How to Cook Flank Steak in Cast Iron

How Long to Cook Flank Steak on Stove

The cooking time for flank steak can vary depending on the thickness of the cut, the desired level of doneness, and the cooking method chosen too. but typically it is 15 minutes or so or until it reaches 130F.

1. Grilling over medium high heat takes about 4-6 minutes per side for medium rare. Adjust the time according to your preferred level of doneness. Keep in mind that this beef cut is best when cooked to medium-rare or medium to avoid it becoming tough and chewy.
2. Broiling on a broiler pan takes about the same amount of time, 4-6 minutes per side depending on size.
3. Pan-Searing means you would do as we did here to heat a skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat. Add a small amount of oil and sear for 3-4 minutes per side to brown and lock in the juices. If you wanted it quite rare you could stop here. We finished it off for 5 – 10 minutes in the oven to get to medium.

What is the best way to cook flank steak?

We think a cast iron skillet is key for stove and/or the oven. You will ideally want it already seasoned to continue to add to the overall flavor and depth. Allow it to heat up first with a bit of oil inside before adding your protein. All you want is to sear it all over the outside which doesn’t take long, about 4 minutes each side until insides reach 130F. Then resting, covered, for 10 minutes is ideal.

How Long to Cook Flank Steak in the Oven

We recommend you do both steps, sear on both sides for a few minutes before baking in the oven for about 5-15 minutes longer depending on how well done you want it to be. Less is more when it comes to this cut. Too long will make it chewy so aim for an internal temperature of 130 degrees F. and slice against the grain for the ideal texture too.

Flank Steak Marinade Recipe

• 2 lb flank steak fresh or defrosted, could use London Broil
• 1/2 c olive oil
• Soy sauce
• 1/4 c red wine vinegar
• Brown sugar
• Minced garlic
• 1 tsp pepper

There are many choices when it comes to this, or you could skip it. We have a simple combination you can make below. If you have one you swear by then by all means go that direction. OR you can use what you see above that we use as the best fajita marinade but works for larger cuts as well. What we used this go around was;

Using the stove is a great way to cook beef. Just like how to cook round steak on the stove you can get a nice sear on the outside, and with cast iron can put it into the oven later. With the sauce you marinate it in for a few hours you will discard the excess but some will leach off and into the pan while it cooks as you can see here.

Want to add onions and bell peppers into the mix?? Great idea y’all. I would first cook the meat and in the time it is resting you can then throw in the rest. Use all the juices and gently scrape the stuck on bits off the bottom to coat them. You literally won’t need any seasonings if you do this. There will be plenty of sauce left in there to use.

There are tons of different sauces you can use too. Make it a bit spicy if you are using this cut to make Slow Cooker Pepper Steak, or stay mild with an Asian twist.

How to Make Flank Steak Fajitas

• You can either use our steak dry rub or marinate skirt steak / flank steak with ingredients below.
• Whisk together the olive oil, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, and black pepper in a 9×13″ casserole dish.
• Place meat into the dish flat, turning once.
• Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least two hours to overnight.
• When ready to cook, place a 10 to 12 inch cast-iron skillet over medium high heat until hot.
• Carefully add marinated flank steak and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side for a medium rare doneness.
• To cook steak to medium or medium well, preheat your oven to 350°.
• Add pan with steak inside and cook until instant read thermometer reaches the desired temperature to maintain juiciness. What temperature to cook depends on personal preference but this cut is ideal at 130 F.
• While it is baking, saute onions and peppers on the stove with butter slowly until softened to your liking and serve together with meat sliced against the grain.

Bake time will be approximately 5 to 15 minutes longer. Remove once temp is what you want, then remove the steak. Allow to rest for 10 minutes prior to slicing thinly on a cutting board against the grain to cut thru connective tissues so it’s tender.

Best way to Cook Flank Steak Indoors

One other way we have cooked this type of meat is using an enclosed countertop appliance. Since I do like some browning the pressure cooker isn’t ideal. Rather use our air fryer flank steak directions if you don’t have a large cast iron pan, or want to try both.

Are flank steak and skirt steak the same?

Not exactly, they are cut from different parts of the cow however they both have a lot of connective tissue and shouldn’t be cooked long. You can use recipes for either really for cooking instructions. We use How to Cook Skirt Steak in Oven to make this baked as well.

What to Make with Leftovers

I will sometimes chop up what’s left and make carne asada tacos out of the meat that is left over. Further breaks down those muscle fibers, you can toss it with salsa to add to those flavors or use salsa verde. Another favorite is to slice flank steak and go Asian with it to make our air fryer mongolian beef over rice.

Cast Iron Skirt Steak

You are going to want to cut the pieces to fit when layed flat. You don’t need to cook long since it’s quite thin. Heat your skillet to medium high heat, sear first side for about 2 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook the other side for another 2 to 4 minutes. Timing will depend on how thick your pieces are of course. We have a lot of other steak recipes you can enjoy too

What temperature to cook steak you ask? Well for medium rare steak doneness, cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 130 degrees F. Refer to our chart above for other temps.