Grilled Rosemary Flank Steak – Easy Meal

Grilled Rosemary Flank Steak is a family favorite & super easy summer meal. Share the goodness today!

Grilled Rosemary Flank Steak

This is such an easy marinade to throw together. Just plan ahead so that the meat can soak up the great flavor for a few hours. The original recipe calls for the steak to marinate for 2 hours, but I like to go 6-8 hours to maximize the flavor. 

There is an important thing to understand about grilling beef. You need to let it sit at room temperature before firing up the grill. A steak that is cold in the center, and warm on the outside will not cook evenly. This is especially important to remember if you prefer your steak medium rare. It should have a warm red center and a nice sear on the outside. My goal was medium rare for this steak, but it turned out closer to medium well (the flavor still rocked though.) I have just recently taken over grilling at my house so I’m clearly at the rookie stage. But like all cooking techniques, I know practice will make perfect.

Science Backs It Up

Another reason to let meat warm up slowly before grilling is because there’s actually science involved. In simple terms, there is a reaction between the amino acids and the sugar which requires high heat. By putting a cold steak on the grill, you reduce this effect, taking away some of that great steak flavor. Who knew, right?! The other science of making sure your steak tastes great, is to let it rest before cutting it. During cooking, bundles of muscle cells in the meat contract, forcing out liquid from the spaces between them. As the meat cools, those cell bundles relax, reabsorbing the liquid. This mean you’ll have a juicier steak.

Flanks vs Skirt Steak

Flank and Skirt  steak are two different cuts of meat which are fairly similar. I actually used skirt steak for this recipe because that’s what I found at Target (my Cub Foods didn’t have either in stock.) In the past, I’ve always used flank steak. That left me wondering how these two cuts actually compare. Here’s what I found out:

Flank steak is fairly lean (a 3-ounce serving has 158 calories, 6 g fat and 3 g saturated fat), flavorful and not particularly tender. It is best served cut across the grain into thin strips.

Skirt steak is robustly flavorful and rich (a 3-ounce serving has 198 calories, 12 g fat, and 5 g saturated fat.) It is often used for fajitas. It, too, should be cut across the grain into thin strips.

My experience is that both are good and work well with this rosemary marinade.