This Traeger Smoked Flank Steak recipe is packed with flavor and will impress any dinner guest! This marinaded steak is smoked and reverse seared resulting in a tender piece of meat topped with a flavorful basil chimichurri sauce.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Flank steak is an inexpensive cut of meat. Because it is a lean cut of beef, flank steak is generally one of the most inexpensive cuts out there! It is such a versatile piece of meat and is a popular choice for fajitas. Flank steak would be a perfect cut for these Blackstone Fajitas.
- It’s a quick dish with lots of flavor! This is a simple recipe that the whole family will love. The easy marinade paired with the sweet basil chimichurri adds so much incredible flavor to this smoked meat.
- This steak can be served with all of your favorite side dishes. This flank steak recipe goes great smoking right alongside these Traeger Baked Potatoes and these Smoked Vegetables.
What Is Flank Steak?
Flank steak is a cut of meat that comes from the cows abdominal area. It is an extremely lean (ie. not a lot of fat) and thin cut. Because of how lean it is, it is very easy to overcook resulting in a very tough piece of meat. Flank steak is often times labeled in grocery stores as london broil and is often used interchangeably with skirt steak as well.
Flank steak is most commonly thinly sliced and used for fajitas but if cooked correctly is one of the most delicious and versatile steaks. Despite its low fat content, one of the best things about flank steak is that it's known to be full of flavor with wonderful texture. Letting it sit in a good marinade, smoking, and then reverse searing on a high temperature keeps this cut of meat incredibly tender and flavorful.
Ingredients Needed
For Flank Steak
For Basil Chimichurri Sauce
Ingredient Notes
- Avocado Oil - This can also be substituted for olive oil. Avocado oil has a high smoke point and is my preferred oil of choice when searing meat at a high temperature.
- Red Wine Vinegar - the acidity helps to tenderize the steak prior to cooking and adds great flavor. If needed, this can be substituted for additional apple cider vinegar.
- Coconut Aminos - this is a gluten free and soy free substitute to soy sauce and has delicious flavor. However, it can be substituted 1:1 for soy sauce or even worcheschire sauce.
- Basil - The basil adds an incredible sweet flavor to this chimichurri sauce.
How To Make This Recipe
- In a small bowl mix all the marinade ingredients until well combined.
- Trim any excess fat and silver skin from the steak (if necessary) and place it in a shallow dish or a ziplock bag and pour the marinade over the top. Flip the steak ensuring all sides are covered in the marinade.
- Place the steak in the fridge to marinade two hours up to 6 hours.
- Preheat the Traeger to 225 degrees F for 15 minutes, then place the marinated steak directly on the grill grates.
- Allow the flank steak to smoke for 45 minutes then remove the steak, very loosely cover with aluminum foil and set aside.
- Turn the pellet smoker up to 450 degrees F and allow to fully preheat. Place the steak back onto the hot grill grates and sear on high heat for approximately 3 minutes per side, until the internal temperature has reached 130 degrees F for medium rare. It will continue to cook as it rests.
- While the steak is smoking, add all ingredients for the chimichurri (aside from the oil) to a food processor or blender and pulse until everything is finely chopped.
- Slowly add the oil and pulse until combined.
- Remove the steak from the grill and allow to rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes.
- Thinly slice the steak against the grain, top with the basil chimichurri and enjoy!
What To Serve With This Recipe
This juicy steak along with the chimichurri sauce will definitely be the star of dinner! I like to keep the sides simple and even smoke some side dishes alongside the steak. These recipes go great served with this flank steak for a delicious meal:
- Traeger Baked Potatoes
- Smoked Vegetables
- Traeger Asparagus
- Air Fryer Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Whole30 Mashed Potatoes
For a healthier dessert serve up this Cast Iron Peach Cobbler or these Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes.
Recipe Tips
- Cook to temp rather than time - I always recommend using a meat thermometer as the cook time on every cut of meat can be different!
- Cut against the grain - Cutting against the grain will keep your meat tender and delicious! Slicing meat with the grain results in a tougher piece of meat. You will cut perpendicular to the muscle fibers that run in a single direction.
- Don’t skimp on the marinade time - Because flank steak is known to be a tougher cut of meat, marinading is imperative to keep it tender when smoking or grilling. Allow the steak to marinade for at least 2 hours up to 6-8 hours.
Recipe FAQ’s
The best way to tell when any steak is done is to use an instant read thermometer. Flank steak is best cooked to medium rare. Any more done and it becomes too tough to enjoy. I recommend removing the steak from the smoker when it has reached an internal temperature of 130 degrees F. It will continue cooking as it rests. Medium rare is 135 degrees F.
For a stronger smoke flavor I recommend hickory or mesquite wood pellets. For a more mild smoke flavor apple, cherry, or pecan pellets are great options.
Absolutely! Grill the steak on high heat for approximately 5 minutes per side until the internal temperature has reached 130 degrees F. Remove the steak from the bbq grill and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving!
More Traeger Pellet Grill Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Traeger Smoked Flank Steak
Equipment
- Traeger Grill or other pellet smoker
Ingredients
Smoked Flank Steak
- 2 lb flank steak
- ¼ cup avocado oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup coconut aminos
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tsp pepper
Chimichurri Sauce
- ½ bunch cilantro
- ½ cup fresh basil
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2-4 jalapenos
- 1 shallot
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- red pepper flakes optional, to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl mix all the ingredients for the marinade until well combined.
- Trim any excess fat and silver skin from the steak (if necessary) and place it in a shallow dish or a ziplock bag and pour the marinade over the top. Flip the steak ensuring all sides are covered in the marinade.
- Place the steak in the fridge to marinade one hour up to 8 hours.
- Preheat the Traeger to 225 degrees F for 15 minutes, then place the marinated steak directly on the grill grates.
- Allow the flank steak to smoke for 45 minutes then remove the steak and set aside.
- While the steak is smoking, add all ingredients for the chimichurri (aside from the oil) to a food processor or blender and pulse until everything is finely chopped. Slowly add the oil and pulse until combined.
- After 45 minutes, turn the pellet grill up to 450 degrees F and allow to fully preheat. Place the steak back onto the grill grates and sear for approximately 3 minutes per side, until the internal temperature has reached 135 degrees F for medium rare (or your desired level of doneness).
- Remove the steak from the grill and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
- Thinly slice the steak against the grain, top with the basil chimichurri and enjoy!
Notes
- Avocado Oil - This can also be substituted for olive oil. Avocado oil has a high smoke point and is my preferred oil of choice when searing meat at a high temperature.
- Red Wine Vinegar - the acidity helps to tenderize the steak prior to cooking and adds great flavor. If needed, this can be substituted for apple cider vinegar.
- Coconut Aminos - this is a gluten free and soy free substitute to soy sauce and has delicious flavor. However, it can be substituted 1:1 for soy sauce or even worcheschire sauce.
- Flank steak is best cooked to medium rare any more done and it becomes too tough to enjoy. I recommend removing the steak from the smoker when it has reached an internal temperature of 130 degrees F. It will continue cooking as it rests.
- For gas or charcoal grill - Grill the steak on high heat for approximately 5 minutes per side until the internal temperature has reached 130 degrees F. Remove the steak from the grill and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
- The temperature will vary based on the size and thickness of the steak, use an internal thermometer to cook to temp rather than time.
- Cut against the grain - Cutting against the grain will keep your meat tender and delicious. Slicing meat with the grain results in a tougher piece of meat. You will cut perpendicular to the muscle fibers that run in a single direction.
- Allow the steak to marinade for at least one hour up to 6-8 hours.
Nutrition
Love this recipe? Consider leaving a 5-star 🌟 rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. We LOVE to hear from you!
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