How Long To Smoke Flank Steak?

Smoked Flank Steak is a succulent and delectable alternative to ribeye or sirloin cuts. It may be a quick and easy steak to make on your pellet grill, charcoal smoker, or gas barbecue when cooked properly. However, you must know how long to smoke the flank steak to achieve the desired effect.

Steak isn’t just about ribeye and sirloin; it’s about a whole lot more. An easy-to-prepare Smoked Flank Steak not only tastes great but also absorbs the charcoal and grill flavours.

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What Is Flank Steak?

Flank steak is made from the Top Round region of the steer’s lower hindquarters, or “flank,” as the name implies.

“London Broil” and “Skirt Steak” are probably just marketing phrases coined by butchers seeking to sell some of their less desirable cuts of beef to the wine and cheese crowd many years ago.

It’s lean, kind of tough, and not generally in the heart of your butcher’s display case alongside the prized ribeyes and fillet mignons, like other second-class steak cuts like the hangar steak. However, when cooked and prepared correctly, often marinated and grilled quickly and thoroughly, flank steak can be one of the most delectable cuts of beef you’ll ever try.

How To Smoke A Flank Steak?

Learn how to prepare a smoked flank steak on any grill or smoker, step by step! We’ve got you covered if you have a Traeger or Pit Boss pellet grill, a Weber kettle, or even a propane gas barbecue.

Prepare A Flank Steak For The Smoker

To help break down some of the lean connective tissue in a flank steak. Unlike beef brisket or ribs, which have a lot of fatty connective tissue that can be broken down with low and slow cooking, we’d merely end up drying up the flank steak owing to the lack of fat content by the time any connective tissue broke down.

As a result, our technique is to marinade, smoke briefly for a smokey taste, and then finish cooking it hot and quick.

Trim The Fat And Silverskin

Examine your flank steak to check if any fatty parts around the edges need to be removed. If you’re concerned about presentation, this can also help square up your smoked flank steak and give it a neater look.

Next, remove the silverskin from the broad surfaces of the top and bottom of the flank steak with an excellent knife, like our favorite boning knife from iMarku.

For cutting briskets, pig butts, steaks, and other types of meat, a decent fillet or boning knife is essential in the kitchen. If not removed, silverskin can become chewy and unappealing, akin to the membrane that we always take from the rear of a slab of baby back ribs.

Top Seasonings And Marinades For Smoked Flank Steak

Because flank steak is naturally lean, challenging, and thin, it benefits from a good marinade before cooking to prevent it from drying out on the grill or smoker.

An oil and acid mixture is commonly used, either from citrus juice or vinegar or a combination of the two.

We used a classic red wine vinegar-based marinade for our smoked London broil. Still, for our smoked flank steak, we’ll use a combination of Worcestershire, garlic, and soy sauce (recipe at bottom) for a more savory and umami flavour.

You may also use your favorite BBQ rub or season your smoked flank steak with salt and pepper.

If you want more traditional steak flavors or don’t have time to make your marinade from scratch, use 2 parts oil to 1 part red or white wine vinegar along with a rub of Montreal Steak Seasoning on the flank steak, it will be ready.

If you plan to reverse sear, as we recommend, avoid sweet rubs that can burn when exposed to direct solid heat.

We favor Bad Byron’s Butt Rub for reverse seared beef because it gives you amazing BBQ flavour without scorching the rub when we don’t want to use sugar.

If you want to prevent burning the ribs and pig butts, save the sweet rubs for them. Fill a gallon-sized storage bag halfway with the marinade ingredients and refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours, preferably overnight, before pouring over the flank steak in a broad, shallow baking dish.

Salt And Marinate Overnight

It’s recommended to season and marinade your smoked flank steak at least 4-6 hours before smoking it, preferably overnight, before putting it on the smoker or grill.

Keep an eye on your salt intake. If you’re using salty marinade components like soy sauce, you usually don’t need to salt the meat as well.

If you’re only going to use olive oil and red wine vinegar, make sure you season the meat first. Allowing the rub and marinade to penetrate the meat, in either case, ensures a tasty steak to the core, rather than just salty on the outside and bland on the inside.

Also, did you know that thoroughly salted meat holds on to its liquids and retains more moisture during the cooking process? This is why turkeys and hams are brined before cooking. Water and salt are friends, and it takes a lot of extra energy to break them apart once they’ve found each other.

This explains why saltwater has a more excellent boiling point than pure water. When working with vinegar marinades, avoid using aluminum baking pans or foil trays since the acid might react with the metal and leave a sour taste on the meat. Use plastic or glass instead!

Temperature Setting

To cook at 200°F, we recommend setting up the grill or smoker for indirect heat.

We’ll raise the temperature later to sear and cook the flank steak thoroughly, but we don’t want to overheat and dry up the flank beef during the smoking phase; we want to impart smokey flavour.

Check Internal Temperature

To determine the internal temperature of your smoked flank steak, you must use an excellent instant-read meat thermometer. Remember that this cut of beef has very little fat, so if you overcook it even little, it will dry out quickly!

If your smoked flank steak is thick enough, you’ll need a reliable leave-in probe thermometer like the Thermopro, as well as a second instant-read thermometer to spot check as you near the end of the cooking process.

Start Smoking

1. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients except for the flank steak.
2. Fill a gallon-sized ziplock bag halfway with flank steak and seal it shut. Make sure the steak is well-coated in the marinade before serving. Close the bag after removing all of the air. Take it out of the fridge and let it marinate for 8 hours.
3. If using an electric smoker, warm it to 225 degrees Fahrenheit and follow the manufacturer’s directions for cooking the steak. Cook the flank steak for 1 hour and 30 minutes on the smoker, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 135 degrees Fahrenheit, whichever comes first.

Remove The Smoker

Remove the smoked flank steak from the smoker, grill, or broiler after smoking, reverse searing, and raise the internal temperature to 130°F.

Fugget about it for 15 minutes on a large plate or cutting board! Prepare the potatoes and sides, or pour some beverages. Allow at least as much time for the smoked flank steak to rest before cutting.

Carving The Smoked Flank Steak

Cut the smoked flank steak into beautiful THIN strips on a bias, against the grain, with an excellent meat slicing knife.

If guests want different doneness levels, the outside slices may be more done than the center.

How Long Does Cooked Steak Last in The Fridge?

How Long To Smoke Flank Steak?

Most store-bought flank steaks will weigh 1.5–2 pounds and will require 30-45 minutes to absorb some decent smokey flavour INDIRECTLY at 200°F, then only 2-3 minutes per side to sear and finish cooking over high DIRECT heat.

Remember to utilize your instant-read thermometer regularly. It’s all about the temperature, not the clock!

We’re attempting to impart smokey flavour while slowly bringing the smoked flank steak up to 110°F on the inside.

It can take an hour for a 3-4 pound flank steak to reach 110°F inside, especially if it’s fresh out of the refrigerator. On the other hand, a small room temperature steak cooked on a hot smoker may only take 20 minutes to arrive on a humid day.

What Is The Difference Between Skirt Steak And Flank Steak?

Even though they can be prepared and eaten in identical ways, each cut of meat has its distinct characteristics. The following are some of the distinctions between the skirt and flank steaks.

Flank vs. Skirt Steak

• The cut: The fundamental distinction between skirt steak and flank steak is located on the cow. Skirt steak is a thin, tasty cut found in the cow’s diaphragm, whereas flank steak is found right beneath the cow’s loin.
• Flank steak is a thicker, more comprehensive, and heavier cut of meat than skirt steak, which is a lighter but more extended cut. When you slice flank steak, you’ll get flat, wide pieces, but skirt steak will give you long, slender pieces.
• While all cuts of beef contain strong muscle fibers, flank steak has a more closely woven grain structure than skirt steak, which is less dense but more fibrous. Skirt steak responds better to marinating (with flavors such as soy sauce or balsamic vinegar), slow cooking, and stir-frying than flank steak, which is less permeable to marinades.
• The taste: Both flank steak and skirt steak have meaty, solid flavors; however, skirt steak has a slightly more robust flavour due to the coarser muscle fibers.
• Skirt steak has a higher fat content and more excellent marbling than flank steak, a thinner beef cut.
• Cooking time: Compared to skirt steak, flank steaks take a few minutes longer to cook on each side. Skirt steak should be cooked for three minutes on both sides, whereas flank steak should be cooked for five minutes.

Smoked Flank Steak Recipe

You’ll be adding this cut to your regular meals if you try this smoked flank steak recipe.

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. teriyaki sauce
• 1 Tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 lb flank steak

Directions

• In a small bowl, combine all ingredients except for the flank steak.
• Fill a gallon-sized ziplock bag halfway with flank steak and seal it shut. Make sure the steak is well-coated in the marinade before serving. Close the bag after removing all of the air. Take it out of the fridge and let it marinate for 8 hours.
• As directed by the manufacturer, preheat your electric smoker to 225 degrees F before cooking your steak. Cook the flank steak for 1 hour and 30 minutes on the smoker, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 135 degrees Fahrenheit, or to your preference.

Steak Doneness

Here is a simple guideline for determining doneness that you may use to assess how you want your steak to look. Remove the steak from the smoker when it reaches a temperature of 5 degrees below the temperature listed below.

After the meat is removed from the fire, it will continue to cook while resting.

• 125°F for a rare steak. The steak is bright red in the middle and pink on the exterior.
• 135°F medium-rare steak The steak is pink on the inside and slightly brown on the exterior.
• 145°F for medium steak. The center would be pale pink, with brown on the outside.
• 155oF medium-well steak The middle would be slightly pink, while the edges would be brown.
• 165°F for a well-done steak. It would be entirely brown from top to bottom.

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Is Flank Steak The Same As Skirt Steak?

Skirt steak is a thin, tasty cut found in the cow’s diaphragm, whereas flank steak is found right beneath the cow’s loin.

The dimensions are as Flank steak is a thick meat cut, more comprehensive, and heavier than skirt steak, a lighter but more extended cut.

How To Tell If A Steak Is Done?

The simplest way to tell if meat is cooked is to check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer. Remove the steak from the grill when it reaches 130-135 degrees if you desire; it is rare.

A medium-rare steak requires an internal temperature of at least 140 degrees, whereas a medium-cooked steak requires at least 155 degrees. A meat thermometer reading of 165 degrees is recommended for those who like their meat well done.

If you don’t have a meat thermometer, you’ll have to rely on your sense of touch. You want the steak to be mushy and squishy in the middle when you press down on it. When pressing down on the center of the steak, the more done it will be if it becomes harder.

How Long Does A Flank Steak Need To Rest?

Allow at least 5 minutes for the meat to rest after removing it from the smoker. Cover the steak with foil to keep the internal temperature from rising any more. This is known as “carry-over” cooking.

Should You Marinade Flank Steak?

If at all possible, marinate your flank steak before serving. An excellent marinade, when done correctly, does not overpower the smokey flavour but rather complements it.

There are many different marinades to choose from, so make sure you pick one that your taste buds will enjoy.

Do You Flip Steaks While Smoking?

Yes, you will need to flip them after a while to ensure that they are evenly cooked.

Therefore, Consequently, the marinade, smoke, and high-heat finish on this smoked flank steak are all that’s needed to get it on the table.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you learned a thing or two about smoking a flank steak. Leave a comment below and know which smoked steak is your favourite.

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