Flank steak

The flank steak is a part of the belly flaps of the beef. After French division it is called Bavette de Flanchet.

The flank steak has only emerged as a delicacy in the last few years, but it has a somewhat less good reputation. This is mainly due to the fact that it tends to become tough if prepared incorrectly.

A few things to consider

You should take the meat out of the refrigerator in time so that the steak can reach room temperature. I usually put a steak out of the fridge for 2-3 hours before I put it on the grill. Then you should parry the meat. There is often some fat and a thin silver skin on the steak, which should be cut away.

To marinate or not to marinate, that is the question

Basically, the steak is very good for marinating because of its coarse structure with long fibers. The meat is very susceptible to marinades of all kinds.

Medium-rare

Flank steak should generally be grilled medium or medium-rare, then it becomes particularly tender. I took it off the grill at a core temperature of 56 degrees C and let it rest for another 3-4 minutes.

Cut across the fiber

The flank steak has very long fibers. It should therefore be cut into thin slices across the grain and served. If you do not do this, it could become a relatively chewy pleasure. But if you have done everything right so far and have a good meat quality, you should get particularly tender and juicy steak slices.

Use it in steak sandwiches or in fajitas

I like the thin flank steak pieces in a steak sandwich or in a fajita. Of course you can also enjoy the flank steak like a normal steak, but then it is quite a chunk with its size.

Ingredients

1 flank steak (around 800 g)

Salt and pepper

Preparation

The classic method of preparing a flank steak is to use only salt and pepper.

First remove fat and silver skin from the flank steak, brush it with a little oil and salt on both sides. Do not apply pepper before grilling, because it burns on the grill.

On high heat, grill the flank steak on both sides for 2-3 minutes and then cook to the desired core temperature. Recommended here are 52-54 degrees, so that the steak is medium-rare. The duration depends on the temperature.

When the steak has reached the desired cooking point, let it rest for 3-4 minutes before cutting it across the grain. If you like, you can now add salt and pepper again.