Dijon Flank Steak

Three ingredients. That’s the whole recipe, and it’s the kind of stripped-down cooking that French bistros do better than anyone. Flank steak gets coated in Dijon, left to marinate overnight, then crusted with cracked pepper and seared hard on a hot grill. The mustard does triple duty here.

Dijon is doing more than flavor work. The vinegar and acid in the mustard tenderize the long, tough fibers of flank steak, breaking them down just enough to deliver a more forgiving chew. The mustard also acts as a glue for the pepper crust, holding the cracked peppercorns onto the surface where they get hit by the grill heat.

Flank steak is the right cut for this technique. It’s lean, beefy, and quick-cooking, with a grain that runs in clear lines across the steak. The downside is toughness if cooked past medium-rare or sliced wrong. Grill hot, pull at medium-rare, rest, then slice thin against the grain.

The overnight marinade is non-skippable. Six to eight hours is the minimum window for the Dijon to penetrate beyond the surface and start the tenderizing work. Anything less and you have grilled steak with mustard smear; anything more and the mustard starts breaking the meat down too much.

Chef Tips

• Use freshly cracked peppercorns, not pre-ground pepper. The flavor punch is night-and-day different.
• Pat the steak dry just before grilling for the deepest sear. Wet meat steams instead of browns.
• Let the steak rest 5 to 10 minutes off the grill before slicing. The juices need time to redistribute.
• Slice thin and against the grain. Even perfectly cooked flank steak chews like leather if sliced with the grain.

Variations

• Stir a tablespoon of honey into the Dijon for a sweet-savory grilled steak.
• Add minced fresh rosemary or thyme to the mustard for an herb-crusted version.
• Serve sliced over a salad of bitter greens with shaved parmesan for a bistro lunch plate.
• Pair with chimichurri sauce for an Argentine twist.