Bob's Marinated Flank Steak

Flank steak lives or dies by marinade. The cut is lean and full of long muscle fibers, which makes it deeply flavorful but tough if you cook it past medium-rare or slice it the wrong way. This marinade does the heavy work: dry red wine for acidity, olive oil to carry flavor into the meat, and an envelope of onion soup mix for instant salty-savory depth without measuring half a spice rack.

The overnight rest matters. Four hours is the minimum but eight is better. Acid from the wine slowly breaks down surface proteins, while piercing the steak with a fork now and then lets the marinade penetrate beyond the outer layer.

Grill or broil hot and fast, turning once, until the center hits medium-rare. Pull it off and let it rest at least 10 minutes before slicing thin across the grain. That last step is what separates tender from chewy.

The boiled marinade becomes a quick pan sauce. Reduce 5 minutes to kill any raw-meat bacteria and concentrate the flavor.

Pro Tips

• Slice across the grain, not with it. Flank muscle runs in long parallel lines. Cutting against them shortens the fibers in each bite, which is the whole trick to tender flank.
• Don’t skip the 10-minute rest. Carving immediately makes juices pour out and leaves you with dry meat.
• Bring the steak to room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling. Cold meat hits the grill, the outside scorches before the inside is even warm.

Variations

• Add 2 cloves of minced garlic and the zest of one lemon for a brighter, more Mediterranean profile.
• Swap red wine for balsamic vinegar diluted with water for a sweet-tart marinade with deeper color.
• Use the same marinade on skirt steak or hanger steak, both close cousins that benefit from the same treatment.