Pan Broiled Flank Steak

This is the no-marinade, no-sauce, two-ingredient method for cooking flank steak, and it works because the technique does the work that ingredients usually do. A blazing hot cast-iron skillet, a scattering of coarse salt on the pan bottom (no oil), and 4 to 7 minutes a side. That is the entire recipe.

The coarse salt on the dry pan is the trick. As the steak hits the pan, the salt creates tiny ridges of contact that give you a deep, dark crust without needing oil to mediate. The salt also seasons the meat as it sears.

Flank is a lean, fibrous cut, so cooking past medium-rare is a hard rule. Push it past medium and the muscle fibers tighten into something genuinely tough. Stick to the 4 to 5 minute per side window for rare and you get a juicy, tender steak. The recipe’s all-caps warning about shoe leather is correct.

The rest is critical. Even just one minute on a cutting board lets the juices redistribute through the meat instead of running out the moment you slice. Slicing thin and across the grain is the other half of the tenderness equation. Cut with the grain and even a perfectly cooked flank chews like rope.

Pro Tips

• Bring the steak to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before cooking. Cold steak hits the pan and seizes, giving you uneven cooking.
• Pat the surface bone dry with paper towels right before searing. Surface moisture steams and prevents proper crust formation.
• Get the skillet hotter than feels reasonable, smoking is the cue. A medium-hot pan steams the meat instead of searing it.
• Slice against the grain, on the diagonal, into ¼ inch slices. The grain on flank runs lengthwise; cut perpendicular for short, tender fibers.

Variations

• Top with a quick chimichurri, compound herb butter, or a drizzle of good olive oil and lemon for a brighter finish.
• Add cracked black pepper or smoked paprika to the salt for a more seasoned crust.
• Serve over a grain bowl with greens and a yogurt sauce, or sliced into warm tortillas for tacos.