Korean Barbecue Flank Steak Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you cook flank steak so it's not tough? ›

Instructions. Slice the meat (about ⅓ to ¼ - inch thick) against the grain at a steep angle. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl, and mix well. Add the meat and scallions and mix well until evenly coated.

Look for the grain of the meat. The grain means the direction where muscle fibers run. Cutting against the grain is vital for tenderizing the meat. Then, slice the flank steak against the grain into thin, even pieces.

Soaking the meat beyond 48 hours will just leave the surface too soft and mushy. Short soaks don't do much for the texture, even if they add flavor. Make sure to let the meat marinate at least overnight for 12 hours before cooking if you want a more tender Flank steak.

If you're looking for a tender and flavorful way to cook flank steak, consider slow cooking. Slow cooking allows the meat to break down and become melt-in-your-mouth tender while infusing it with rich flavors.

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.

There will be a grilling tablet in the middle of each table. After you order your meat, they will turn on the fire, place the meat on the grill and leave it there. Now it's up to you to cook it! Turn it over from side to side and cut it with the supplied scissors so that it's easy to bite.

Same with the tongs, we recommend having scissors handy so that you can easily cut larger pieces of meats into bite-size portions. Cutting the meat on the heat can also help it cook faster and more evenly.

Follow the directions for how long to grill Flank steak. For the perfect medium-rare Flank steak, grill for 9–12 minutes, turning about 1 minute before the halfway point. A meat thermometer should read 130°F. Rest your Flank steak for 5 minutes before serving, covering lightly with foil.

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.

How much baking soda to tenderize flank steak? ›

Experts recommend marinating from the night before or very early in the morning, leaving it to rest in the fridge and covering the marinade with clingfilm. Also, keep in mind that cutting the flank steak into steaks should be done before marinating.

The big advantage of dry rubs, and the reason we love using them so much, is that they don't add any additional moisture to the exterior of a piece of meat the way that a marinade does.

Marinades do not penetrate the meat deeply. Most of the tenderizing effect of a marinade will occur on the surface. Piercing the meat before marinating will give the greatest tenderizing effect.

Acids like balsamic vinegar and lemon juice or lime juice are commonly used to tenderize flank steak, but a lesser-known tenderizer is soy sauce. Like acid, soy sauce will break down the proteins just enough to make for a tender steak. This flank steak marinade is made with low-sodium soy sauce.

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.

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.