Grilled Flank Steak - The Workhorse in Fancy Clothes
- davidcdouglass
- Aug 23
- 2 min read
Flank steak is one of those cuts that was once the ugly stepchild of the butcher’s case—cheap, tough, relegated to marinades and stir-fries. It used to be cheap, now it shows up at dinner parties like it owns the place.
Thanks to food media and every backyard pitmaster with an Instagram, it’s been reborn as the king of the weeknight grill. And honestly? It deserves the crown. Flank steak is unapologetically beefy, with enough chew to remind you it came from a cow, not a lab, but tender enough (if you treat it right) to keep you from regretting your life choices.
Here’s the deal: flank steak is lean, so you can’t cook it like a ribeye and expect miracles. This cut requires respect. It wants a good soak in a marinade, a hot grill, and a sharp knife to slice it thin against the grain. Screw up one of those steps and you’re chewing leather straps like you lost a bet. Nail it, and suddenly you’re carving out slices of smoky, juicy perfection that make you look far more competent than you are.
The best part? It’s fast. We’re talking twenty minutes from fridge to plate if you’ve planned ahead with the marinade. This isn’t a “tend the coals for four hours while meditating on the meaning of brisket” situation. This is: crack a beer, flip some meat, feed a crowd, take credit.
Recipe: Grilled Flank Steak
Ingredients:
1 ½–2 lbs flank steak
⅓ cup soy sauce
⅓ cup olive oil
3 tbsp lime juice (fresh, not the neon-green stuff in a bottle)
2 tbsp honey (or brown sugar if you’re that person)
4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
1 tsp black pepper
½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional, unless you enjoy boredom)
Fresh cilantro for garnish (optional, unless you’re cilantro-phobic, in which case skip it and grumble to yourself)
Method:
Whisk together the soy sauce, olive oil, lime juice, honey, garlic, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. This is your marinade. Resist the urge to drink it straight.
Drop the flank steak in a zip-top bag, pour the marinade over, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours—or overnight if you’ve got your life together.
Preheat your grill until it’s hotter than your neighbor’s passive-aggressive glare when your music is too loud. We’re aiming for high heat here.
Pull the steak out of the marinade, shake off the excess, and slap it onto the grill. Cook about 4–5 minutes per side for medium-rare, depending on thickness.
Remove the steak and let it rest for 10 minutes. Yes, rest. Don’t be the savage who carves it immediately and wonders why it’s dry.
Slice thinly against the grain. This isn’t optional—cut it wrong and you’ve ruined dinner.
Serve it with grilled veggies, tortillas, or just eat it with your fingers over the cutting board. It’s flank steak—casual, bold, slightly rough around the edges, and far better than it has any right to be.
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