Having trouble finding Flank Steak....

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suziquzie

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You'd think the cheaper cuts would be easier to find with the economy the way it is.....
Anyway... I have 1 more store to check but nobody seems to have them. Can I use another cut, similar?
There are a few Guy Fieri recipes I want to try with it.... mostly braised I believe.
 
You can use flap, flat iron, or hanging tender. But those cuts are just as hard to find as flank. If you can't find those, I have used skirt steak.
 
Flank steak is no longer a cheaper cut. it has gotten quite expensive. I agree with Adillo that skirt is a great substitute and like him, i like it better than flank. i agree with Some Like It Hot too, but around here you almost never see flap, flat iron, or hanging tender.
 
Thats funny, because I LOVE skirt steak but can never find that anymore! Now all I can find is flat iron or flank! Maybe we should trade states...or at least ship it to each other! I figured certain cuts of meat are harder to find in the stores when they become more popular and in demand for restaurants...?
 
It use to be one of the cheapest back in the day, thats why my father always bought it to make tacos at home!! Unfortunately when cheapy meats become popular the prices get hiked up...remember when chicken thighs were very cheap, these days I often see them near the same price as breast meat!:glare:
 
... I have 1 more store to check but nobody seems to have them...


Suze, do you ask the meat manager to get you some? The are usually very accommodating. Also, stores often have stuff in stock that's not out in the display case. So it pays to ask.
 
I was going to say that Flank steak isn't so cheap anymore. Do you have a Sam's or Costco membership? They always have some.
 
BTW, I cook flank steak in a couple of different ways. Sometimes I stuff, roll and roast it. Other times I marinate and grill it.
 
Suze, do you ask the meat manager to get you some? The are usually very accommodating. Also, stores often have stuff in stock that's not out in the display case. So it pays to ask.

I did that last weekend. The store only had a tiny skirt steak on the shelf but more in the back. Also, if you use a skirt steak, it reduces in size quite a bit while it's cooking. It also has a pretty large window of doneness, so you don't have to be standing guard every minute.
 
I'm agreeing with all of the above. First it was flank steak. It's what we used for London Broil, or rolled stuffed steak. Then came skirt steak, commonly used for fajitas. Although slightly different, they are both from the same area of beef. As they became popular the prices rose.

I'd go back, look at the recipe, then check with a butcher. A reputable one should be able to suggest the most inexpensive alternate cut.
 
Yes a skirt steak is smaller. I have a reasonable size hispanic population around me and all the grocery stores stock it. Then, that is just me.

It does have a large window of doneness and is more tender and more tasty.
 
In my neck of the woods, Flank steak is often stamped/marked & sold under the name London Broil -- even though London Broil is a cooking method. Flank is one of least expensive, as it is a tough piece of meat. If you cannot find flank/london broil, round steak should work.
 
I have never seen it labeled as diaphragm (doesn't mean that it is not), but that is exactly what it is. The skirt steak is the diaphragm muscle of the cow.
 
I'm not sure where your neck of the woods is, Amy, but I have never seen flank steak in my usual stores, but lots of London Broil.
You are saying they are the same exact cut? Are you in the US?
 
London Broil is not a cut. It is a dish. You can use many different cuts to cook London Broil.
 
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