Flat Iron Steak is an extremely flavorful, amazing cut of meat. It is the most juicy and tender steak when cooked to perfection! This delicious flat iron steak recipe is soaked in an Asian steak marinade, seasoned with a little salt and pepper, and is grilled 4 minutes per side for medium rare on a hot preheated grill.
WHY IS FLAT IRON STEAK SO FLAVORFUL AND TENDER?
Flat Iron steaks are the second most tender cut of beef next to the tenderloin. Also known as top blade steak, this cut of meat is evenly richly marbled and comes from the beef chuck shoulder clod with the connective tissue removed.
The flat iron is one of the juiciest and flavorful steaks you can quickly cook or grill with just salt and pepper. Its natural beef flavor makes it one of the most popular and affordable steaks you can buy with all the quality of expensive steaks often found on restaurant menus. For the record, I think it tastes better than its more expensive counterparts like New York strip and comparable to filet mignon.
To experience the great beefy flavor of a flat iron steak, all the steak needs is to be rubbed with a little olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. The steaks should be cooked medium-rare and no further done than medium. Otherwise, the steak will become less tender and tougher.
THE BEST WAY TO COOK FLAT IRON STEAK
One of the best qualities of the flat iron is its thickness. As its name suggests, the steak is flat and not too thick – slightly thicker than 1-inch. This makes the flat iron steak ideal for home cooks who want to cook a fast weeknight meal. Whether by itself or cut into thin strips for salads and tacos, this steak will not disappoint you and will become your new favorite cut.
The two best ways to cook the flat iron steak is by either grilled in a hot preheated grill or by pan-seared in a hot cast-iron pan. Allowing the steaks to come to room-temperature by setting it on the counter for 30 minutes before cooking will ensure the steaks are not raw in the middle. Whether grilled or pan-seared, both methods will require cooking the steak about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare, and 5-6 minutes for medium. Grilled flat iron steaks is my preferred method of cooking.
ASIAN-INSPIRED FLAT IRON STEAK MARINADE
This flat-iron Asian steak marinade recipe is so good and slightly adapted from The Pioneer Woman. The recipe is from Ree Drummond’s Black Heels to Tractor Wheels book where she prepares her husband, the Marlboro Man, a flank steak dinner in their dating days. I love the headnote, “Finished product should not look like leather.” – Amen to that, sister! In this version I decided to use flat iron steak because it’s a little bit more juicy and tender than its flank steak cousin.
For this steak marinade you will need these ingredients:
- Soy Sauce
- Sherry
- Honey
- Sesame Oil
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Red Pepper Flakes
To Cook the Flat Iron Steaks:
You can use this steak marinade for different cuts of meat. The Pioneer Woman uses it on flank steak, but I really enjoyed it as a flat iron marinade. And to make the grilled steak dinner complete, I also use a little bit of roasted sesame seeds and green onions as a garnish, but you can easily omit them.
To make the marinade, whisk all the ingredients in a small bowl and then transfer to a ziplock plastic bag. Add the steaks to the marinade allow it to marinate for 3-6 hours before grilling. You can also prepare the steak marinade the night before so it will be ready the next day.
FLAT IRON STEAK RECIPE
- ½ cup Soy Sauce
- ½ cup Sherry
- ¼ cup Honey
- 2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
- 2 Tablespoons (heaping) Minced Ginger
- 2 Tablespoons (3-5 cloves) Minced Garlic
- teaspoons Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 2 Flat Iron Steaks
- Garnish: 2 Tablespoons Roasted Sesame Seeds and 2 Green Onions, slivered.
- Gather all ingredients together – soy sauce, sherry, honey, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and flat iron steak.
- Whisk the ingredients in a bowl. Place the steaks and marinade in a ziplock bag and chill in the refrigerator for 3-6 hours.Grill steaks on high heat for 4 minutes on each side for medium rare steaks. Allow steaks to rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Sprinkle roasted sesame seeds and green onion slivers on top to garnish.
The Book: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels
As many of you know, I am a contributor to Ree’s Tasty Kitchen site. So listening to her story through the filter of our friendship and having spent a little time getting to know Marlboro Man made me love her and their story all the more. It’s so easy to look at her life through the lens of her blog and come to the conclusion her life is perfect. After all, she’s a celebrity blogger, New York Times Best-Selling Author, and is married to a very handsome cowboy. She beat Bobby Flay in a Throwdown. But when you read her love story, you realize how human (brokenness and all) she is.
Update: When I originally wrote this blog post in 2011, I included a book review along with the recipe for this Asian-Inspired flat iron steak while drinking a glass of red wine. I decided to remove my review of the book from this post and give it its own page which can be found here.
Hi Ashley, why not serve it with rice?
This looks delicious!
I want to make this but I’m a little befuddled as to what to serve with it.. i have a very close minded eater (a grown man, non the less) to keep in mind so nothing to out there. I thought broccoli would be a yummy veg, but I’m at loss for a starch.
will be trying this tonight. I’ll let you know how it goes.
This is so good, I’m making it again for the second time in three weeks. Thanks for the fantastic recipe!
So glad you liked it.
I also added a little bit of sriracha and it was the perfect amount of spice.
Made this tonight and loved it. Thanks!
You know it’s so funny because as I clicked to open your post, I was thinking, I WISH I still had time to read 🙂 I LOVE that you got the audio book ~ I used to do that for my long commutes and just might have to do that again!
Beautiful pics and presentation on the steak recipe! I NEED to try it…in my spare time of course 😉
Danica
MMM looks so yum! i have a piece of steak waiting in my fridge ready to be the third wheel on my date with myself! thanks so much for all your recipes Alice!
W
Hi Mchael:
I love many cuts of beef. I’m usually motivated by what’s on sale at the store. Rib-eye is always tender but a little expensive. Top sirloin is an excellent choice with a fair price point. I often buy London Broil because it’s always inexpensive and if prepared correctly, very juicy but doesn’t soak up marinade very well. So I usually do a salt and pepper rub for that cut, cutting it very thinly. I love flank steak and flat iron steak. Very similar in look, but slightly different in texture. Flank is a bit more chewy but absorbs a good marinade very well. Hope this helps!
Looks wonderful… what cut of beef do you recommend for the steaks?
This looks delicious! How many cups of soy sauce and sherry are needed? Thanks!
I still need to get a copy of the book when I go back stateside. As for the recipe, I can see the steak will go well on top of salad. Yum!
What a wonderful post, Alice. Ree’s book is on my list to buy, but now I am considering buying the audio version. She is such a wonderful storyteller and I would love to hear this in her own voice. Beautiful photos in the post!
I have that book waiting on my nightstand too! Pioneer woman has been an insipation in so many ways, not the least of which is starting my own blog.
Can’t wait to try the steak recipe!!!
I am going out today and buying this book. I absolutely love The Pioneer Woman and her amusing stories. Can’t wait to read it!
This flat iron steak sounds divine. I sometimes use London Broil cut for a marinate/grill but I think I’ll be trying the flat iron steak and Asian-ish marinade. Sounds delicious, especially to me, a ginger-addict.
Right there with you on the book – I haven’t so thoroughly enjoyed a love story in a long time! I can imagine the audio book was a real winner.
Thanks for the recipe – I’ve loaned out my copy of the book and I’ve been dying for some of her red meat! Looks yummy!
O-M-Goodness!!! Beautifully prepared, photoed, and written. ‘Can’t wait to try your version of the recipe or read the book!
Alice as always a great recipe. Your pictures say it all!
I have this book and it is a great read! I didn’t want it to end. 🙂
I loved also loved the book. I can relate to so many things Ree has experienced as a newcomer to ranching. I too married a cowboy and there’s so much to learn. You are so right love does conquer all and none of us are exempt from the crazy and difficult things life hands you. Your steak looks so delicious!
Your date night with yourself sounds exactly like what I love to do. I have now found blogging but I other passion is downloading movies off of Netflix. My little papillon and I get right in bed with my laptop and watch all kinds of old movies as well as my beloved “Take Home Chef”!
I just made “flap steak” tonight. I’ll post about it next weekend. Looks like you made something quite similar. It was delicious!
I love the look of that steak almost as much as I love the review. Rather, the fact that I got to hear the review in person last night over a margarita. Or was it a whiskey at the oh so cool gallery party? Even typing that makes my head hurt all over again but cheers to all the friendship lenses the Internet has given us already.
Absolutely beautiful recipe Alice. You never fail to amaze me at your pictures, stories and experiences.