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    Home > Main Courses > Main Dishes Beef > Tangy Grilled Flank Steak with Horseradish Cream Sauce

    Tangy Grilled Flank Steak with Horseradish Cream Sauce

    Published: Jun 14, 2010 · Modified: Jul 23, 2022 by Lea Ann Brown · This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Best Flank Steak Marinade flank steak on a dark wooden board with horseradish cream

    Grilled Flank Steak with a marinade of apple juice, cider vinegar and rosemary makes this the best flank steak recipe we’ve found. And an incredibly easy grilled flank steak recipe for any weeknight dinner. With a tangy end flavor result, don’t forget the Horseradish Cream Sauce = killer. 

    Grilled flank steak on a cutting board with tangy horseradish sauce.

    Flank Steak 101

    About 15 years ago I jumped on the flank steak bandwagon and this was the first recipe I tried. At that time, flank steak was a “new to me” cut of meat. It turned me into an instant fan. It’s become one of my favorite cuts of meat to cook with.

    This long, flat steak comes from the belly-side of the steer, and is lean and muscular. This means lots of flavor without a lot of fat. That also means there’s some things to know about cooking it.

    Grilled flank steak recipes usually come with a marinade. Marinating helps break down some of the connective tissue and helps to tenderize the meat. It’s usually a thin piece of steak, and that means a short cook time.

    Usually about 6 – 8 minutes per side. And at a fairly high heat. I also braised flank steak, which is a great option, as it shreds like a charm.

    But the most important thing to know about flank steak, is how to cut it after it’s cooked. Across or against the grain! Always! That creates shorter strings of meat instead of long chewy ones. Must easier to eat.

    Flank Steak Marinade

    Flank steak is so versatile and it seems to soak up every delicious flavor morsel of any marinade or seasoning you toss its way. And scoring the meat in a diamond pattern on one side helps that marinade soak in and do it’s job even better. The diamond scoring pattern on the steak allows more surface area for the marinade.

    Place the flank steak and it’s marinade in a large heavy duty zip lock bag first thing in the morning and marinate all day. At dinner time, drain the marinade. pat dry and grill. Such an easy dinner.

    This recipe has such striking flavors. The marinade of cider vinegar, apple juice and rosemary brings a tangy treat to each bite.

    It’s remarkable how much flavor the steak takes on from this combination of flavors and the  all day marinade. And when that flavor meets the cool creamy flavor of the creamy horseradish sauce, it’s a wonderful sensation to the palate.

    To our taste, it’s the best flank steak marinade ever. And an amazing combination of flavors.

    Even when the snow flies, if you own a grill pan, a flank steak is easily seared for about 5 – 7 minutes per side and dinner ready in a flash. And even a cast iron skillet will yield a beautifully browned pan seared steak. But of course you forfeit those sought-after grill marks.

    Tips On How To Grill Flank Steak

    •  With a sharp knife, diamond score the meat to help the marinade penetrate and tenderize
    • Marinade 8 – 12 hours
    • Pre-heat that grill to 500 degrees. Then turn down to 350. Add flank steak and cook 6 – 8 minutes per side. You’ll get a good crispy sear and tender inside.
    • Use can also use a good heavy duty good quality grill on the stove top. Heat the pan on high until hot. Reduce heat to medium high, add some vegetable oil and coat the pan well. Add flank steak and cook 6-8 minutes per side.
    • When finished cooking, tent flank steak with foil and let rest about 7 minutes.
    • Slice steak against the grain for easier bite sized eating.
    • Flank steak can be braised resulting in a piece of steak that will shred beautifully.

    Tangy Grilled Flank Steak with Horseradish Cream Sauce Recipe

    Marinated grilled flank steak on a black wood cutting board with a bowl of horseradish cream sauce

    To bring out the flavor even further don’t serve this without  The Creamiest Horseradish Cream Sauce.

    Grilled Flank Steak with Horseradish Cream Sauce and best flank steak marinade

    I hope you give this one a try and if you do, please come back and let me know how you liked it and give the recipe a star rating. Your feedback is valuable to me for developing future recipes.

    More Flank Steak Recipes

    • San Juan Grilled Flank Steak
    • Grilled Flank Steak with Charred Caramelized Sweet Corn
    • Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
    • Pan Seared Flank Steak with Onion Marmalade

    And if you’re looking to beef up your dinner plans, don’t miss my Beef
    Category
    . You’ll find a ton of mouthwatering ideas. And you’ll find the most popular beef recipe on my site, Ina Garten’s Beef Sliders.

    Grilled flank steak on a cutting board with tangy horseradish sauce.

    Tangy Grilled Flank Steak with Horseradish Cream Sauce

    A marinade of apple juice, cider vinegar and rosemary makes this the best flank steak marinade we’ve found. And an incredibly easy grilled flank steak recipe. Tangy Flank Steak with Horseradish Cream Sauce = killer. 
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course Beef
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 25 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 186kcal
    Author: Lea Ann Brown

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound flank steak
    • 1/2 cup cider vinegar
    • 1/2 cup frozen apple juice concentrate thawed, undiluted
    • 1 Tablespoon rosemary fresh, or 1 teaspoon dried
    • 3 Tablespoons prepared horseradish
    • 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
    • Vegetable cooking spray
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Trim fat from steak. Score a diamond pattern on both sides of steak. Combine steak and next 5 ingredients (steak through Worcestershire sauce) in a large heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag. Seal bag, and marinate in refrigerator 8-12 hours, turning bag occasionally. Remove steak from bag; discard marinade.
    • Prepare grill or broiler. Place steak on grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray, and cook 7 minutes on each side or until steak is desired degree of doneness. Cut steak diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Serve steak with Horseradish Cream.
    • Serve this with The Creamiest Horseradish Cream Sauce

    Nutrition

    Calories: 186kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 151mg | Potassium: 501mg | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 15IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 2.2mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @lannisam or tag #CookingOnTheRanch!

    Just an idea for a side dish for grilled flank steak.

    A garden fresh Caprese salad is truly a magical and perfect combination of flavors, textures, and freshness: ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, basil, and with a simple drizzle of good quality olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. You can use balsamic for this salad, but I’d save that for the bread.

    You want to savor every fresh bite of those sweet Summer tomatoes.

    Caprese Salad. A summer salad of fresh mozzarella, fresh home grown tomatoes and english cucumber. Topped with fresh basil leaves.

    Grilled Flank Steak With Horseradish Cream …It’s Whats For Dinner.

    More Beef Recipes

    • Mexican Beef Machaca Recipe
    • Jacques Pepin’s Beef Stew In Red Wine
    • Braised Mexican Short Ribs
    • Beef Tagliata (Italian Steak)

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. B says

      September 28, 2018 at 3:32 pm

      5 stars
      Great meat recipe.
      I also made the horseradish cream sauce
      to use as a dressing on a salad with the flank steak,
      tomato from the garden, cucumber, green and red onion.
      Turned out great loved it.

      Reply
    2. Vickie says

      June 19, 2010 at 12:45 am

      This looks delicious – love red meat and horseradish! The risotto side looks delicious as well. I’ll have to look for that brand.

      A side story: I have this mysterious plant in my yard that comes back every year . . . found out a few days ago it’s horseradish from an old garden spot.

      Reply
    3. Steph says

      June 17, 2010 at 3:10 pm

      YUM! Looks fantastic!! We are on a skirt steak kick right now. I’ll have to pick up a flank steak and give this a try.

      Reply
    4. Cathy at Wives with Knives says

      June 16, 2010 at 3:02 pm

      I think flank steak is the best cut of beef for grilling and it absorbs the flavors of a marinade so well. Your recipe made with apple juice sounds delicious. I agree about Cathy’s salad dressing recipe…it’s great. This is one terrific dinner.

      Reply
    5. Barbara says

      June 15, 2010 at 6:11 pm

      This looks delish, Lea Ann. I remember years ago coming across a flank steak recipe, braised in some kind of tomato sauce. Back then, they didn’t realize how tender it could be if you cut it on the bias. They thought you had to stew it to death.
      Horseradish sauce is super with roast beef, so it would be perfect here!

      Reply
    6. Zia Liz says

      June 15, 2010 at 2:08 am

      The horseradish sauce reminds me of a dear friend, long departed. Gonna have to make this in her honor… thanks for a fun post!

      Reply
    7. Barbara Kiebel says

      June 15, 2010 at 3:52 am

      You know I love flank steak so this is a winner. Seriously can’t wait to try the ‘horsey’ sauce; why have I never thought to blend horseradish with sour cream! I’m with Chris…did I miss the invite? YUM!

      Reply
    8. Year on the Grill says

      June 15, 2010 at 1:12 am

      That lettuce wedge is very pretty… and yes, do 6 of those posts in 6 weeks and $100… I am a whore

      Reply
    9. Pam says

      June 14, 2010 at 6:46 pm

      I adore flank steak. It takes so well to all kinds of marinades, doesn’t it?

      Reply
    10. Dave says

      June 14, 2010 at 6:27 pm

      Oh that looks good! I love the flavor of flank steak and am a big horseradish fan (my folks still grow and bottle their own). I’ll have to give this recipe a try. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • leaannbrown says

        June 14, 2010 at 7:55 pm

        I used to have horseradish growing in my yard at a previous house. I made it a few times. Loved it.

        Reply
    11. Joanne says

      June 14, 2010 at 6:26 pm

      Can you believe I’ve never had flank steak?!?!? Crazy but true. It’s been looking really good to me lately…maybe I’m craving iron or something lol. That horseradish cream – awesome.

      Reply
      • leaannbrown says

        June 14, 2010 at 7:55 pm

        Parsnips…and now flank steak? 🙂

        Reply
    12. Chris says

      June 14, 2010 at 11:45 pm

      Absolutely gorgeous meal. Love the wedge, love the flank, love the horseradish cream, love Maytag blue cheese! An all around hit, howsacome you didn’t invite us to dinner this night? 😉

      Reply
    13. My Kitchen in the Rockies says

      June 14, 2010 at 3:21 pm

      Flank Steak is my personal favorite cut. We make it all the time. I like the ingredients in your marinade.
      I buy my flank steak from http://www.snowcreek-ranch.com. They sell their beef at our local farmers markets. You have to give them at try. It is the very best. They also sell out of their daughter’s house in Centennial on Thursdays. (Thought you would maybe be interested in this info since it is local)

      Reply
      • leaannbrown says

        June 14, 2010 at 8:00 pm

        I’ve tried their products and love them. Really should patronize them more. I like the Thursday out of the home thing. Thanks for the info.

        Reply
    14. buffalo dick says

      June 14, 2010 at 9:01 pm

      In this area, prime rib comes with a little cup of horseradish sauce! Would work well with flank steak! Marinating and cooking quickly is how flank is done here…Tough as undercooked beef brisket if not done quickly….

      Reply
    15. tasteofbeirut says

      June 14, 2010 at 6:54 pm

      I am totally with you on that one! I have never been disappointed by a flank steak and the marinade sounds so good with that apple sauce! A must try! I also like that risotto you are serving with it!

      Reply
      • leaannbrown says

        June 14, 2010 at 7:49 pm

        Thanks Joumana, as always thanks for the visit and the comment.

        Reply
    16. Larry says

      June 14, 2010 at 5:34 pm

      I’m stiing here reading this right before lunch time and I actually felt a real hunger pang from this. Grilled beef night is coming up in a couple of days and this will be tried. I have a bleu cheese recipe I like real well so I look forward to trying this one for comparison. Great meal, great pics, great post.

      Reply
      • leaannbrown says

        June 14, 2010 at 7:57 pm

        I’ll be anxious to hear how the dressing recipe compares. I’ve only tried two blue cheese recipes and really loved this one. If you like yours better, I want it. 🙂

        Reply

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    I'm Lea Ann, A Culinary School Grad bringing you Wild West Colorado inspired recipes. You'll find lots of Southwestern, and Mexican food recipes, and some favorites from Culinary School along with pro cooking tips. If you're an adventurous home cook looking to spice up your meal plans, you'll find plenty of inspiration and reliable, approachable, easy to follow recipes.

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