Grab a trusty flank steak let’s get to work. Or actually, let this easy Asian flank steak marinade recipe do the work. The end result is a wonderful fresh flavor. Citrus inspired, the orange and ginger shine to brighten and deeply flavor this beefy cut of meat. With only a 4 hour marinade time, once that grill is hot, this is an oh-so easy steak dinner recipe.
Flank Steak Marinade
You may be asking, should I marinate flank steak? I cook with flank steak a lot. I have grilled flank steak with and without a marinade. Either way can give you flavorful tender piece of steak. With just a couple of tricks, if you cook it right and if you slice it right
The great thing about flank steak is its ability to soak up any flavor profile you throw its way. The muscle grain in a flank steak runs in a single direction which makes it ideal for marinating and grilling.
A simple steak seasoning mix like Montreal Steak Seasoning is a beautiful way to flavor a flank steak before grilling.
Another example, my Grilled Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce isn’t marinated at all. But then my recipe for Tangy Grilled Flank Steak, a recipe I hold near and dear to my heart uses a 24 hour marinade that will produce an incredibly flavored steak dinner.
Simply stated, a marinade is used to help flavor and tenderize meat. Flank steak will most certainly benefit from a marinade especially if you prefer your steak cooked well done.
So what makes a good flank steak marinade recipe? Start with olive oil and garlic, add an acidic liquid and fresh herb of your choice. You can add a sugar product to flavor and tenderize.
So with or without a marinade, flank steak is a great choice for casual dinner.
Grilled Flank Steak
I absolutely love cooking with flank steak. Why? It’s quick to cook and loaded with beefy flavor. And did I mention, a lean cut of beef?
This long, flat steak comes from the belly-side of the steer. Lean and muscular. This means lots of flavor without much fat.
Usually a thin cut, it doesn’t take long at all to cook. So, the best way to cook flank steak? I prefer to grill it. Either in a stove-top grill pan or an outdoor grill. How do you grill flank steak? So easy,
Grilled flank steak may be just be the easiest steak dinner ever.
- Get those grill grates nice and hot. For optimal flavor and texture, I like to heat the grill to 450 or 500 degrees. Once those grill grates are sizzling hot, reduce heat to 350 degrees.
- Then add the seasoned or marinated flank steak. If grilling a marinated flank steak, remove the steak from the marinade and discard marinade.
- Flank steak grill time: Simply sear it over high heat about 6-8 minutes per side or until an instant-read thermometer registers 135 degrees.
- Remove the steak to a plate and then tent the steak with foil for 5 minutes. Done!
- Follow the same instructions for grilling indoors using a stove-top grill pan.
Looking to cook flank steak in the oven? Grab your broiler pan, or a sheet pan with a wire rack and fire up that oven broiler. Coat the bottom of the pan with foil for easy clean-up. Again, 6-8 minutes per side, or until a meat thermometer reaches 325 degrees. Let rest for 5 minutes under foil and slice thinly against the grain.
How to cut flank steak
The most important thing to know is how to cut flank steak. Using a quality sharp knife, slice it against the grain! The thinner the better.
It creates shorter strands of tender meat instead of longer and chewy pieces. If you don’t cut flank steak correctly it can be almost impossible to eat.
Flank steak is routinely used for tacos and burritos. Thin sliced meat, sliced correctly, makes flank steak easier to eat when you’re relying on your teeth rather than a knife and fork.
Ingredients for this Asian Flank Steak Marinade
- Maple Syrup: Please use pure maple syrup as opposed to the less expensive artificially flavored which contains high-fructose corn syrup and dyes. That’s why it’s thicker and stickier. Pure maple syrup only cost a few dollars more and it comes from real maple trees.
- Molasses: Molasses is a dark sweet thick syrup made from the extraction of sugars from sugar kane and sugar beets. Molasses has a warm sweet and smoky flavor. It gives this marinade a deeper rich flavor.
- Brown Sugar: Since we’re using molasses in this flank steak marinade, use light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar is stronger in flavor and will resemble the flavor of the molasses. Does sugar tenderize meat? Yes, sugar is a natural tenderizer and it helps the meat achieve maillard reaction. That toasty browned flavor that we love so much.
- Orange Juice and Zest: Adding an acid to any marinade, such as lime juice, orange juice or even vinegar, helps to tenderize the meat so flavor will penetrate the tissue easier. It also gives flavor profile and balance to any recipe.
- Garlic: Practice your knife skills! If you use a garlic press, you’ll be pressing more oil out of the garlic which will cause a stronger flavor. For a more sweet pure garlic flavor, fine dice the garlic.
- Fresh Ginger: Please use fresh ginger for this recipe as opposed to ginger powder from the spice shop. The flavor of fresh ginger will produce of more pure bright ginger experience. Use a microplane to zest and grate. I keep a large knob of ginger in the freezer. Just pull it out and zest. No need to even peel and remove the skin.
- Olive Oil: Olive oil is used routinely in marinades because of its ability to draw out the flavors in other marinade ingredients. Ginger and garlic is a good example in this flank steak marinade.
Orange Ginger Flank Steak Marinade Recipe
I hope you give this flank steak marinade recipe a try, and if you do, please come back and give the recipe a star rating and leave a comment about your experience with the recipe.
And if you have a favorite marinade for flank steak, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.
What to serve with this Asian inspired flank steak recipe? How about some quick pickled cucumbers. You’ll find the recipe for this Asian cucumber salad in the notes section in the recipe card below.
More Grilled Flank Steak Recipes
- Grilled Flank Steak with Charred Caramelized Sweet Corn A perfect light Summer meal. Caramelized and charred sweet corn seasoned with jalapeno peppers, rings of shallots and lime juice is a great topping for flank steak.
- Pan Grilled Flank Steak with Onion Marmalade Sweet sticky and savory caramelized onions make a great topping for grilled flank steak.
- San Juan Grilled Flank Steak Flank steak is marinated overnight in a tangy spicy savory mix for flavor that comes alive on your grill.
- Smoky Pasilla and Citrus Grilled Flank Steak A recipe I found over and Food and Wine Magazine and one I want to try soon. Smoky fruity pasilla de Oaxaca chiles impart a deep flavor to grilled flank steak.
- Grilled Flank Steak Fajitas, Simply the best steak fajitas. It’s all about the marinade. A recipe from the most popular Mexican restaurant in Denver.
And if you’re looking for more beef recipes, don’t miss my beef category. You’ll find lots of great beef dinner ideas, including the most popular post on my site for a lineup of Grilled Hamburger Recipes.
Orange Ginger Flank Steak Marinade, Grilled Flank Steak
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/8 cup molasses
- 1/8 cup brown sugar
- 2 cloves garlic smashed and rough chopped
- 1 orange zested and juiced
- 1 tablespoon ginger grated
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of crushed chili flakes
- 1 pound flank steak
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients and place in a gallon sized Zip Lock bag. Let marinade for at least 4 hours. Remove steak from bag and broil about 7 minutes per side. Remove steak from oven and tent with foil for 10 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
Orange Ginger Flank Steak Marinade …It’s What’s for Dinner.
