{"id":152245,"date":"2018-01-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-09-16T00:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/origin-www.tasteofhome.com\/recipes\/tender-flank-steak\/"},"modified":"2024-09-02T02:14:14","modified_gmt":"2024-09-02T07:14:14","slug":"tender-flank-steak","status":"publish","type":"recipe","link":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/recipes\/tender-flank-steak\/","title":{"rendered":"Flank Steak"},"content":{"rendered":"

Flank steak is a quick-cooking steak that should be a part of everyone’s grilling repertoire.<\/p>\n

I actually discovered it by mistake when I worked at a restaurant that\u00a0made fajitas and steak tacos with skirt steak<\/a>. One week, due to a shortage, our meat supplier sent us flank steak instead. Upon opening the package, the first thing I noticed was the meat’s lack of marbling. These steaks had close to no fat, and I was afraid the lean meat would become tough and dry.<\/p>\n

After grilling the marinated flank steak, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was beefy, flavorful and incredibly juicy. Everything I look for in a steak!<\/p>\n

What is flank steak?<\/h2>\n

Flank steak is a long, flat muscle cut from the flank primal (one of the eight primal cuts in American butchery). It’s often compared with skirt steak because both steaks are cut from the belly of the cow. However, skirt steak is located in the plate primal below the ribs, and flank steak is cut from an area further back toward the hindquarters.<\/p>\n

It’s a lean steak that contains a lot of connective tissue. Flank steak lacks the marbling found in more expensive steaks, so it benefits from special treatment. Acidic marinades tenderize the meat, and cooking it to medium-rare ensures it won’t dry out or become tough.<\/p>\n

Flank steak is a great grilling steak, but it’s versatile enough to be used in beef fajitas<\/a>, Mexican flank steak tacos<\/a> or steak stir-fry<\/a>.\u00a0Flank steak is also a popular choice for making beef jerky<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How to Cook Flank Steak<\/h2>\n

There are several ways to cook flank steak. Grilling is my favorite because of the gorgeous char that brings out the meat’s robust beefy flavor. Whether you cook the steak on the grill, oven or stovetop, I recommend cooking it to medium-rare (135\u00b0F when probed with an instant-read meat thermometer<\/a>). If you don’t care for medium-rare steak, you can continue to cook it to medium or medium-well, but the meat will be tougher and chewier.<\/p>\n