PREP TIME	REST TIME	COOK TIME	TOTAL TIME
5 mins	45 mins to 24 h	10 mins	1 to 24 hours

If you’re craving a simple pan-seared flank steak without any special equipment, marinades, or complicated ingredients, this recipe always hits the spot. This tender, juicy flank steak is delicious on its own but is also perfect paired with chimichurri-style sauces, brown butter, or compound butter. All you need is a pan, salt, finely ground pepper, a high-smoke-point oil, and a bit of patience for dry-brining.

I love flank steak. It’s one of my favorite cuts, super flavorful, tender, and easy to cook. Once trimmed, flank steak is relatively lean and free from bones, connective tissues, and excess fat, making it easy to eat and ideal for serving a crowd. Seasoned with just salt and pepper and cooked in a pan, it’s already delicious, but it also makes a great base for sauces. I usually enjoy it with something like chimichurri sauce or garlic herb butter.

Honestly, that’s the whole idea behind this recipe: cook the flank steak simply at home, right in a pan on the stove (no marinade, no fancy tools), and serve it with a bold, flavorful sauce. That combo never fails.

pan seared flank steak cooked to medium rare

The Ingredients You’ll Need

Flank steak
1 tablespoon high-smoke point oil (I recommend avocado oil)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper

The Tools You’ll Need

Cast-iron/stainless steel skillet
Tongs
Instant Read Thermometer

Note

For this recipe, I used a flank steak weighing just over 2 pounds (a bit more than 900 grams). Just make sure you’re using a regular cut, not the thin, butterflied kind, as it won’t cook the same way. The goal here is to get a crust on the outside while keeping the inside at medium-rare doneness, so the steak stays tender and juicy.

How to Pan Sear Flank Steak – Step by Step Photos

all ingredients for pan seared flank steak — *Ingredients: Black pepper, garlic, salt, butter, avocado oil, rosemary, and flank steak*

Gather all ingredients and tools first, then follow the steps below. This isn’t just a quick recipe, it’s a full guide to pan-searing flank steak on the stove. I’ve packed it with extra tips and photos to make sure you get great results, even if it’s your first time.

Step 1: Prepare the Flank Steak

Start by patting the flank steak dry with paper towels, then trim off any excess fat to get a clean, evenly shaped piece (just like the one in the photo above).

Next, choose your salting method based on how much time you have and the depth of flavor you want. Choose one of the following salting methods:

Option 1 – For Best Flavor and Crust: Season both sides of the flank steak generously with salt. Place it on a wire rack and refrigerate uncovered for 4 to 6 hours. About 30 minutes before cooking, take it out and let it sit at room temperature.
Option 2 – The Quicker Way: If you’re in a hurry, salt the flank steak and let it rest at room temperature on a wire rack for 45 to 60 minutes. Right before cooking, give it another quick pat with paper towels to remove excess moisture.

Note

You might wonder why there are specific rules for salting a flank steak. Here’s the reason: moisture is the enemy of a good sear. Right after you sprinkle salt on the steak, you’ll see tiny droplets form on the flank steak’s surface – that’s the salt pulling moisture out of the meat. For a great crust to form, that moisture needs time to be reabsorbed by the meat. That’s why searing a steak anywhere from 2-3 to even 30 minutes after salting is the worst time to do it. Give it at least 45 to 60 minutes, and most of that moisture will go back into the meat, leaving you a steak with a dry enough surface for a proper sear.

Dry brining also improves tenderness and flavor, but salt needs more time to penetrate the meat fully. There is one small downside, though: the longer the steak sits salted, the more likely you’ll get a gray band just under the crust. That’s not a sign of overcooking, it’s still tender and juicy, but it doesn’t look great to steak lovers who prefer a pink edge-to-edge. I just don’t care about that. I’ll take the deeper flavor that comes from salting overnight in the fridge any day.

If you want to reduce the gray band but still get a boost in flavor, salt the steak about 4 to 6 hours in advance. It’s the sweet spot: great flavor, a dry surface for a solid sear, and minimal gray band inside.

*Flank steak seasoned with salt and refrigerated for 24 hours*

Step 2: Preheat the Pan

Heat your cast-iron skillet or stainless steel pan over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add a tablespoon of refined avocado oil and let it warm for another minute. After about 3 to 4 minutes total, the skillet should reach 400–475°F (204–246°C), perfect for searing a steak.

While the pan heats, pat dry the flank steak again, then season with a generous sprinkle of finely ground black pepper.

Note

For pan-searing, use a pan that gets seriously hot and retains heat well. Cast iron and carbon steel skillets are your best bet as they’re excellent at retaining heat. If you don’t have one, a heavy stainless steel skillet with a thick base is a solid alternative.

For high-heat cooking like pan-searing, you need an oil that won’t burn easily. Refined avocado oil is my favorite choice, with a smoke point around 500°F (260°C) and neutral flavor. Just be sure it’s labeled “refined”. If you don’t have any, no problem. The table below lists other oils with high smoke points that work great for pan-searing and other high-temp cooking methods.

Type of Fat	Smoke Point ºF	Smoke Point ºC
Refined Avocado Oil	520ºF	270ºC
Refined Safflower Oil	510ºF	266ºC
Beef Tallow	480ºF	250ºC
Pecan Oil	470ºF	243ºC
Refined Peanut Oil	450ºF	232°C

Cast iron skillet heated to 471 degrees F. — *Cast iron skillet heated to 471°F (243.8°C).*

Step 3: Pan-Sear the Flank Steak

Place the seasoned flank steak in a hot pan and gently press it down with your hand to ensure good contact for an even sear. Flip it every 30 seconds to cook it evenly on both sides. Keep an eye on the temperature at the thickest part of the flank steak, once the meat thermometer reads it’s about 20–25°F (11–14°C) below your target doneness, take it out of the pan and move on to the next step.

Note

It’s nearly impossible to cook flank steak evenly in a pan because it’s a large cut with uneven thickness. That’s why you should check the internal temperature at the thickest part of the steak to get the most accurate reading and avoid under- or overcooking. The thinner edges will almost always end up a bit overcooked; that’s just the nature of this cut, and it’s something you have to accept. You can trim off the thinnest parts before cooking if you want, but I usually leave them on. I don’t mind the risk of a few dry spots, especially when I’m serving the steak with sauces that help make the drier bits still taste great.

When it comes to checking doneness, always use a meat thermometer (ideally an instant-read one). It’s the easiest and most reliable way to make sure your steak is cooked perfectly, without any guessing or unreliable touch tests. Don’t rely on timing alone. Trust the thermometer, and you’ll hit your target doneness every time.

Flank steak keeps cooking for a few minutes after it’s off the heat, which is why timing matters. If you don’t remove it from the pan at the right moment, you risk overcooking it. As it rests, the internal temperature can rise by 15 to 30°F (8 to 17°C), enough to turn a medium-rare steak into medium-well in just 5 to 7 minutes. Many recipes say to remove the steak just 5–10°F (3–6°C) below your target, but that’s often not enough. A safer move is to take it off 20–25°F (11–14°C) before your target temperature and let it rest. That way, you’re much more likely to hit your ideal doneness.

Flipping the flank steak more often (every 30 seconds in this case) helps it cook faster and more evenly.

*Flank steak cooked in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop*

Step 4: Let the Pan-Seared Flank Steak Rest

Once you take the flank steak off the heat, let it rest on a cutting board for 5–7 minutes. During this time, the carryover heat will continue cooking the steak, bringing it to your target doneness.

Once it’s rested, go ahead and slice it up, but make sure to slice it thin and against the grain. That’s the key to getting tender, juicy bites. (Need a visual? Check the FAQs section for step-by-step photos on how to slice it right.)

Serve sliced flank steak with your favorite sauce and enjoy the explosion of flavor. I love it with chimichurri, but it’s also amazing with herb-garlic brown butter or a compound butter.

Note

This resting period is important because the flank steak continues to cook even after it’s off the heat. Thanks to carryover cooking, its internal temperature can rise by an average of about 20°F (11°C) during 5–7 minutes of resting. If you slice it right away, you’ll interrupt that process and won’t reach your desired doneness.

Slicing into it immediately after removing it from the pan stops that process and can leave the steak slightly underdone. The only time it’s okay to slice immediately is if the steak has already hit your target temp and you’re trying to keep it from going over.

How much can a steak’s internal temperature rise while it rests after cooking? Find out in my case study: Resting Steak: Theory vs. Reality Based on My Tests.

cooked flank steak — *Cooked flank steak*

*Cooked flank steak sliced against the grain*

FAQs

When’s the best time to remove a flank steak from the pan?

The best time to remove a flank steak from the pan is when its internal temperature is about 20–25°F (11–14°C) below your target final temperature. Why? Because the steak keeps cooking even after it’s off the heat. The temperature can rise another 15 to 30°F (8 to 17°C) during the 5–7 minutes of resting, thanks to carryover cooking.

Removing a flank steak from the pan just 5–10°F (3–6°C) below your target temperature usually isn’t enough to avoid overcooking, especially with thicker cuts. Take it off the pan much earlier to hit your perfect doneness every time.

Below is a temperature chart for pan-seared flank steak, so you’ll know what to aim for based on your preferred level of doneness:

Doneness	Remove at temp:	Final temp:
Rare	100–110°F (38–43°C)	120–130°F (49–54°C)
Medium Rare	110–120°F (43–49°C)	130–140°F (54–60°C)
Medium	120–130°F (49–54°C)	140-150˚F (60–66°C)
Medium-Well	130–140°F (54–60°C)	150-160˚F (66–71°C)
Well Done	140–150°F (60–66°C)	160°F+ (71°C+)

These guidelines apply only to cooking flank steak in a pan.

How to slice pan-seared flank steak properly?

The key to tender flank steak is all in the slicing. Always cut it thin and against the grain. A lot of people think flank steak is just a naturally tough cut, but that’s not the whole story. How you slice it after cooking makes a huge difference.

Flank steak has long, clearly visible muscle fibers (those are the grain). If you cut along those grains, you’ll end up with chewy, leathery bites. But if you slice across the grain, you shorten those fibers, and the flank steak becomes much more tender and easier to chew.

Below, I’ll show you how to spot the direction of the grain in flank steak, the best angle to hold your knife, and what a properly sliced piece looks like.

*Cut flank steak against the grain. The yellow line indicates the grain direction, while the red line shows the cutting direction with the knife*

Slice of a cooked flank steak against the grain in my hands — *The result of cutting flank steak against the grain*

What is the ideal doneness for a flank steak?

The ideal doneness for flank steak is medium-rare, around 130–140°F (54–60°C). At this temperature, the fat starts to melt, and the meat stays juicy and tender.

Avoid cooking flank steak beyond medium, as it tends to become dry, tough, and chewy. The pronounced muscle fibers get firmer the longer they cook. On the other hand, cooking it below medium-rare (like rare) can also make it a bit too chewy. Medium-rare hits the sweet spot for flavor and texture.

Which is better, grilled or pan-seared flank steak?

I love pan-seared flank steak because it’s easy to make, doesn’t take much time, and pairs well with various sauces. It’s my go-to when I’m serving it with something like chimichurri sauce or brown butter. That said, I have to admit grilled flank steak shines when it comes to using wet marinades. Don’t get me wrong, pan-seared is still delicious, but grilled flank steak is just a bit more versatile overall.

Flank steak is perfect for marinades, there are tons of recipes made specifically for this cut. Grilling is the best way to cook wet-marinated steaks. A wet-marinated flank steak won’t form a great crust in a pan, and you miss out on the benefits of indirect heat, which helps cook the steak more evenly and hit your target temperature more easily. Marinades do take more time and ingredients, but they’re a great way to explore new flavors. Plus, grilling adds that smoky flavor you just can’t get from a pan.