Grilled Flank Steak with Mushrooms

Grilled Flank Steak with Mushrooms is the perfect summer dinner: fast, easy, and delicious, plus it feeds the whole family. Don't skip the mushrooms! They're simmered with rosemary and red wine, and make this simple dinner feel restaurant-worthy.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

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Published May 23, 2010
Elise Bauer
Grilled Flank Steak with Mushrooms
Elise Bauer

Get ready for something fabulous. Steak and mushrooms!

Grilled flank steak that is, and assorted mushrooms dry sautéed first, then sautéed with butter, shallots, and cooked down in a red wine reduction.

If you don’t want to navigate between the stovetop and the grill, you can make the mushrooms ahead, and reheat when it’s time for the steak to come off the grill. The mushrooms will go with any steak, skirt steak, hanger steak, tri-tip, or even a grilled hamburger.

Grilling season is here my friends. Let the good times roll. (Please make this, you’ll thank me.)

Grilled Flank Steak with Mushrooms
Elise Bauer

How to Grill Flank Steak

Flank steak is a large, lean cut of beef that is fantastic when quickly cooked on the grill.

High, direct heat is best for cooking flank steak, so make to sufficiently pre-heat your grill before you start cooking. Sear the steak for about 4 to 6 minutes on one side, then flip it over and grill it for another minute or two. You can use the finger test to tell when the steak is done.

Flank steak is best when cooked to rare or medium-rare. The texture can get tough if you cook it past medium.

Slice Across the Grain

Besides cooking quickly, the other key to excellent flank steak is to slice it as thinly as you can across the grain.

To do this, look for the long muscle fibers running down the length of the flank steak (they should be rather obvious). Once you’ve found them, make thin, perpendicular slices (across) this grain.

Since a large flank steak can be unwieldy, to make it easier to handle, if you want, you can slice the steak in half down its length (with the grain) before cutting it into slices across the grain.

More Steak Recipes for Summer Grilling!

See How to Dry Sauté Mushrooms

Featured Video

Grilled Flank Steak with Mushrooms

Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 40 mins
Servings 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds flank steak
  • Salt
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Black pepper
  • 2 pounds mixed mushrooms (if you can, make sure the assortment includes some shiitake mushrooms, they're especially flavorful), cleaned, roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup minced shallots (or onions)
  • 1 cup red wine (or beef broth)
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

Method

  1. Salt the steak:

    Salt the steak well and let it come to room temperature.

  2. Dry sauté the mushrooms:

    Heat a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Add the mushrooms to the pan, as is (no butter or oil). Stir the mushrooms occasionally, and shake the pan a bit. You should hear the mushrooms squeak when they move in the pan. (See our article and video on How to Dry Sauté Mushrooms).

    Continue to cook until the mushrooms release their moisture. Add a large pinch of salt and stir to combine.

    mushrooms being dry sautéed in skillet
    Elise Bauer
    mushrooms cooking in pan
    Elise Bauer
  3. Finish the mushrooms:

    Add the butter, rosemary and shallots. Stir to combine and sauté over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.

    Add the red wine (you can substitute beef broth) and boil until the sauce has reduced by half. Turn off the heat.

    mushrooms being sauteed with butter and thyme
    Elise Bauer
    mushrooms in red wine in pan
    Elise Bauer
  4. While the mushrooms cook, prepare the grill for high direct heat:

    If you are using a gas grill, turn it on, cover it, and let it heat up for at least 10 minutes. (You want the grill to be very hot, which can difficult to do on a gas grill if the grill hasn't pre-heated long enough.)

    If you are using a charcoal grill, get the coals very hot. The grill is hot enough when you put your hand about an inch over the grill and you can only hold it there for 1 second.

    When the grill is hot, clean the grill grates with a wire scraper and then moisten a paper towel with olive oil. Using tongs, wipe down the grill grates with the oil-soaked towel.

  5. Sear the flank steak on one side:

    While the grill is heating up, massage olive oil into the steak. You want the steak well coated. When the grill is hot enough, place the steak on a hot part of the grill.

    Sear for 4-6 minutes without moving. If you want a cross-hatch pattern of grill marks, about halfway through grilling, gently lift up a corner of the steak with tongs to check for grill marks, if you have them, pick up the steak and put it back down on the grill at a 90° angle (a quarter turn) from where it had been.

  6. Flip and grill steak on other side:

    Turn the steak over. Touch it to test for doneness (see the finger technique for checking for doneness). You might only need a couple minutes on this side, depending on how thick your flank steak is.

    Flank steak is best rare or medium rare; it becomes tough if it gets too well done. Try to undercook the meat just a little, as it will continue to cook a bit while it is off the heat resting.

    When the flank steak is almost done, take it off the heat and let it rest. Grind black pepper over it.

    flank steak with grill lines
    Elise Bauer
    grill lines on flank steak
    Elise Bauer
  7. Finish the mushrooms:

    Turn the burner on high and boil down the liquids almost to a glaze. Add any meat juices that have accumulated with the resting flank steak. Taste for salt and add any if needed.

  8. Slice the steak and serve with mushrooms:

    If you have a large steak, it may be easier to first cut it in half along the grain of the steak fibers. Then slice it thinly, on an angle, across the grain. Serve immediately with the mushrooms

    grilled flank steak cut in half
    Elise Bauer
    grilled flank steak being cut into slices with knife
    Elise Bauer

    P.S. If you happen to end up with leftover mushrooms you can throw them into some scrambled eggs for breakfast.