Smoked Flank Steak

This Smoked Flank Steak packs in so much flavor into every tender and juicy bite. This will become one of your “go-to” recipes to smoke not only for your family but when you entertain as well. Let’s fire up the smoker.

This Smoked Flank Steak recipe ranks up there with one of the best Quick Smoker Recipes you will make. Less time, less effort and yet it is tender, juicy and falls apart in your mouth.

This is one of the few flank steak recipe that don’t require a marinade. If you know a couple of quick tips and tricks on what to do on your home smoker.

🍽️ Why This Works

Quick | There is no marinating to worry about and the smoke is done quickly.

Delish | Reach for this easy smoking recipe when you need one that comes out easy every single time. The beef simply pulls apart to make each bite melt in your mouth.

Great for Entertaining | We love to serve up these delicate slices for company. Block parties, tailgating and cookouts are all the perfect opportunities fire up the smoker leaving you with the biggest problem of what to serve it with.

🥩 Ingredients

Flank Steak | Also referred to at some grocery stores as London Broil, this lean cut is packed with the most amazing cut of beef flavors due to the high concentration of blood flow that passes through the abdominal region of the cow, where the flank originates from.

Skirt steak can be confused with flank steak but it’s a completely different cut of meat. They both do have long fibers that you need to cut opposite of the direction of the grain. Skirt is found in the diaphragm area of the cow and is much thinner cut than flank.

Use all the tips of finding out if you want prime vs choice when cooking flank.

⏲️ Equipment and Tools

Smoker | We used our Big Green Egg on this one but with all smoking recipes, they generally work for most units including pellet smoker like Traeger, Char Broil, Masterbuilt or Camp Chef. Charcoal grills, pellet grills and propane grills can be converted to a smoker simply by using a smoker box that you place over the flame.

Knife | Use a sharp knife like this to slice off any extra fat and silver skin found on the steak.

Wood or Wood Chips | The type of wood or wood chips you use on the steak will determine the intensity of the smoky flavor in the meat. Hickory and mesquite are the most robust woods to use. Grab any fruit wood when you want the smoke flavor to be more subdued.

Snag the Wood Smoking Cheat Sheet for reference.

🔥 Instructions

Step One: Remove the steak from the refrigerator about 10-15 minutes before smoking to bring the meat down in temperature.

Step Two: Heat up the smoker to 225°F. Save yourself some money and make your own Fire Starters.

Step Three: Season the steak with simple salt, pepper and garlic powder (SPG) on both sides. Place on the hot grill grates and use the smoke that you love. We chose pecan this time.

Step Four: Smoke until the internal temp reaches 135°F. It took us about 90 minutes, but smoke to the desired temperature, not the time. Always use an internal meat thermometer. If you want a wireless version, read up on the best ones to use.

Step Five: Remove it from smoker and allow it to cool. Cut into thin slices AGAINST THE GRAIN and serve. We love serving this with salsa and guacamole for each bite.

OPTIONAL: This is the time to fire up the temp on the smoker / grill to a very high heat and reverse sear to make the exterior edges crispy with gorgeous grill marks.

Flank Steak Temperature

Smoke the steak until the internal temp reaches 135°F, which should be around 90 minutes or a bit less. If you plan to do the optional reverse sear, remember to remove the steak from the smoker BEFORE it reaches 135°F as it will cook when you are searing it.

❗ Recipe Tips and Tricks

Don’t overcook this cut of meat. If you have someone that loves their beef well done, this may not be the best match for them.

Always, always cut against the grain. The purpose of this is to cut across the long beef muscle fibers which results in a slice of beef that falls apart into small little pieces.

The lower temperature works best for this cut as it could get tough and overcooked quickly.

Use a seasoned cast iron skillet on the grill grate in place of simply setting the meat directly on the grate.

🧑‍🍳 Storage and Reheating

Store the leftovers in an airtight sealed container in the refrigerator for up to three days. If planning to keep longer, store it in the freezer in a sealed container for up to six months.

Meal Prep

Make the SPG seasoning ahead of time and keep it in the pantry to use on all your favorite meats anytime you want a seasoning that is delicious and very easy. Or make up a version of seasoning you love with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.

Additions and Substitutions

Just as we suggest with all of our recipes, this is the time you can go a little bit crazy making this your own unique recipe. Make a batch of Bourbon Salt or Java Rub for flavors that are out of this world. Level up the recipe by adding a little chimichurri sauce drizzled on top as we did on the Grilled Sirloin Steak.

If you can’t find flank steak, don’t worry! There are several Flank Steak Substitutes to choose from. A big debate is flank steak vs skirt steak, which can be used as one replacement.

Tex-Mex | Create your own Tex-Mex version by bumping up the spices with cumin, oregano, chili powder and any red pepper flakes.

Montreal Seasoned | 2 tbsp Black pepper, 2 tbsp salt, 2 tbsp paprika, 1 tbsp garlic powder, 1tbsp red pepper flakes, 1 tbsp dried onions, 1 tbsp coriander.

Carne Asada Seasoned | Combine 2 tablespoons of ground chili powder, 1 tbsp ground ancho chili, 2 tsp of oregano, 2 tsp of ground cumin, 1 tbsp kosher salt, 1 tbsp crushed black pepper. When ready to marinade this, combine 4 tbsp of lime juice with 4 tbsp of fresh cilantro, chopped and add to the steak to the marinade for up to 3 hours before placing on the smoker.

What to Serve with Flank Steak

Whether you are serving this with a nice glass of cabernet or your favorite IPA, make sure to whip up a few of your favorite side dishes to go with this yummy main dish.

Grilled Broccolini is fast and a great way to add some veggies!

Grilled Mexican Street Corn works perfectly if you are serving this with salsa or guacamole.

While you are eating, you can fire up the grill and make a very fast batch of Apple Cinnamon Roll Cups for dessert in just minutes using just TWO ingredients!

❓ Recipe FAQ

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