Flank Steak Too Crusty
I grilled a marinated flank steak over the weekend. All the recipes stated that the grill should be really hot. It turned out with a 1/4 inch hard black crust. I tried to scrape most of it off, but we sacrificed a good bit of meat and, of course, it was hard to slice. I noticed that most of the marinade recipes called for some sort of sweetner, which, of course, burns. Any suggestions?
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8 Comments:
The carbonization from the sugar in your marinade was a big part of the problem. BBQ sauces like that go on close to finish to avoid burning because of that.. Shame, too since it is not a cheap cut. Try a marinade of soy sauce, ginger, garlic and sherry for several hours. Grill should be hot, but turn it down when you place the meat on. Medium rare? Try 4 minutes per side and see how the next one turns out. Adjust from there. Good Luck!
janaatwg at 2:00PM on 07/13/09
i don't grill flank steak the same way i do strip, t-bone etc, it's not as tender and requires lower heat or it needs to be farther away from the fire. a ribeye takes me about 4 minutes to cook on high heat, i cook a flank over medium heat for about 30 minutes. also, if the marinade had oil and anything sweet, the fire is going to flame up quickly, try wiping the marinade off with paper towels before cooking.
olddad at 2:01PM on 07/13/09
Your grill was just way too hot. Back off on the incendiary heat next time and you won't have an impenetrable crust. I think your steak snafu had more to do with the temperature of the grill vs. any of your marinade ingredients.
therealchiffonade at 3:34PM on 07/13/09
I don't think your grill was too hot I think you just need to keep a eye on it and turn it more to avoid the burning, I know the experts say don't flip it too much but it's not a burger and it's not going to hurt it to turn more then once. You may not get the nice sear on the crust but it also won't burn. If you got a 1/4 in burnt crust on both sides that steak must have been cooked well done anyway. Most the flank steaks we get here are only 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick or so anyway and I often do them with a teriyaki marinade which will also burn if you don't watch it. I would get a nice digital thermometer, keep checking the internal temp till it gets to 130-135 and then take it off the grill. And keep a eye on it and turn to avoid burning. I agree with janaatwg, only about 4 minutes or so per side.
smokey07 at 5:34PM on 07/13/09
Thanks all. This marinade had soy sauce, oil and honey in it-flavor was great. I'll try a combination of all of the above.
Bhdancegirl at 5:54PM on 07/13/09
Honey is the culprit. If you want to use a sugar/honey based marinade, you'll want to back off on the heat, as "thereal..." suggests, however, I sear steaks at 750+ on my green egg. So, it is not simply a heat issue. It is hard to critique without knowing the temp. and the time per side. 1/4 inch crust tells me you had the cut on the grill far too long. When I am using high temp (700 range) a flank steak takes about 3 to 4 minutes a side + a 15 minute rest.....done. With your marinade, I might reduce to the 450 range...even then, I don't know, maybe 5 minutes a side? Not much more.
derosa at 7:59PM on 07/13/09
How done do you want your steak? As everyone has pointed out, you're going to burn it if you leave it on the grill for longer than about 4 minutes without turning it. If you like your meat cooked more than medium rare, consider taking the steak off the grill after 8 minutes total cooking time and wrapping it tightly in foil. Then let it sit for another 5-10 minutes (it will continue to cook in the foil).
Amandarama at 12:00PM on 07/14/09
Wipe off ALL the marinade before you put it on the grill.
Bakerloo Line at 2:49PM on 07/15/09