I wasn’t sure what to call this recipe, because the scribbled notes in my own recipe book say, “Uncle Joe’s Flank Steak.” Several years ago, I got this recipe from (surprise) my Uncle Joe, after eating it at a barbecue at their house and falling in love with it. However I hate it when recipe titles don’t actually describe the flavors in the food. Like “Oodle doodle bars” or “yummy to my tummy chicken” etc. Why not just say, “Chocolate nut bars with caramel” or “lemon garlic chicken”, ya know? So on that note, I’m going to call this sweet and savory flank steak. I know that doesn’t name the exact flavors in the marinade, but it isn’t one flavor that really stands out, it’s somehow the magical combination of them all together. So sweet and savory tells you it has that awesome sweet/salty combo that is so great on this cut of meat. This is one of our family favorites. Enjoy, and thanks to Uncle Joe!
Ingredient Notes
- Flank Steak – Flank steak is a long, flat cut of meat, so it is sold with the ends tucked under in a sort of roll. Some stores sell it vacuum sealed on the top shelf. Ask someone in the meat department if you have trouble finding it!
- Marinade
- Brown Sugar
- Olive Oil (or other neutral flavored cooking oil)
- Soy Sauce
- Pineapple Juice (from frozen concentrate or canned is fine)
- Freshly Grated Ginger
- Fresh Garlic
How to Make Sweet and Savory Flank Steak
- To make the marinade, you will need brown sugar, some cooking oil (olive oil or a neutral-flavored oil like peanut), soy sauce, pineapple juice, grated ginger, and some garlic. Place pineapple juice in a spouted liquid measuring cup or mixing bowl. Add brown sugar, soy sauce, and oil. make sure your garlic and ginger are finely minced/grated And add those to the mixture. Whisk. Reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade.
- Place the flank steak (I like to score the meat or poke all over with a fork first) in a gallon Ziploc bag and pour the marinade over the steak.
- Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Take out of fridge 30 minutes before grilling. Place steak on grill and cook for 5-10 minutes per side, depending on the size. Use the 1/4 cup marinade you set aside to brush over steak in the last few minutes of grilling. (That’s a little trick I use for pretty much any meat that has a marinade just to splash it with an extra punch of flavor at the end). Flank steak should still be pink in the middle when done. For Medium rare, aim for a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat to read 130–135°F. For Medium, aim for 135–145°F. Remember that the temperature will continue to rise up to about 5 degrees after the meat is removed from the grill and is resting.
- Remove from grill and let stand for 5 minutes before cutting so the juices can redistribute. Thinly slice steak against the grain and serve.
Broiler Instructions
You can also cook flank steak is under the broiler (please don’t anyone just pop it in a frying pan. Not good.) Place on a broiler pan on the upper rack and broil for about 5-10 minutes per side depending on the size. Because this particular marinade has sugar in it, you’ll want to watch carefully so it doesn’t burn. If you see the sugar burning too much, then you might want to move your rack down.
Storing and Other Tips
- This flank steak is delicious eaten right away, but it makes great leftovers as well! Store leftover meat in the refrigerator in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in foil and eat within 3 days for best flavor. I love it cold on salads or chopped into bite sized pieces on a sandwich with toasted sourdough.
- Don’t skip the resting period after your flank steak is pulled off the grill! This rest is important for juices to redistribute through the meat. If you cut right in after cooking, you’ll see all of those beautiful, flavorful juices run right out of your meat onto your cutting board!
Frequently Asked Questions
This flank steak benefits from a nice long soak in the flavorful marinade so it’s perfect for planning ahead. You can leave the meat marinating for up to 24 hours. Just remember to pull it out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.
If you’re feeding a crowd or simply got the Costco 2-pack and want to cook both flank steaks, you will need to double the marinade recipe. As written, the marinade can cover up to 2 pounds of flank steak. It’s better to have too much marinade than not enough so when in doubt, make more!
Other flank steak recipes you may enjoy:
Sweet and Savory Flank Steak
Equipment
- 1 broiler pan optional, also great on the grill
Ingredients
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup olive oil or neutral-flavored cooking oil like peanut oil
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 4-5 garlic cloves finely minced
- up to 2 pounds flank steak
Instructions
- Whisk together all ingredients except steak until combined. Remove ¼ cup and set aside.
- Score flank steak with a knife diagonally on both sides. This just means to run a sharp knife through it in the pattern below. You don't want to actually cut through the steak, just about ⅛" deep. This will help tenderize the meat.
- Place steak in large zip-top bag and pour marinade (excluding the ¼ cup you set aside) over it. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Take out of fridge 30 minutes before grilling.
- Preheat grill to medium heat. When hot, place steak on grill and cook for 5-10 minutes per side, depending on the size. Use the ¼ cup marinade you set aside to brush over steak in the last few minutes of grilling. Flank steak should still be pink in the middle when done.
- Remove from grill and let stand for 5 minutes before cutting so the juices can redistribute. Thinly slice against the grain and serve immediately.
Notes
- Broiler Instructions: The other way to cook a flank steak is under the broiler (please don’t anyone just pop it in a frying pan. Not good.) Place on a broiler pan on the upper rack and broil for about 5-10 minutes per side depending on the size. Because this particular marinade has sugar in it, you’ll want to watch carefully so it doesn’t burn. If you see the sugar burning too much, then you might want to move your rack down.
- This flank steak is delicious eaten right away, but it makes great leftovers as well! Store leftover meat in the refrigerator in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in foil and eat within 3 days for best flavor. I love it cold on salads or chopped into bite sized pieces on a sandwich with toasted sourdough.
- Don’t skip the resting period after your flank steak is pulled off the grill! This rest is important for juices to redistribute through the meat. If you cut right in after cooking, you’ll see all of those beautiful, flavorful juices run right out of your meat onto your cutting board!
Questions & Reviews
Hey, question. We have a Weber grill that has three burners. They recommend that you turn off the middle burner and cook with "indirect" heat which is supposed to be kind of like how the heat in an oven circulates. For instance with pork loin or chicken breasts I turn the burners to Medium–Low–Medium or Medium–Off–Medium. Would the cooking time be the same with this cooking method? What temperature of heat do you grill at? Thanks!
I love using flank steak for stir fry beef & broccoli. Nice and tender.
We have a BarBQ party coming up at our house. I was going to do another recipe, but I'll try this first and see which one wins with the husband.
This steak is phenomenal! I made it previously and while marinating the flank I decided to thrown in a london broil that I had as well and it too was amazing. I'm going to make it tomorrow for some friends along with the lime-cilantro rice. I also wanted to let you ladies know I love every recipe I try from your site…YUM!
We ate this tonight and everyone was WILD for it, the kids were eating like wolves. Everyone said this was the best dinner I have ever made…and I am a good cook! Thank you.
Made this over the weekend. Very good! 😀
tollestrupfamily- here’s the link:
https://fit-over50.news/2008/06/lime-cilantro-rice-with-pineapple%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
What is the side dish you usually cook with the steak?
I just made this tonight. It was awesome. My son said, “This is the best steak I have ever had!” My oldest daughter wanted me to pack the leftovers in her lunch tomorrow, but my son insisted that we keep the leftovers at home to eat for lunch. Needless to say, it was a big hit. The cilantro lime rice was a great side dish, as well. Yum! Tomorrow we are trying the chicken zuchinni pasta. Yum!
I’ve never cooked flank steak but you make me want to try. It looks really good! I guess I really am cooking challenged because I don’t own a grill or a broiler pan. I now have two things on my must purchase list for after we move.
Ha ha – I just noticed your kid smelling the meat – Yummy!