Easy Pan-Fried Flank Steak Recipe

Cook this easy flank steak recipe in no time. The marinade takes minutes to put together, and the chimichurri sauce is just as quick. The steak is melt-in-your-mouth delicious and fork-tender. All of this from the stovetop too!

One of the most important things to remember when working with cuts of meat is how to cook them. For steaks, you can cook to a medium rare temp. Anything beyond that and the meat loses it's fat content and liquid leaving nothing but dry muscle fibers. This is why a lot of restaurants recommend nothing above medium, even for hamburgers. They want you to have the best dining experience and overcooking meat is not one of them!

Jump to:

• 🍽 Equipment
• 🥣 Food preparation
• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🔪 Instructions
• 💭 Helpful Hints
• ❤️ You'll also love these meat friendly recipes
• 📋 Recipe

🍽 Equipment

The best way to cook flank steaks is with a charcoal grill because they get this incredible char flavor. Since I don't have access to a grill in the city, I used the second-best thing: my cast iron skillet. Cast iron skillets, if properly taken care of, can provide you with a nice char and cook your food evenly no matter if in the oven or the stovetop.

I also used my food vacuum packer to marinate the meat. If you don't have a vacuum packer, you can use a large resealable storage bag, or simply place the meat in a container large enough to hold the flank steaks and the marinade. If you use a container, you may need to flip the meat at least once in order to coat both sides evenly.

Of course, I also used a blender for the chimichurri sauce.

🥣 Food preparation

Make a quick flank steak marinade by placing the ingredients in a bowl and whisk together. It's super easy and throws together nicely.

Your flank steaks should be pretty lean but sometimes you have to trim off the fat and any silverskin. Silverskin is the membrane of connective tissue that is attached to pieces of meat. It's white and silver looking and I don't recommend leaving it on any meat you're working with. Generally, silverskin does not dissolve when cooking and you cannot bite through it which is why I recommend removing it during the prepping process instead of trying to do so when you're sitting down to dinner.

To remove silverskin, take your sharpest knife and start at one end of the silverskin, and insert your knife between the meat and membrane. Gently slide your knife along the silverskin. It should cut along the membrane smoothly. Trim any remaining connective tissue but be careful not to remove too much meat.

I think the chimichurri sauce is the easiest part of all of this. Just dump all of the ingredients in your blender except for the oil. Blend everything and slowly drizzle in the oil to create an emulsion.

🥘 Ingredients

Marinade

• 1/2 cup Canola oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
• 2 limes, zest and juice
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Flank Steak

• 1 1/2 pounds flank steak, trimmed

Chimichurri Sauce

• 3/4 cup parsley, stems included
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon crushed chili flakes
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

🔪 Instructions

Marinade

1. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together all ingredients and set aside.
2. Remove flank steaks from the package and trim any fat or connective tissue.
3. Place the steaks and marinade in your leak-proof container for a minimum of 2 hours, or even overnight.

Cooking

1. Remove the marinated flank steaks from the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking. Let sit at room temperature.
2. Heat your skillet on medium-high heat and add a couple of tablespoons of canola oil.
3. Pan fry flank steak for about 3 minutes, flip over and cook for another 3 minutes until you just about reach medium rare which is 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a meat thermometer to check for the correct temperature.
4. Remove from heat, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest 10 minutes. During the resting phase, the steak will continue cooking to 145 degrees Fahrenheit, the recommended temperature for flank steak. Cooking times will vary depending on thickness, so adjust accordingly.
5. How to cut a flank steak isn't too difficult. Just take the rested meat, and slice 1/4 inch pieces against the grain. You can tell what way the grain is going by reading the muscle fibers. You want to cut perpendicular.

Chimichurri instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor except for the olive oil.
2. Blend ingredients and slowly drizzle in oil until emulsified. Set aside.

💭 Helpful Hints

• Allow marinade to sit for at least 15 minutes so all the flavors bloom and become infused.
• If you want an alternative to the flank steak you can also use skirt steak or London broil (top sirloin).
• The best way to cook flank steak indoors is on the stovetop. If you cook it in the oven you risk the chance of overcooking.
• The best flank steak temp is anywhere from rare to no more than medium rare otherwise the meat will be too chewy or tough.

❤️ You'll also love these meat friendly recipes

• How to make homemade coconut milk for the coconut rice side dish. Just prepare your rice using the coconut milk instead of water!

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📋 Recipe