Prepare to elevate your dinner game with this exquisite Grilled Marinated Flank Steak, perfectly complemented by a vibrant, herbaceous Chimichurri Sauce. This isn’t just a meal; it’s a culinary experience that promises to impress, yet remains surprisingly simple to master. Tender, juicy steak infused with incredible flavor, paired with a fresh, zesty sauce that will awaken your taste buds – it’s an irresistible combination!
Mastering the Art of Grilled Marinated Flank Steak
While steak might not be an everyday staple for everyone, when it graces your table, it should be nothing short of spectacular. This recipe for grilled marinated flank steak delivers precisely that – a melt-in-your-mouth delight that’s packed with savory notes. The secret lies in a strategic marinade and precise grilling techniques, ensuring every bite is succulent and flavorful.
Why Choose Flank Steak?
Flank steak is a fantastic choice for grilling due to its rich beefy flavor and relatively thin profile, which allows it to cook quickly. It’s also more budget-friendly than some other cuts, making it an excellent option for family dinners or entertaining. The key to making flank steak tender is proper preparation: a good marinade and slicing it correctly against the grain. Its flat shape also provides ample surface area for a delicious crust when grilled at high heat.
The Power of a Perfect Marinade
Our marinade is designed not just to add flavor but also to tenderize the flank steak. It’s a harmonious blend of ingredients, each playing a crucial role:
- Olive Oil: Helps distribute flavors and keeps the meat moist during grilling.
- Red Wine Vinegar: The acidity in the vinegar acts as a tenderizer, breaking down tougher muscle fibers and adding a tangy depth.
- Honey: Adds a touch of sweetness that balances the savory and acidic notes, and also helps with caramelization on the grill, creating a beautiful crust.
- Soy Sauce: Contributes umami, saltiness, and a rich depth of flavor that penetrates the meat.
- Garlic & Black Pepper: Essential aromatics that infuse the steak with classic, pungent flavor.
Allowing the steak to marinate for at least an hour, or ideally overnight, ensures these flavors fully penetrate the meat, resulting in a more tender and incredibly delicious finished product. Scoring the steak before marinating also helps the marinade seep deeper into the meat fibers, maximizing flavor and tenderness.
Achieving Grill Perfection: Tips for Tender, Juicy Steak
Grilling flank steak to perfection requires attention to a few key details:
- Scoring the Steak: Before marinating, lightly score both sides of the steak with a sharp knife. Make shallow cuts, about 1/4 inch deep and an inch apart, going across the grain. This technique helps the marinade penetrate more effectively and prevents the steak from curling up during grilling, ensuring even cooking.
- High Heat is Your Friend: Flank steak benefits from quick cooking over high heat to achieve a beautiful sear and a flavorful crust while keeping the interior juicy. Preheat your grill until it’s very hot.
- Don’t Overcook: Flank steak is best served medium-rare to medium. Due to its leanness, overcooking can make it tough. Keep a close eye on it, grilling for just 2-4 minutes per side, depending on thickness and desired doneness. A meat thermometer is your best tool here for precision.
- The Essential Resting Period: This step is non-negotiable for a melt-in-your-mouth steak. After removing the steak from the grill, transfer it to a cutting board, cover it loosely with aluminum foil, and let it rest for at least 10 minutes. This allows the juices, which have been driven to the center by the heat, to redistribute throughout the meat, resulting in a much juicier and more tender steak. Cutting too soon will cause all those precious juices to run out onto your board.
- Slice Against the Grain: This is arguably the most crucial step for tenderness when dealing with flank steak. Identify the grain of the meat (the direction of the muscle fibers) and slice very thinly, at a slight diagonal, perpendicular to the grain. This shortens the muscle fibers, making each bite incredibly tender.
Following these steps will ensure your grilled flank steak is not only incredibly flavorful from the marinade but also perfectly tender and juicy – a truly irresistible centerpiece for any meal.
The Star of the Show: Easy Homemade Chimichurri Sauce
While the marinated grilled flank steak is undeniably delicious on its own, it truly transforms into something extraordinary when paired with a vibrant, fresh chimichurri sauce. This classic Argentinian condiment is known for its bright, herbaceous, and garlicky kick, acting as the perfect counterpoint to the rich, savory steak.
What is Chimichurri? A Taste of Argentina
Chimichurri is an uncooked sauce used both as an ingredient in cooking and as a condiment for grilled meat. Originating from Argentina, it’s akin to a pesto but with a distinct South American flair. It’s typically made from finely chopped fresh parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, oregano, and red wine vinegar, sometimes with a touch of red pepper flakes for heat. The result is a bold, intensely flavorful, and highly aromatic sauce that brightens any dish it accompanies.
Crafting Your Chimichurri: The Ingredients
Our easy chimichurri recipe focuses on fresh, high-quality ingredients to achieve that authentic, lively flavor:
- Fresh Italian Parsley: The backbone of chimichurri, providing a clean, peppery, and slightly bitter note.
- Fresh Cilantro: Adds another layer of fresh, citrusy, and slightly pungent flavor that complements the parsley beautifully.
- Olive Oil: A good quality extra virgin olive oil is essential for its fruity notes and to create the emulsified base of the sauce.
- Red Wine Vinegar: Provides the necessary acidity and tang, cutting through the richness of the steak and balancing the herbs.
- Garlic Cloves: Plenty of fresh garlic is key for that signature pungent, aromatic depth.
- Dried Crushed Red Pepper: Adds a subtle warmth and gentle heat, enhancing the overall flavor profile without being overly spicy.
- Ground Cumin: A touch of cumin introduces an earthy, warm spice that ties all the flavors together.
- Salt: Essential for seasoning and bringing out the best in all the other ingredients.
Making chimichurri is incredibly simple; essentially, you just combine all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until well combined. For the best flavor, make it at least an hour in advance to allow the flavors to meld and intensify.
Beyond Steak: The Versatility of Chimichurri
Don’t limit this incredible sauce solely to steak! Chimichurri is remarkably versatile and can elevate a multitude of dishes:
- Salad Dressing: A fantastic, zesty alternative to traditional dressings.
- Marinade: Use it to marinate chicken, pork, or fish before grilling or roasting.
- Sauce for Other Meats: Drizzle it over roasted chicken, pan-seared fish, or grilled pork chops.
- Roasted Vegetables: Toss it with roasted potatoes, carrots, broccoli, or asparagus for an instant flavor boost.
- Sandwich Spread: A spoonful can transform a simple sandwich or wrap.
- Eggs: Add a dollop to scrambled eggs or omelets for a gourmet breakfast.
This easy, flavorful Argentinian sauce was definitely one of the best creations to come out of our kitchen, and we truly hope it makes its way to yours, too! Whether it’s for a special occasion or just to try something delightfully new, you will undoubtedly be satisfied with this scrumptious steak and its vibrant companion.
Grilled Marinated Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
3 steak servings / sauce makes 1 cup
Ingredients
For the Grilled Marinated Flank Steak
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1.5 – 2 pounds flank steak
- Kosher salt (for grilling)
- Freshly ground pepper (for grilling)
For the Chimichurri Sauce
- 1 cup fresh Italian parsley, packed
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, packed
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes (adjust to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
Instructions
- Prepare the Steak: Using a sharp knife, lightly score both sides of the flank steak. Make shallow cuts (about 1/4 inch deep) about an inch apart, cutting across the grain of the meat. This helps tenderize the steak and allows the marinade to penetrate deeply.
- Marinate the Steak: In a medium bowl or large freezer bag, combine the marinade ingredients: 1/3 cup olive oil, minced garlic, 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar, soy sauce, honey, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Add the scored flank steak to the marinade, ensuring it is fully coated. Seal the bag or cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or ideally overnight (up to 12 hours) for maximum flavor and tenderness.
- Preheat the Grill: Prepare your grill for high direct heat. For best results, use an olive oil-soaked paper towel to carefully coat your grill grates, preventing sticking.
- Grill the Steak: Remove the flank steak from the marinade, discarding any excess marinade. Pat the steak dry slightly and generously season both sides with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. This seasoning will help form a savory crust. Place the seasoned steak directly on the hot grill. If using a gas grill, cover it. Grill for 2-4 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of your steak and your desired level of doneness (medium-rare to medium is recommended for flank steak).
- Rest the Steak: Once the steak has reached your preferred doneness, remove it from the grill and transfer it to a clean cutting board. Tent it loosely with aluminum foil and let it rest for at least 10 minutes. This crucial step allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, ensuring a tender and juicy result.
- Slice the Steak: After resting, slice the steak very thinly against the grain and at a slight diagonal. This technique shortens the muscle fibers, making each slice incredibly tender and easy to chew.
- Prepare the Chimichurri Sauce: In the bowl of a food processor, combine all the chimichurri ingredients: fresh Italian parsley, fresh cilantro, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, peeled garlic cloves, dried crushed red pepper flakes, ground cumin, and salt.
- Blend the Sauce: Pulse and process the ingredients until everything is well blended but still has a slightly chunky texture. Avoid over-processing to maintain some texture.
- Let Flavors Meld: Transfer the chimichurri sauce to a small bowl, cover, and let it stand at room temperature for at least an hour before serving to allow the flavors to meld and intensify.
- Serve and Store: Spoon the fresh chimichurri generously over the sliced grilled flank steak. Enjoy immediately. Leftover chimichurri can be stored, covered and refrigerated, for up to two days. Before serving chilled sauce, let it stand at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes to allow the flavors and oil to loosen. This versatile sauce is also excellent over chicken, fish, other cuts of beef, roasted vegetables, or as a vibrant salad dressing.
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