Learn how to grill the best flank steak

Flank steak is one of the best meats for a good barbecue. Being an accessible and versatile cut, it's popular even when roasted in the oven or cooked in a pressure cooker, but there's nothing better than exploring the full potential of this cut over hot coals!

Count on the Cutelaria CIMO blog to learn how to cook flank steak on the grill, from understanding its location on the beef and its fiber and fat characteristics, to the best preparation tips — like the iconic picanha with mustard — for you to become a true expert.

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What is flank steak?

Flank steak — also called "bife do vazio" in some regions — is located between the hindquarter and the ribs of the cattle. To locate it within beef cuts, it's found between the top round and, of course, the popular ribs.

Due to its specific positioning, the entire piece has a shape similar to an elongated triangle after being trimmed.

Another striking characteristic, both visually and in its flavor composition, is the classic fat cap that covers part of the piece. So much so that, among the most traditional parts of the beef, flank steak is one of the fattiest, with about 26% fat considering the entire cut.

It's precisely this variety of textures and flavors found in the same piece, considering the leaner elongated section, the short meat fibers, and the fat-covered area, that make flank steak so versatile and popular, securing its place in roasting pans, pressure cookers, grills, and skewers throughout Brazil.

How to prepare Flank Steak on the grill?

To prepare flank steak on the grill, you can explore several possibilities until you find the cooking technique that you like best. Each method has its advantages, with a delicious result awaiting you no matter your choice.

Oh! And here's the first tip that applies not only to this cut but also to many other options: season your meat before putting it on the fire and let it rest for a while so the piece can absorb more flavor.

For flank steak, especially considering its thinner part, 5 minutes of exposure to salt (traditional coarse or grilling salt) and your preferred seasonings, such as chimichurri, are sufficient. From there, just throw it on the coals!

1. Whole flank steak on the grill

This is one of the most traditional, as well as practical, methods, considering the absence of extra cuts — besides trimming — to portion the meat. However, to ensure the entire piece cooks through, it might require a bit of patience.

Sear both sides of the picanha for 5 minutes, paying special attention to the fat cap so that this part doesn't become unpleasant in taste and texture. After browning the meat to help keep it juicy, a good reference is to leave the piece 20 minutes on each side over medium heat and height, but feel free to explore the doneness you prefer.

This alternative allows you to serve leaner and fattier portions, depending on the location of the cuts made. Even though we know the ideal doneness is up to the grill master, here you can please various palates, both regarding the fat content of the piece and the desired doneness.

You can make your life easier by opting to grill the flank steak cut into horizontal steaks. This requires a little more attention to maintain juiciness, but it becomes a faster and more practical way to control the doneness and serve quickly.

2. Flank steak on a skewer

Another great way to prepare flank steak on the grill is by using skewers, which opens up two more possibilities: skewering the entire piece or cutting it to roast in parts.

In the first option, the idea is to compress as much of the meat piece as possible without damaging the fibers or the fat cap. This is because, in addition to searing, which is still recommended, the more compact shape further helps to keep the meat juices concentrated.

Another advantage is the possibility of serving the meat in thin slices — "casqueirado," as it's mainly called for beef hump. This strategy first offers you even more precise control over the doneness served, which can be constantly adjusted by returning the skewer to the coals to ensure that delicious "crust" on all pieces.

There is also the advantage of always serving portions that have the tasty fat layer in the right measure, proportionally to what we see in the leaner part.

It's also possible to cut the flank steak to go on the skewer, with the difference that the cuts made in the piece are vertical and rolled before being skewered. This ensures that the portions will have similar parts of fat and meat, being yet another alternative to speed up the preparation process.

3. Flank steak with mustard

Of course, one of the simplest and most delicious barbecue recipes involving flank steak would be on our list. Although it's also well-known in kitchen ovens, the fact is that the grilled version has its special charm!

In a bowl, prepare the mustard-based seasoning by adding your preferred ingredients and mix it all over the surface of the meat. You are free to experiment with garlic, Worcestershire sauce, herbs, and much more: just be careful not to overdo it!

Here, it's worth emphasizing that the ideal is to have a longer resting process, marinating the meat, if possible, for 12 hours — a valid strategy being to do this preparation the night before the barbecue. After this period, add the salt and wrap the piece in aluminum foil to take to the grill over low heat.

Leave the meat wrapped for an hour, and then for another period until it browns. The result is an incredibly tender, juicy meat with the ideal acidity from the mustard to balance the characteristic fat of the picanha.

Now you have all the necessary information to become a true expert in preparing picanha on the grill. Make the most of all the good things

this very special cut has to offer for your barbecues.

Check out the top 5 best barbecue knives compiled by Cutelaria CIMO. You'll find the pinnacle of performance, precision, and comfort of use to ensure the best cuts for picanha and any other piece of meat!