Blackstone Flank Steak
Cooking on the Blackstone is so convenient and fun, you are going to love this recipe. Each of the steps flows into the next. The only time you need to watch the clock is for grilling the flank steak.
Equipment
- Zip-top bag (2-gallon)
- Blackstone Griddle (36-inch, 4-burner)
- Griddle Spatulas
- BBQ tongs
- Instant read thermometer
Ingredients
Marinade and Flank Steak
- 1/4 cup olive oil (vegetable oil)
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 oz packet taco seasoning mix (Original, Old El Paso)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 pounds flank steak
Sides
- 16 - 20 6-inch tortillas (flour or corn)
- 1 tablespoon butter (soft)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 cup red onion (sliced)
- Pinch salt
- 2 cups mini sweet peppers (sliced)
- ½ cup pickled jalapeño (sliced)
Instructions
Marinate the Flank Steak
- Open a zip-top bag (2 gallon) and roll the top down to give some structure. Add the marinade ingredients: olive oil (vegetable oil), lemon juice, a packet of Taco Seasoning Mix (Original, Old El Paso), and salt.
- Close the bag and mix by simply squeezing with your hand.
- Reopen the bag as before and add the flank steak.
- Carefully close the bag and remove as much air as possible, so the steak is covered. Place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours to 24. NOTE: We prefer to place the bag on a plate or bowl in case of a leak in the fridge.
- Take the flank steak out as you preheat the grill and sauté the sides.
Grilling Sides
- Preheat the Blackstone by turning all the burns to "Low". I like to wait 5 minutes. If needed add a bit of olive oil (or your preferred oil).
- I have learned that oiling and salting the onions (as you desire) before sautéing on the griddle works better.
- Lightly butter one side of your choice of tortillas (flour and/or corn), and set aside.
- Adjust the four burners for sautéing. I have found by alternating burners from off to "Low" works best. I choose a side area with its burner off then alternate from there. The off area makes for a great warming spot as you finish up the cook.FYI: Temperatures from alternating off-Low-off-Low:250, 400, 325, and 400 degrees F.
- I start with the onion first to give them a head start of 5 minutes sautéing on the middle left zone. Then use the different temperature zones to adjust the sautéing.
- Place the sliced mini sweet peppers and pickled jalapeños on the grill and add a swirl of olive oil (as desired). I used the right burner (Low) for the sweet peppers and the middle right (off) for the jalapeños.
- Use the different temperature zones to adjust the sautéing of the sides to your liking, for us it was 15 minutes. Once you are getting close to finishing them, turn off the middle left burner.
- Leave the finished sides resting on the far left area of the griddle. Now it is time to turn up the heat on the two right burners to grill the steak.
Grilling Flank Steak on the Blackstone
- Increase the 2 burners on the right side of the Blackstone to the 3rd mark from "Low" around the control knob. NOTE: The other 2 burners should be off as the heat will transfer from the heated side of the griddle to keep them warm.
- Once the Blackstone has reached the new temperature it is time to grill the flank steak. FYI: I used an infrared thermometer to check the griddle's temperature. It was indicating 450 - 460 degrees F.
- Place the flank steak on the griddle. I like to keep it right in the middle of the two burners. This allows for a more equal searing as it cooks. Additionally, if your steak has a thinner side position it towards the front.NOTE: Depending on how your steak is shaped I start with the more rounded side down first. That way I finish on the broader side to have more control over the final temperature.
- The cook for this flank steak took 6 flips with decreasing times to get to medium-rare for a total time of 13 minutes.
- The first two were for 3 minutes on each side, and the temperature was showing 80 degrees F.
- Three and four were for 2 minutes on each side. Now the meat was at 105 degrees F. in the middle and 130 degrees F. on the thin side. Time to adjust the flank steak's position on the griddle.
- For the fifth and sixth I rotated the steak's thinner side to where the burner was off and finished with the thick side on the heat. I did just 1 minute on the round side and finished the steak on the broader side for 2 minutes until reaching medium-rare. I did this because the temperature was coming up fast on the thinner side.
- Pull the flank steak once it reaches 125 degrees F. for a medium-rare. If you prefer a different doneness, remember there is around a 10-degree increase in temperature after the rest. Turn off the burners.
- Rest the steak for 10 minutes.
Tortillas and Serving
- Wait a few minutes to let the hot griddle cool off.
- Place the tortillas with the butter side up on the griddle. Once the butter melts, flip the butter side down and grill for 2 - 3 minutes (go longer for crispier).Tip: I like to add a pinch of salt to the corn tortillas' buttered side.
- Remove the tortillas from the griddle with your sides and prepare to serve.Tip: Place the buttered sides of the tortillas together to make it easier to handle them if you are doing fajitas or soft tacos.
- Slice the flank steak against the grain. We sliced it into two different thicknesses. Thick (½ inch) and thin (⅛ inch). The thick is ideal to enjoy like a steak or chop it for fajitas or tacos. The thin was perfect in the fajitas we had.
- Enjoy as a steak, in your fajitas, or in tacos. Have Fun!!!
Notes
The different thicknesses of the slices of the flank steak were excellent either way. We did fajitas with it for dinner and honestly, both slice types were great in the tortillas.
If you choose to have the flank steak served with thicker pieces it was just as tasty. So if you prefer a different side like rice, a salad, pasta, or just with our Cheesy Garlic Bread just go right to the "Grilling Flank Steak on Blackstone" instructions part.
