Flank steak is technically not a steak at all. Instead, this popular cut of beef comes from the cow's belly muscles. It’s a flavorful piece of meat, but is very lean, containing almost no fat. Despite its toughness, it can be a tasty and tender if you learn how to prepare it properly. Flank steak benefits from marinating, and is best enjoyed grilled over high heat or slow-braised.
What Is Flank Steak?
Flank steak comes from the cow’s lower chest or abdominal muscle, and is an inexpensive, flavorful, and versatile cut of beef. It’s about a foot long and one inch thick, and cooked whole rather than divided into smaller individual steaks. The cut is also known as jiffy steak, bavette (in French), and in some regions, London broil. Flank steak can be identified by the visible direction of the meat’s cross-grain.
How to Cook Flank Steak
Due to flank steak’s low fat content, it does not need to be trimmed. It can be seasoned simply with salt and pepper or your favorite meat rub, and typically requires additional tenderizing in order to achieve the best flavor. This can be done by hand with a meat tenderizing mallet, chemically using an acidic marinade, or by cooking the steak “low and slow” to gradually break down its dense connective tissue.
Flank steak is ideal for fajitas, stir-fries, and other applications that call for beef strips. Rest cooked steak for at least five minutes before serving, and slice thinly against the grain, preferably at a 45-degree angle, for the best texture. Slicing with the grain will result in an unpleasantly chewy steak.
While flank steak lacks the silky, fatty mouthfeel of more-marbled cuts of beef, it does offer a rich, assertive, beefy flavor that takes center stage in any application. Since this cut benefits greatly from marinating, especially when grilled, you may taste notes of citrus, fruit juice (especially orange and pineapple), soy sauce, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, wine, or other acidic or enzyme-rich ingredients used to tenderize a flank steak before cooking.
Skirt steak is often substituted for flank steak, cut from the nearby diaphragm region, and featuring a similar prominent grain. It has more fat than flank steak, resulting in richer-flavored meat that’s also ideal for grilling, tacos, fajitas, and stir-fries. Like flank steak, it must be sliced against the grain in order to be tender.
Flank Steak Recipes
Flank steak is an excellent choice for tacos, fajitas, stir-fries, rice and grain bowls, or simply marinated and grilled alongside seasonal vegetables for a simple, nutritious meal.
You can buy flank steak in grocery stores with a well-stocked refrigerated meat section, and at butcher counters across the country. Since this cut is not always available at all butchers, you may want to call ahead to check. Flank steak is sold by the pound, and servings vary:One flank steak can weigh between one and four pounds. Choose a steak that’s uniform in thickness to avoid overcooked ends. Flank steak can be bought in bulk, vacuum-packaged, and frozen for six to 12 months.
Store uncooked flank steak in the refrigerator at or around 35° Fwrapped in butcher paper or supermarket packaging (called “modified atmosphere packaging” for its carbon dioxide content, which helps preserve the meat) for up to three days. Cooked flank steak will keep in the fridge for up to four days. Flank steak can be frozen in its original packaging for up to 12 months, but vacuum-sealing it first will significantly prolong its life and help prevent freezer burn.
The flank steak is taken from below the loin of the cow. Since it is very lean, the lack of fat may make it tougher than other cuts. Thus, this steak is best used in dishes like stews or fajitas because it can soak up the marinades well, ensuring that flavour gets injected into the meat.
Then, grill the steak until it's medium-rare. Flank steak is most tender at this level of doneness, and cooking it further can give it a chewy texture. Finally, let the steak rest for at least five minutes, and slice it against the grain.
Because flank steak is relatively thin, it's best to cook it over fairly high heat so that it can develop a flavorful crust on the outside before it's overcooked on the inside. This means a flank steak will do best with quick, high-heat cooking methods like grilling, broiling, and pan-searing.
But, thankfully, you don't have to settle for chewy flank steak when you … drum roll, please… cut it against the grain! When you cut it against the grain, you shorten the muscle fibers, which means you can enjoy the flavor without awkward, endless chewing.
Flank steak is on the thinner side, so it doesn't take much time to cook. For medium-rare flank steak cooked under the broiler, it takes about 8-12 minutes, depending on the steak's thickness. If you like your steak cooked to medium or medium-well, use the oven instead of the broiler.
The best meat to use instead of flank steak is skirt steak, flat iron steak, flap (sirloin tip) steak, tri-tip steak, and hanger steak (in that order).
Flank steak is generally one of the most affordable cuts of beef you can find. Yet it tends to come at a slightly higher price than the Skirt steak. This is largely because the Skirt cut is a little more tender, and therefore easier to cook with different methods.
The final verdict. Flank, brisket and flat iron steaks are some of the leanest we can eat, whilst porterhouse and rib-eye steaks are some of the fattiest. The bottom line is that all these cuts of beef can be consumed in moderation as part of a healthy diet.
The critical reason for this is that flank steak, although lean and tasty, is tougher than other cuts of beef due to the many long, thin fibers running through it. To help tenderize flank steak, it is often marinated and cooked by grilling, stir-frying, broiling, or smoking.
For a perfect medium-rare Flank steak on the stove, sear in a skillet for 12–13 minutes, turning about 1 minute before the halfway point. A meat thermometer should read 130°F. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal Flank steak's temperature to ensure it is cooked to the perfect level of doneness.
How Long to Marinate Flank Steak. The ideal amount of time is 12 hours, but you can marinate it for up to 24 hours. You should let it sit in the marinade for a minimum of 2 hours, even if you're pressed for time.
Whether you know it by its proper name or have seen it referred to as “London broil” at the grocery store or in certain restaurants, the lean flank steak delivers a strong beefy flavor and, when prepared and sliced properly, an unforgettable texture that sets it apart from other cuts.
It is also advisable to tenderize the meat beforehand so that the flavor is much better. Tenderizing the flank steak can be done with the help of a kitchen mallet to pound the meat. In addition to this technique, it is possible to tenderize it by using a tenderizer.
Simmering in a little bit of liquid or broth is a great way to tenderize. Acidity can also be your friend here. A little bit of vinegar and lemon juice in the liquid can help you tenderize the meat.
Introduction: My name is Arline Emard IV, I am a cheerful, gorgeous, colorful, joyous, excited, super, inquisitive person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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