How to Cook Flank Steak so it’s Tender & Juicy

Tender, juicy flank steak is totally obtainable if you follow along with me.

A Za’atar lemon marinade lends bright, fresh flavors while tenderizing this lean cut of meat. A quick cook over open flame creates a beautiful crust and seals in the delicious juices. With just a little planning, flank steak can grace your dinner table any night of the week.

Where do I buy flank steak?

For this recipe, I sourced my flank steak from regenerative, “pasture” farm, All Grass Farms in Dundee, Illinois.

Here are a few questions I ask when buying beef from somewhere new:

What did this animal eat?

I want to hear: Grass. Pasture. Legumes. Anna of All Grass Farms in Dundee, Illinois told me, “Ideally with herbivores, pastures should have around 40% legumes to benefit soil and animal health.”

How are the animals treated?

To me, this means avoiding confined animal feeding operations (CAFO’s). Pretty much, animals are jam packed together in a building eating grain until they die. No pasture, no sun, no quality of life. This equates to animal stress, which does effect flavor, unnecessary hormone and antibiotic use and lower nutritional value.

Do I know the farm/farmer?

If I haven’t personally met the farmer or visited the farm I at least try to do as much research on their farming practices as I can. I’m looking for regenerative agriculture practices such as cover cropping and rotational grazing.

One of the benefits of knowing your farmer personally is you now have the opportunity to learn and ask questions. I’ve gained so much knowledge from simply subscribing to farm newsletters and casually talking when I pick up food.

Why marinade flank steak?

Flank steak is a lean cut of meat with long, striated muscle fibers running through it. A basic marinade formula looks like this:

How to prepare flank steak for the marinade.

First, trim any silver skin. Silver skin is thick connective tissue that is noticeably different in texture than the rest of the flank steak. Carefully, take a sharp knife (I like a small paring knife) and skin the flank steak, gently removing the silver skin without cutting into the flesh underneath.

Now that the silver skin is off (or mostly, don’t overly stress if a little is left), salt the flank steak and leave it uncovered in the refrigerator overnight. For each pound of flank steak, I use about 2 teaspoons of salt. Redmonds Real Salt is my go-to. I like that it is natural, untreated salt mined in the United States.

How long do I marinade flank steak?

Next day, around 8 hours before grilling, combine all marinade ingredients into a resealable bag. Place the flank steak in the marinade, squeeze out as much air as you can and seal. Move the bag around to evenly distribute the marinade.

I ALWAYS place the bag in a dish or on a sheet pan in case the bag leaks. Believe me, not playing it safe is a mistake you only make once.

Marinade the flank steak in the refrigerator around 8 hours. Be careful not to over marinade. The acid can actually make the meat mushy and toughen if left to long.

How do I grill flank steak?

I’m going to be honest, I’m not a rare steak type of gal. I grill for medium/medium rare. I aim for the center to be pink but not bleeding.

I grill on a Pit Boss smoker but any grill that gets really hot (500F) works. Over an open flame, I grill the flank steak around 5 minutes on each side. A meat thermometer when inserted into the thickest part reads around 130F-133F. While it’s resting lightly covered in foil it cooks a bit more.

Note: DO NOT wipe off the marinade. Just let the excess slide off.

How do I cut flank steak?

I cannot stress this enough: CUT AGAINST THE GRAIN.

The long, straited muscle fibers should be easy to see. Cut against them. I cut flank steak thin and on a slight angle. That is more of a preference but it’s melt in your mouth tender that way.

Serving suggestions.

While the steak is resting, plop a few tablespoons of herbed butter on top and even more once it is cut. Regular butter works fine but if you want to step it up, combine:

• Softened butter.
• Lemon zest. I use a box grater and then chop finely.
• Italian parsley. Chopped finely.
• Za’atar. Reiterating the nutty, Mediterranean flavor of the marinade.

While the grill is preheating, prepare the herb butter and keep it in the freezer to solidify again.

Serve the steak alongside my easy, 30-minute Greek orzo pasta and enjoy!