One of our favorites of all time, this Marinated Grilled Flank Steak is so versatile and easy; try it at your next outdoor event.
I don't think there is a much more versatile piece of beef than a flank steak. It's lean, takes on a variety of flavor depending on how it's marinated; it's easy to cook and it's great by itself but this Marinated Grilled Flank Steak is also my favorite if I'm making fajitas or this favorite dish that layers it with pesto, mashed potatoes and a salad.
The key to enjoying a flank steak lies in knowing how to both prepare it before grilling it and how to cut if after...both make a big difference. Without knowing those, it would be easy to toss it aside as a tough, unforgiving cut of beef and that would be a shame.
Allowing the meat time in a marinade which includes something acidic (lemon juice, vinegar, etc) will help to soften those tough fibers and infuse the meat with flavor. Then, after grilling, letting it rest and slicing it thinly across the grain is key. You don't want to slice from top to bottom vertically but take your knife and cut at an angle to get wider and more tender slices.
Done correctly, it is divine. Once you've mastered it, the flavor options are huge...you can revise a basic marinade to have a Mexican influence with chiles or go Asian with a variety of spices. This recipe is my basic go-to and is especially perfect when I simply want to top mine with a whole lot of mushrooms and/or grilled onions.
Add some veggies, a baked potato, hopefully a ripe summer tomato and it's our favorite summertime feast. You would see tomatoes in these photos if I had any yet...June is too early for Colorado; heck we're lucky to have garden tomatoes in July! No grill? No problem. Simply prepare using a hot cast iron pan; a grill pan is even better.
Want something a bit fancier...this Flank Steak with Bernaise Butter is delicious. The butter is flavored with tarragon, shallots, and white wine and I love it too but I make this simple recipe more often. It was my first foray into flank steak and will always remain my favorite.
I lived in North Carolina for ten years when my kids were young; we moved to Colorado when they were one and five. I don't remember ever having flank steak in North Carolina but I'll never forget the first time I had it here in Denver.
We had only been here a day or two, we were getting setting into temporary housing waiting for a new house to be finished, and I was exhausted from the altitude change so we opted to head to a local favorite for dinner, Chili's. They had something on the menu I thought sounded interesting called fajitas so that's what we ordered.
Funny...that first foray had me love the meat but picking out the ubiquitous jalapeno. Today I would probably ask for double the jalapeno...times do change!
I didn't forget that meal so when I bought my first cookbook in Colorado, ' Colorado Cache ' from the Junior League of Denver, the first thing I looked for was flank steak and I was pleased to find this recipe...score! Chuckling, this was before the internet; it wasn't as easy as a quick search online!
An even bigger score was how inexpensive flank steak was...sadly no more. I have friends who can source the less expensive hangar steak but I've not found those so I stick with flank. All things considered, especially the lack of fat or bone, and I'm good with paying a bit more. Check your shops though...Sprouts was 50% more than Costco!
I've actually had this recipe for Marinated Grilled Flank Steak on this blog since 2008. Yes, 2008...sadly so far lost in Archives it was invisible. That was wrong and today I hope to fix that mistake; I was pretty happy to find it; terrible photo and all.
I've got the cookbook still but the recipe really needs to be here too...for my family, my friends and you...my extended friends who read this blog and try these recipes. Thanks by the way!
My favorite preparations are when I want to enjoy one like we did this week piled high with mushrooms and/or grilled onions. The grilled onion part of this dish was minimal...trust me, I couldn't believe I only had one little onion either.
But no matter, I had a big box of mushrooms and made all of them! Still if mushrooms are not your thing, add some grilled onions, or peppers, or nothing if you prefer, the steak is great on it's own. Makes a wonderful sandwich too; lettuce, tomato and mayo are my choice of condiments.
I don't know about you but my preference for mushrooms is to cook them until they just turn a bit brown...no long sautéing here. They're simple too...a bit of butter, some salt and pepper, and just enough time in a skillet and they are ready in minutes.
If you want to combine them with grilled onions, cook the onions first until they start to brown and then add the mushrooms with some additional butter to cook at the end.
Maybe the perfect meal? How can you go wrong with a piece of flavorful, lean, and tender beef smothered in mushroom and onions and accompanied by fresh green beans and a well buttered potato? Hmm, you can't !
After I had prepared this Marinated Grilled Flank Steak, a friend of mine who runs a group for people like me, we love food and the culture of food, shared a recipe for a dish from Senegal that was lamb with a Mustard Sauce.
I probably won't be running out to purchase lamb but I do have another flank steak in the freezer so I'll be trying those two together soon. But I did make the sauce, you know, to test it and drizzled a bit on the finished dish; for testing you know? If you love mustard like I love mustard? Watch for that recipe.
The meat is marinated in a combination of mustards, olive oil, lemon and red wine and then drizzled with a sauce made with similar components. I admit, I'm drizzling this stuff on lots of stuff. Avocados? Eggs? Yep, it's awesome. I'll post it as soon as I can...mostly because I want to eat it. You will too.
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