Ok, I have a 2lb choice Flank Steak. I’ve cooked this a few times before, and I’ve pan-fried it, sliced it into strips, and served it with carmelized mushrooms and onions.
BUT, it’s a very difficult cut to cook, because the edges of the meat are much thinner than the center, and cook faster. So I can get the middle medium rare, but the edges cook more and get a little tough. I’ve marinated it in worchestershire sauce and it helped but still doesn’t solve the uneven thickness and cooking consistency issue.
Give me some ideas on how to cook this! I’m making it for dinner tonight so I need answers fast!
You just need to get it seared quickly on both sides. Let the steak warm up to room temperature before cooking, then broil, panfry, or grill for 3 minutes on each side. If it’s thick enough let it sit in a warm oven for a while to cook through. The edges are likely to get a little crisp. The way cattle are brought to market early now means a lot flank steak will be thinner than ideal. Just as you may flatten other cuts of meat you can bunch up a flank steak to get it thicker. If the ends and sides are over cooking by too much you can shield them with foil during half the broiling time. Some restaurants will slowly cook the meat close to rare temperature ahead of time and then use a torch to give the outside a nice browning. You can also slather the exterior with butter and a little brown sugar to get a nice charring without cooking for too long.
My PREFERRED method is to marinate it and grill it over high heat for 3-5 minutes per side, then slice and serve. But the above works very well for what you have in mind.
I’m planning on doing this later in the week with the pound of flank steak I have in the freezer. Ukulele Lady wants me to sear the sliced meat in a skillet, then use the grease and browned bits to caramelize some sliced red onions, then dump the whole thing over a salad bowl filled with baby arugula.
I’ve been reading up on the reverse sear technique and it sounds perfect for your steak. I haven’t actually used it my self…but I want to.
In a nutshell start your seasoned steak in a 250 degree oven until a meat thermometer reads 110 give or take 5 to 10 degrees, depending on your final target temperature. Then sear in in a very hot pan to your target.
Score the top in an X pattern about an inch apart. Marinate for at least an hour in a combo of Red Wine, Garlic, Soy Sauce Worcestershire, herbs like Oregano, Basil… whatever you like. Heat up the grill to full blast and toss it on for about 4 minutes per side (depends on how hot your grill gets). Bring it in and let it rest, then slice thin.
I’ve used it several times and it works well… that said, I don’t think it would for a flank steak. It needs to be marinated and then grilled on a very hot grill quickly. The sear or reverse sear methods work much better for thicker steaks that need a little longer to cook.
I’m strongly in the marinate and grill camp. A quick hot fire is best if you like your cow still mooing like I do. I eat the main meal with the flank steak intact, then after it has cooled, I will slice it in thin strips to use as a steak salad for the next couple of days.
It’s been my experience that if I cut the meat into strips before cooking, it is very hard to cut (I don’t have chef-quality kitchen tools here) and very hard to cook evenly.
I think I will try the broiler and a reverse sear at the end. I’m carmelizing an onion right now, and flank is marinating in worchestershire and soy sauce, with some spices added.
Ok I am marinating it in worshestershire, soy, a couple splashes of red cooking wine, with some onion & garlic powder, thyme, and oregano. I’d have added cayenne or red pepper but that’d make it too spicy for my wife. Just for the hell of it, after I finished carmelizing the onion I threw them into the marinade, butter and all. It smells good already.
I’ve used Alton Brown’s recipe for marinated skirt steak, subbing in flank steak, many times, to rave reviews (although I leave out his nonsense with the hair dryer). It makes spectacular fajitas, even if it’s not strictly orthodox.
For future reference: put the meat in the freezer for an hour or so before you slice it. This firms it up (my professional term was “crunchy.” Not frozen, but stiff and very cold) and makes cutting easy.
Also for future reference: Take the slices OUT OF THE SKILLET as they are done to your taste, ya mook. The larger/thicker pieces come out last.
Ok, it turned out delicious. I broiled it for about 10-12 minutes, flipping it over about 1/2 way through, and seared it a bit after I took it out. The thinnest edges were a little more done than the middle, but overall it was more evenly cooked than the ones I’ve pan-fried. The marinade was very tasty, added some zing but not heat.
My wife is not a huge fan of flank steak but pronounced it delicious. So we’ll definitely do this again.