allows for the juices to redistribute into the meat. There will be about a 10°F increase in the internal temperature due to carryover cooking time.
  • PRO-Tip: Cut thin slices across the grain. You will see lines running across the surface lengthwise. That is the direction of the “grain.” Cutting across the grain (usually from one long side to the other long side) creates more tender slices.
Flank Steak Marinade Ingredients on a sheet pan with labels.

Ingredient Notes

  • Flank Steak – Any size. Just increase the amounts of each ingredient if needed. A flank steak is a flat, flavorful cut of beef that comes from the underside of the cow.
  • Orange Juice (use your favorite brand or Squeeze a few oranges (affiliate link to my favorite hand-held juicer) – Adds sweetness and acidity to the marinade. The acidic nature of orange juice also helps to tenderize.
  • Soy Sauce (affiliate link; I use the Kikkoman brand) – This is a terrific source of umami, or the savory sense of taste.
  • Red Wine – Alcohol is a flavor enhancer, and wine also adds acidity and flavor to the marinade. Most of the alcohol will evaporate during the cooking process, so it is safe to serve slices of this beef to children. I save leftover red wine in ½ and 1 cup amounts. Placed in a freezer-quality quart-sized Ziploc Bags, (affiliate link) and stored in the freezer, they’re perfect for those times you need a small quantity for a recipe.

How to Make

Process shot 1 Marinade and Flank Steak in a Ziploc bag.
Add the flank steak to the marinade in a sealed Ziploc bag. Chill for 6+ hours and grill.
Let rest, slice on the diagonal, and serve.

Frequently Asked Questions

We grill a LOT of flank steak in the summer, and sometimes I don’t have time to gather a multitude of ingredients for a marinade. With juice in the fridge, a partially drunk bottle of wine plus soy sauce in the pantry, it’s pretty much a no-brainer.

Just mix equal parts of each of the marinade ingredients and, voila, you have your easy flank steak marinade. It can be used on beef, chicken, pork, and even shrimp. It’s just that versatile! Note the different marinating times below.

What’s the Difference Between Marinade and Marinate?

A Marinade is a flavorful liquid in which ingredients are soaked in order to infuse flavor and often tenderize. It usually contains acid, seasonings like herbs and spices, something salty like Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce, and often something sweet like orange juice or honey. It’s all about balance.
Marinating is the process of soaking ingredients in a marinade. Since acid is involved in most marinades, the ingredients should be marinated in a non-reactive dish, like glass, ceramic, or a heavy-duty Ziploc bag.

How Long Should You Marinate Different Types of Meat and Shrimp?

Due to the acid in marinades, if you marinate for too long, the protein can get mushy. So big, sturdy cuts of beef and pork can take more time in a marinade, but shrimp don’t require as much time. Here are some guidelines:
Beef: 4 hours up to overnight (overnight will sometimes make the beef a little too salty, so I prefer an 8-hour max marinating time with this recipe).
Chicken: 2-6 hours.
Pork: 6 hours up to overnight.
Shrimp with Shells: 1 hour.

How Do You Know When the Flank Steak is Done?

Use a meat thermometer to cook it to your desired doneness. I prefer medium-rare for flank steak, which is 135° F. It can be pulled off at 125° F and then covered with foil to rest for 10 minutes.
The internal temperature will rise 10° F more as it rests. Check my Korean Flank Steak Recipe for more guidance with degrees of doneness and tips for grilling flank steak.

Slices of flank steak on a white plate with a red handled fork.

You May Also Like:

Stay in touch through social media @ Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Don’t forget to tag me when you try one of my recipes! And if you love the results, please give it a 5-star rating in the recipe card.

Overhead view of marinated flank steak slices on a white plate with a side of tossed salad
The Recipe:

Soy, Orange Juice, Red Wine Marinade

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 6 minutes
Total Time 11 minutes
Yield 6 servings

A super easy, 3 ingredient marinade that's perfect on flank steak!

4.9 Stars (41 Reviews)

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds flank steak (any size is fine)
  • ½ cup orange juice
  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • ½ cup red wine

Instructions

  1. Mix orange juice, soy, and red wine in a zip lock bag. Place steak into the marinade. Seal bag and marinate for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator.
  2. Take the steak out of the fridge for a half-hour to take the chill off as you prepare the grill.
  3. Grill to desired doneness. We usually grill 2-3 minutes per side for rare- medium-rare.
  4. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing against the grain to serve.

Notes

To infuse more flavor, lightly score the flank steak across the grain on both sides (very shallow cuts  from one long side of the flank steak to the other).

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 328Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 119mgSodium: 1253mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 0gSugar: 2gProtein: 44g

HOW MUCH DID YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

© Liz Berg
Cuisine: American / Category: Beef