USDA Flat Iron Steak

[Yankee00]

Hello all. I grill flank steak all the time and my family is happy with that preparation. However, my wife picked up some flat iron steak and I have seen umpteen different ways to cook it on Youtube. Do any of y'all have a fool proof method? From what I have seen, cooking it like I do flank steak is a "no-no". Thank you in advance.

 

[caseydog]

Hello all. I grill flank steak all the time and my family is happy with that preparation. However, my wife picked up some flat iron steak and I have seen umpteen different ways to cook it on Youtube. Do any of y'all have a fool proof method? From what I have seen, cooking it like I do flank steak is a "no-no". Thank you in advance.

I buy it all the time. It is often called "poor man's tenderloin." It is very tender. I've cooked it several ways, but mostly...

A. Sous vide and seared. Season it and put some garlic in the sous vide bag. Flat Iron steak has a somewhat mild flavor on its own.

B. Pan Seared with an avocado oil/butter blend. Add garlic and thyme, and baste as you sear.

C. Season and grill over charcoal. Sear the meat, then move it to the other side of the grill to finish cooking.

No matter how you cook it, aim for medium rare, although it can handle medium for those who don't like too much pink.

Basically, cook it like you would any other good steak.

CD

 

[Yankee00]

I buy it all the time. It is often called "poor man's tenderloin." It is very tender. I've cooked it several ways, but mostly...

A. Sous vide and seared. Season it and put some garlic in the sous vide bag. Flat Iron steak has a somewhat mild flavor on its own.

B. Pan Seared with an avocado oil/butter blend. Add garlic and thyme, and baste as you sear.

C. Season and grill over charcoal. Sear the meat, then move it to the other side of the grill to finish cooking.

No matter how you cook it, aim for medium rare, although it can handle medium for those who don't like too much pink.

Basically, cook it like you would any other good steak.

CD

This sounds great. Thank you. I am thinking of searing 1 min per side and then reducing the heat to finish it off. Does that sound right? I only ask as when I grill flank steak, it is all about high heat and fast grilling.

 

[caseydog]

This sounds great. Thank you. I am thinking of searing 1 min per side and then reducing the heat to finish it off. Does that sound right? I only ask as when I grill flank steak, it is all about high heat and fast grilling.

Flat Iron steak CAN be cooked like a flank steak, but keep in mind, flat iron is much more tender than flank steak.

I cooked it like a London broil once, and the insides were too soft for my taste. I cook London Broil pretty rare, and that was too rare for the flat iron steak. Sliced thin, the flatiron cooked like a London Broil didn't have much chew. I found it a bit mushy.

I cook flat iron pretty much like I cook a ribeye.

If you've never cooked or eaten flat iron steak, you will have a better idea what I'm talking about after you cook/eat it once. It is a regular part of my steak rotation now, and I hope you enjoy it just as much as I do.

CD

 

[dcSaute]

I like to sear both sides in a very hot cast iron pan, then finish on a rack in the oven at 300'F/150'C - takes 10-15 minutes.

dressed with some mushroom&onion

one aspect that works for us.... DW does not do pink, the cut is tapered, so the thin end cooks 'faster' - as it gets thicker, it gets closer to rare. she can have med-well and I can have rare/med-rare:

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

Are you familiar with a Mexican dish called carne asada? Flat iron steak is perfect for it. Marinate it in orange, lemon and lime juices, season it with cumin, coriander, salt and pepper, fry it or grill it to medium rare, and serve it, sliced thin and garnished with cilantro or epazote*, with pinto beans, Mexican rice and a big lettuce salad. Google it and you will get a plethora of recipes.

*Some people are genetically disposed to taste soap with cilantro, so you can substitute epazote. It doesn't taste like soap, but it does taste like jet fuel, in a good way. You can usually find epazote in a latino produce market. I have never seen it in American supermarkets, even here in California.

 

[pictonguy]

The last few years my favorite steak has been the "hanger steak" and I generally marinate and grill. lately I've been using a bulgogi marinade and then over charcoal if I can, but propane is good too. It's a bit of a pain in the butt because there's a thick piece of silver skin running through it's length that needs to be removed which results in 2 steaks, although there's only 1 hanger steak per cow or steer.

 

[Yankee00]

Thank you all. I cooked it up tonight, shortly seared and then reduced the heat. I shot for 125 degf, based on what I read on line, but even after tenting for 15 minutes, it came out a bit to rare for my family. After reheating though, the tenderness and flavor was very good. Thank again.

 

[caseydog]

Thank you all. I cooked it up tonight, shortly seared and then reduced the heat. I shot for 125 degf, based on what I read on line, but even after tenting for 15 minutes, it came out a bit to rare for my family. After reheating though, the tenderness and flavor was very good. Thank again.

I typically aim for 135F for flat iron steak. It is still considered medium rare, but the texture in the middle is firmer.

This is sous vide to 135F, and seared in screaming hot cast iron.

CD