The flank steak is my favorite lean cut of beef. If you are careful to not overcook it, it will be really quite tender with a great texture that closely resembles the texture of cuts containing much more fat. Flank steak is best cooked medium rare on a hot grill or grill pan. This will allow for good searing to give you a flavorful crust, but will not cook it beyond the point at which it will loose tenderness.
Flank steak is delicious however you want to use it. It can be served over a big green salad, in tacos smothered with guacamole, alongside a baked potato or today, I am serving it covered with my spicy chimichurri sauce and it is perfection.
Let’s get it started…
When you are choosing a flank steak, you want to pick one out that has fat evenly distributed across the surface. If all of the fat is in one place, the texture and flavor will be uneven throughout the steak. You also want one that is fairly uniform in thickness, so it is cooked to the same temperature throughout the steak and you don’t have tough well done ends and an under cooked center.
Once you have your steak picked out, the first and quite possibly most important step is to allow the steak to come to room temperature before cooking it. This may not seem that important, but it truly is. If you place a cold steak directly onto a hot pan, the outside will burn before the interior has a chance to reach the temperature you want, so let your steak sit out for 30-40 minutes before you plan to cook it.
While the steak is coming to room temperature, let’s make the chimichurri. Place 1 cup of fresh parsley leaves and 1/2 cup of fresh dill into your food processor. Add 4 finely diced cloves of garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, a pinch of celery salt and 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar. Pulse until the herbs are finely chopped. Transfer the mixture into a mixing bowl and add 1/3 cup of a good extra virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice and mix to combine.
Cover the chimichurri and chill it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.
Once your steak is ready to cook, season both sides with combination of 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon of onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon of cumin, 1/4 teaspoon of chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon of paprika and 1/8 teaspoon of chipotle seasoning.
Preheat a grill pan over medium high heat until it is too hot to hold your hand 3 inches from the surface for longer than 5 seconds. Place the seasoned flank steak onto the preheated grill.
Allow the steak to cook undisturbed for 5 minutes. Check that the steak has achieved a good crust and deep grill marks on the underside before flipping it over.
Cook it for 4 minutes on this side and then test the internal temperature to see how much longer the steal. needs to remain on the grill. Medium rare will be between 130-135 degrees and this is what I would recommend for this cut of beef. Once this temperature is reached, transfer the steak onto a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
Just like bringing the steak to room temperature prior to grilling, allow it to rest afterwards is also very important. As the steak rests, the juices will redistribute back into the meat leaving you with a much juicier steak. If you cut the steak too early, all of the juices will be left on your cutting board and thats never a good thing!
Once the steak has rested, cut it into thin slices and top with as much chimichurri sauce as you want!
The bright, herby flavors in the chimichurri compliment the hearty, juicy flank steak just beautifully. It is truly a match made in heaven.
I like to garnish this plate with a light sprinkle of sea salt and a squeeze of lime, but this is totally optional as the flavors are perfect as they are.
Once you taste this delicious combination, you may just be motivated to try it inside of a tortilla, over some rice or some mixed greens. It is bright and fresh and very satisfying. Everything a good steak dinner should be…
¡Provecho!
Flank Steak with Chimichurri
Ingredients
The Steak
- 1 pound flank steak
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon chipotle seasoning
The Chimichurri Sauce
- 1 cup fresh parsley leaves, cleaned and dried
- 1/2 cup fresh dill, cleaned and dried
- 4 cloves of garlic, finely diced
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or less for a more mild sauce)
- a pinch of celery salt
- 1/4 cup red win vinegar
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Gather 1 cup of fresh parsley leaves and 1/2 cup of fresh fill and place them into your food processor
- Add the 4 cloves of finely diced garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, a pinch of celery salt and 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
- Pulse until the herbs are finely chopped
- Transfer the mixture into a mixing bowl
- Add 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice and mix to combine
- Cover the bowl tightly and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour
- To prepare the steak, allow the steak to come to room temperature for 30-40 minutes
- Season the steak with 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon of onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon of cumin, 1/4 teaspoon of chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon of paprika and 1/8 teaspoon of chipotle seasoning
- Place a grill pan over medium high heat and allow the pan to preheat until you cannot hold your hand 3 inches from the surface of the pan for few seconds without needing to pull away
- Grill the steak to your desired doneness (medium rare or 130-135 degrees internal temperature is suggested)
- Allow the steak to rest for 5 minutes before cutting
- Slice the steak thin and top with chimichurri sauce
