How to Cook Flank Steak Perfectly

Flank steak is a lean, flavorful, inexpensive cut that feeds a crowd in a hurry. Learn how to cook it right, and it’ll be juicy perfection every time!

What Is Flank Steak?

Flank steak is sometimes referred to as a bavette or London broil (which actually refers to a specific way to cook this cut). Though it’s lean, without rich marbling, it does have a rich, beefy taste – you just have to cook it right.

It comes from along the abdominal area of the animal, near where the skirt steak comes from. Like skirt steak, it’s rectangular shaped and not very thick. But flank steak is wider at about 8 to 10 inches and a little thicker at about 1 inch. They tend to weigh 1 and a half to 3 pounds.

Also like skirt steak, flank steak has a visible grain running through it. But while a skirt steak’s grain runs width-wise, a flank’s runs lengthwise. The grain looks like stripes of muscle running down the meat, and it comes into play a little later, when it’s time to slice your steak.

Cooking Flank Steak

Because flank steak is lean, it can become dry and chewy if overcooked. So go for rare to medium-rare, medium at most. But don’t worry if you like your steak more well-done. Flank steak isn’t of an even thickness with the ends being quite a bit thinner than the middle. If you cook the middle to medium, there will be plenty more medium-well slices at the ends. I actually find that this works well when you want slices of beef for a group because everyone has different preferences, which will be attained by the different areas of the steak.

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. I prefer grilling for the easy clean-up, but you can adjust my recipe below for broiling (which is basically upside-down grilling in the oven). I don’t tend to pan-sear flank steak because I simply don’t have a pan large enough to hold one! But if you have a griddle or something similar, that will absolutely work.

Another trick to getting a good crust—pat your flank steak dry before cooking.

Slicing Tips

Remember the grain in the meat that I mentioned earlier? That graining is long muscle fibers and they can be stringy, chewy, and tough to eat. If, however, you slice your flank steak against that grain—in other words, at a 90° angle to those fibers, or width-wise—you’ll be essentially breaking down those long strings before they even get on your plate. Resulting in a more tender eating experience.

Of course, before you do any slicing, you want to let the meat rest for at least 5 minutes. This helps the meat stay juicy, even after it’s cut. (This electric knife is my favorite tool for perfect, even slices.)

Seasoning Flank Steak

My flank steak recipe below keeps it simple, just seasoning with salt and pepper. But you could absolutely add whatever additional herbs and spices you like. Garlic powder and onion powder would be great. Or chili powder and cumin – that would especially make sense if you’re using it for steak fajitas, which is common. A fajita seasoning or taco seasoning blend would also be really amazing on there.

Do I Need To Marinate Flank Steak?

It’s quite common to marinate flank steak, which I imagine comes from its perceived toughness (which you now know is mostly just the chewiness of the muscle fibers if they’re not sliced right). The truth is, though, that because a marinade doesn’t really penetrate much beyond the surface of the meat, it doesn’t really tenderize. (Here’s a good article about that from Cook’s Illustrated.)

That said, a marinade can be a great way to add flavor – to anything from steak fajitas to pork chops to chicken. And if there’s a good amount of salt in there, like in this Carne Asada recipe, then it will act a bit like a brine and will tenderize the meat while also seasoning it on the inside. So if you want to use a marinade, go ahead and use it on your flank steak, just be sure to put a good amount of salt in there.

Sauces For Flank Steak

You can also add flavor after or during the last few minutes of cooking, in the form of a sauce. I like mine brushed with barbecue sauce for the last couple of minutes on the grill. I also enjoy it with a nice black been and corn salsa or chimichurri at the table.

How To Serve Grilled Flank Steak

In any one of those variations, flank steak is a great main dish served simply with some grilled veggies. But it’s also great in tacos, sandwiches, steak burrito bowls like this one, and steak salads. Plus, I’ve got a great Steak Quesadilla recipe that is perfect for any leftovers.

This post originally appeared in June 2021 and was revised and republished in April 2022.