Air Fryer Flank Steak

What is Flank Steak?

Flank Steak is a flat boneless cut from the underside of beef. (Here's a handy guide to the various cuts of beef: https://canadabeef.ca/cuts-by-colour/) Flank steak is very lean and it's super flavourful. Because flank steaks are so lean, if cooked incorrectly they can be tough, dry, and chewy.

Flank steaks should usually be marinated, and they need to be cooked briefly at high temperatures.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Flank steaks are one of the less expensive cuts, making it ideal for your first air fried steak experience.
• Flank steaks are one of the most flavourful cuts of beef.
• The red wine marinade adds even more flavour.
• The air fryer is the best way to cook steak indoors. It's perfect if you don't have a grill, or if it's too cold or too hot to cook outside.
• Air Fryer Flank Steak takes only 10 minutes for perfect medium rare.
• The steak comes out super tender and juicy with a nicely browned crust.

What You Will Need To Make It

Ingredient Notes

• Flank Steak Try to find a steak that's as uniform in thickness as possible.
• Red Wine You don't have to use an expensive, premium red, but do always use a wine that you don't mind drinking. Bad wine will impact the flavour. And you'll have three quarters of a bottle left, so why not drink it?
• Fresh Herbs Fresh rosemary and time are always best, but if you don't have them, use a teaspoon each of dried herbs.
• Beef Stock and Butter These ingredients are optional and you can use them to make a serving sauce with the marinade.

How to Cook Flank Steak in the Air Fryer

Air fryer flank steak is very simple and quick to cook, but you will need to marinate it first, so plan ahead for the marinating time. You will need at least four hours marinating time and up to eight. I'm not recommending overnight, because you probably don't want steak for breakfast. But if you do, overnight it is.

1. Start by using a sharp knife to score the surface of the steak in a criss cross pattern, first across the grain and then the other direction. Don't cut too deeply, just shallow cuts about ¼ deep. Do this on both sides.
2. Sprinkle both sides of the steak with pepper.
3. Whisk together the marinade ingredients.
4. Add the flank steak, cover with plastic wrap, (or pour everything including the steak into a sealable freezer bag). Refrigerate and allow the steak to marinate at least 4 hours or overnight.

Then you simply remove the steak from the marinade and air fry for 5 minutes on each side.

Tips

• Remove the steak from the marinade and allow it to come to room temperature 15-30 minutes before cooking. Keep the marinade to make the optional red wine sauce, or discard it.
• Even if your air fryer manufacturer says there's no need to preheat it, you should preheat for the steak to cook perfectly.
• Score the meat before marinating it. This step severs the long fibers to help tenderize the meat, and it allows the marinade to penetrate for maximum flavour.
• Make sure to cover the steak completely in the marinade. If not, turn it frequently.
• Only turn the flank steak once, halfway through cooking, and do it quickly so as not to release too much heat.
• Cook flank steak to medium rare or medium. Well done flank steak, unless it's slow cooked, will be tough.
• Using a meat thermometer, internal temperatures should be: rare 125°, medium rare 135°, and medium 145°.
• Allow the steak to rest before slicing to allow the juices to redistribute.
• Thinly slice flank steak across the grain diagonally, for maximum tenderness.

Common Questions

Want to Use the Grill?

This marinated flank steak is just as perfect on the grill! For grilled flank steak, follow all of the instructions before and after the air fryer. Substitute "grill" for air fryer and that's it!

Serving Suggestions

This air fryer steak recipe is perfect for tacos or these Flank Steak Lettuce Wraps. You can use it instead of chicken to make a Burrito Bowl. You can serve it with the optional red wine sauce, or drizzled with Chimichurri Sauce. Serve it with salads like Greek Pasta Salad, or Classic Potato Salad. Or with side dishes, for example: Air Fryer Carrots, Sautéed Green Beans With Garlic & Lemon, or Sautéed Beet Greens. And leftovers are good for sandwiches, or in a Steak & Asparagus Stir Fry.