Tips for cooking a flank steak please

[niccole]

hi all

tomorrow i am having a BBQ and found some very tasty looking asian marinaded flank steaks. my husband has cooked regular big ol steaks on the grill before, but we have never done flanks and i want to make sure they are cooked right. any tips please? we like our meat med-rare. THANKS

[exotec]

I use an oriental-style marinade, too. mmmmmmmmmmm

I've tried flank steaks on a grill, but I don't really like the texture or the "finish". I've gone back to broiling, which turns out great. I just broil it close to the element until it chars on that side, and then flip it and do the same on the other side. You may have to score the meat to keep it from curling up into the element.

As others have mentioned, they cook pretty quickly. Don't walk away from it!

I always have to buy 2 steaks (try your local Sam's Club; they sell them in pairs and they're usually fairly large and uniform) - and we almost NEVER have any leftovers! One of my two favorite meals. If you do happen to have leftovers (especially of the thicker and less done part), it's wonderful quickly pan-fried with eggs for a breakfast treat.

[rjlebed]

One final tip, let the meat rest once you take it off the grill so that the juices settle back into the meat. Otherwise you risk losing all the juices to the cutting board........... Cut on the bias, fry up some mushrooms and onions, steam the veggies and ENJOY!!!

[monavano]

I love flank!!
Flank is a great cut to practice your manual doneness skills.
http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/...

Another thing- don't forget to let it rest 4-5 minutes!

[masha]

Make sure that the grill is good & hot. Cook for about 12 minutes, turning 1/2 through. Slice on the bias, very thin; this is key.

[niccole]

THANK YOU ALL! such fast responses, i love it!

[katecm]

If you're cooking it to medium-rare, you're halfway there, since flank steak doesn't like to be cooked very much. It will only take a few minutes on each side. Recognize that you're get variation on doneness, with the inside being rarest and the outside most well done, so I usually test it a few inches to the side of the middle.

The other key is slicing it. Slice it thinly, on an angle, against the grain.

[biondanonima]

Just get your grill screaming hot, bring your steaks to room temperature, season them and throw them on. Do not touch them for 4 minutes. Flip. Do not touch for another 4 minutes. Remove from grill and allow to rest for 5-10 mins (longer is better). You should have perfect medium rare steaks if your grill was hot enough. You can also use an instant read thermometer or do the "poke" test (touch the meat with your finger and judge its doneness by the firmness).

[monopod]

I hear this advice a lot, but it doesn't always work because the thickness of flank varies. For a relatively uniform and thin piece (say, 3/4 inch), this works fine. But a lot of flanks will have a thin end and a thick end that's up to 1 1/2 inches thick. If you do the 4 minutes - 4 minutes over high heat approach, you'll be not even rare yet in the middle of the thick section, at least in my experience. So I think you do have to watch and feel it (or probe it) to see if the thickest part is done, rather than relying on a timer.

[monavano]

Agreed, which is why it's good to be able to finger test the steak for doneness. I try to arrange the steak so that the thickest part is directly over the heat and the thinnest is farthest away. For thicker steaks, I do 5 min. each side or more. Flanks very a great deal in size and thickness, so gage accordingly.

[biondanonima]

Yes, this can be a problem, but for me usually even the thickest flanks are done enough after 4 mins per side. I always have one hotter side and one cooler side on the grill too, so I just arrange the steak accordingly. And when in doubt, finger test.

[sbp]

Dry off the marinade with paper towels before putting on the grill. Flank steak cooks quickly, you need to get the crust going in a hurry.

And it's not a thick cut - don't walk away if you like medium rare.