Pan seared flank steak with garlic butter is flavorful and easy to prepare for a weeknight meal.
Seasoned flank steak is seared on the stove top and coated in rich garlic butter.
If you're looking for a simple and easy flank steak recipe, look no further. This pan seared flank steak with garlic butter requires only a few basic ingredients and about ten minutes of your time.
Even though this steak is prepared in just a few minutes, this dish looks impressive enough to serve to your family, friends, or guests. Try slicing your flank steak and plating it on top of some mashed potatoes.
Flank steak
Flank steak is generally a long, thin, boneless cut of beef. The easiest way (in my opinion) to cook flank steak is to sear it in a frying pan, allow it to rest, then slice it thin against the grain.
Since flank steak is a grainy cut of meat, slicing it against the grain will make the meat seem more tender and easy to eat.
Cast iron skillet
I like to sear my steaks in a cast iron skillet. They always sear perfectly, never stick, and cleanup is simple. Plus, cast iron pans are basically indestructible and will last you a lifetime.
A quality, inexpensive brand that I recommend is Lodge cast iron. I personally own this Lodge Cast Iron Skillet on Amazon and highly recommend it.
If you don't have a cast iron skillet, I'd recommend using a stainless steel skillet instead. I do not recommend using nonstick cookware for this recipe. It is not safe to heat a nonstick pan to the temperature needed to properly sear a steak.
What to serve with flank steak
Looking for side dishes to serve next to your flank steak? Here are my favorite choices:
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Bacon and Garlic Butter Mashed Potatoes
- Quick Parmesan Asparagus with Lemon Butter
- Parmesan and Red Pepper Roasted Broccoli
- Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes
- Kale Cranberry Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Skillet Flank Steak with Garlic Butter
Ingredients
- 16 ounces flank steak
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
Instructions
- Season flank steak with salt and pepper on each side (use more salt and pepper as desired). Set aside.
- In a cast iron (or stainless steel) pan over medium-high heat, add oil. When hot and shimmering, add flank steak with tongs and allow to sear for 2 and ½ minutes on the first side. When flipping your steak with tongs, if it is seared properly, it will pull away easily from the pan.
- Flip steak and sear for an additional 2 and ½ minutes. For a 1 and ¼" flank steak (like pictured) this will give you a medium-rare flank steak. Add additional time as needed for a thicker or more well-done steak.
- Cooking times for a steak will vary based on the thickness, size, and shape of your steak. For best success, I suggest a meat thermometer. You'll want to remove your steak from the pan when the temperature reaches 5 degrees below your desired doneness. The steak will continue to cook slightly while it is resting.
- Rare: 125 degrees (Fahrenheit)
- Medium-rare: 135 degrees
- Medium: 145 degrees
- Medium-well: 150 degrees
- Well done: 160 degrees. - Once your steak is cooked to your liking, remove from the pan, tent with foil, and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Slice steak thinly and against the grain.
- Meanwhile, turn the heat to medium-low and return pan to heat. Add butter to pan and melt. Add garlic to pan and cook for up to 1 minute, or until garlic begins to brown (garlic will brown quickly).
- Remove from heat and pour garlic butter over flank steak. Serve and enjoy.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- I highly suggest using a meat thermometer if you are not familiar or comfortable with pan-searing steaks. Due to the variance in thickness, temperatures of the stove top, size, and shape of your steaks, the cooking times may vary.
- Here is a great resource to visualize the degrees of doneness for your steak: Degree of Doneness - Certified Angus Beef
- Use an oil with a high smoke point for pan-searing steaks. I recommend canola oil, peanut oil, or vegetable oil. I do not recommend butter or olive oil.
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