Flank steak is one of the most underrated cuts of steak out there. You may also know of it as skirt steak, and you've likely avoided it or if you've purchased it, you put it in a stew or cook it with other vegetables for the taste or even cutting it up for fajitas. While it is an underrated cut, it is also one of the most versatile, and while it has a reputation for becoming chewy, this can easily be avoided by cooking it properly. As another bonus, this is also one of the cheaper cuts of steak, because of it being closer to the muscle and having a reputation for being chewier. Luckily, with our ways on how to cook flank steak, you can use this to your advantage and whip up delicious meals with this budget-friendly option.
While flank steak can be cooked in a myriad of ways, there are some things that we suggest before trying to cook it in any way. The first would be to marinate it. It is a tougher cut of meat and marinating allows it to become more tender and flavorful. We'd recommend marinating it no matter how you are planning on cooking it, even if it's just for a tasty steak salad. However, don't leave this overnight to soak, instead just let it marinate for a few hours, and then you should be good to prepare it however you wish.
We've broken down some common ways on how to cook flank steak.
Grilling
Grills can do some damage to even the finest steak cuts, so you'll want to not skip the marinating step if you are going this route to preparing your meal. Flank steaks are very thin, so you'll need to be careful about how long you cook these for, and the temperature. To get them just perfect, put them on medium flames for about 3 minutes per side, and then you are good to go. If you leave them on for much longer, you may char them, and there's no real way to return from that, even with the best steak sauce or marinade.
Crockpot
Crockpots are wonderful inventions and make mealtime super simple. Flank steaks are wonderful for using in a crockpot because they thrive in this slow cooking method. Slow cooking allows the meat to really become tender compared to other methods because it's cooked nice and slowly on low heat. When you choose a crockpot for your cooking method, you can create a variety of meals from flank steak stroganoff to Mongolian beef and even gravy covered steak. Not only that, but you can head to work for the day and know that when you get home, you'll have a delicious meal all ready to go!
Oven
This is a tried and true way to cook steaks, and you can cook up a flank steak easily and in a tasty way in a few short minutes in the oven. However, you'll want to coat the steaks in olive oil and spices to make sure they don't dry out in the oven. You'll then simply put them on a pan, cook them at about 450 degrees for 5 minutes on each side. Let them rest for 10 minutes, then you are good to enjoy!
You can also broil your flank steaks, but again, you'll want no more than 5 minutes on each side to get to a medium-rare temperature. You'll also want them coated so they don't dry up, and you'll need to allow them to rest for about 5-10 minutes before serving, the same way as the other oven cooking method.