Soy Sauce–Marinated Grilled Flank Steak and Scallions (2024)

FAQs

What's the longest you should Marinate Flank Steak? ›

How Long to Marinate Flank Steak. As long as your marinade mixture includes at least one tenderizing ingredient, you should get good results from a 24 to 48-hour soak in it. Soaking the meat beyond 48 hours will just leave the surface too soft and mushy.

Most recipes for marinating meat and poultry recommend six hours up to 24 hours. It is safe to keep the food in the marinade longer, but after two days it is possible that the marinade can start to break down the fibers of the meat, causing it to become mushy.

The trick is to only cook for about 5 minutes on each side to medium rare. Any further and you'll risk overdoing it, turning your beloved flanks into hockey pucks. Allow resting for about 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Soy sauce is a great replacement for or addition to salt when you're looking for an exceptional marinade. Soy sauce contains glutamic acid which reinforces the meat's flavor.

Marinades do not penetrate the meat deeply. Most of the tenderizing effect of a marinade will occur on the surface. Piercing the meat before marinating will give the greatest tenderizing effect.

Then, grill the steak until it's medium-rare. Flank steak is most tender at this level of doneness, and cooking it further can give it a chewy texture. Finally, let the steak rest for at least five minutes, and slice it against the grain.

The critical reason for this is that flank steak, although lean and tasty, is tougher than other cuts of beef due to the many long, thin fibers running through it. To help tenderize flank steak, it is often marinated and cooked by grilling, stir-frying, broiling, or smoking.

The USDA also cautions against rinsing meat to cut down on the risk of cross contamination. "If you wash meat or poultry, some bacteria can be splashed on the surfaces of your kitchen. Failure to clean and sanitize these contaminated areas can lead to foodborne illness," the website states.

Follow the directions for how long to grill Flank steak. For the perfect medium-rare Flank steak, grill for 9–12 minutes, turning about 1 minute before the halfway point. A meat thermometer should read 130°F. Rest your Flank steak for 5 minutes before serving, covering lightly with foil.

Start with a small amount and taste as you go. Beefier burgers – Add about a tablespoon of soy sauce per pound of ground beef when you're making burger patties to enhance their mouthwatering meatiness.

Why do you put vinegar in soy sauce? ›

In Asian cooking, vinegar is often used to cut saltiness from soy sauce or other ingredients. For me, balsamic vinegar has the perfect mix of sweetness, acidity, and body to combine with the brown sugar and soy sauce here.

The better, more flavorful soy sauces are fermented longer, which allows the proteins in the soy (and wheat) to break down into the amino acids that lend the condiment its glutamate-rich content. Glutamates trigger the taste response we know as umami, or perception of savoriness.

Marinade flank steak in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours, turning 2 to 3 times throughout. To cook, remove the steak from the marinade, shaking off any excess (discard the marinade). Cook to medium rare (130°F).

The same goes for meat. You can marinate chicken, steak, pork, and lamb for too long. And the meat doesn't like that at all. Generally speaking, you shouldn't marinate meat for more than a day.

How long should I let steak marinate? Marinate steak for at least 1-2 hours in the refrigerator. However, for best results, use a steak marinade for several hours or overnight. The extra time allows the steak fibers to break down and tenderize before cooking.

Most marinades call for 24 hours, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service notes that you can marinate for up to five days. Experiment with different marinade ingredients to customize the flavor.