This BBQ Flank Steak recipe is tender, full of flavor and melt-in-your-mouth delicious! Topped with an easy homemade habanero cherry BBQ sauce, this easy grilled steak is one of my favorite summer grilling recipes.

BBQ Flank Steak

When it comes to summer grilling recipes, the first steak recipe I go for is this grilled Flank Steak with its Cherry Habanero BBQ Sauce. There are just some days when you need something more than yard bird. This grilled flank steak recipe fixes that and is one of my favorite summer steak recipes! Chicken is the go-to source of protein in this house but there are nights when you really just want to treat yourself to a grilled steak. This BBQ steak recipe is the perfect way to get your non-chicken fix and because it is so quick and easy to cook. That means it is great for busy weeknights and lazy weekends alike and the homemade habanero cherry BBQ sauce is out this world! This glazed flank steak also pairs perfectly with Tangy Mixed Bean Salad, Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese, Loaded Potato Salad and Italian Pasta Salad with Pepperoni.

 What is a Flank Steak

Flank steak is a super versatile cut of meat that can be cooked in a variety of ways.

Because it is a well used muscle from the lower chest of the cow, it can sometimes be a bit tough.

Flank steak is ideal for marinating and grilling.

Cooking this steak correctly then slicing your flank steak thin against the grain helps to ensure that your steak comes out tender and moist.

Best Flank Steak Recipe

So what makes this grilled steak recipe better than the others? Let me tell you!

• This flank steak on the grill is juicy and melt in your mouth and who doesn’t LOVE that?
• This is a treat from your everyday! Grilled steak is amazing but adding a whole new unexpected layer of flavor from the habanero cherry BBQ sauce is what makes this a must try!
• When it comes to summer grilling, this BBQ recipe is perfect to use with tacos, burritos, on a steak salad, served over rice.. the possibilities are endless!
• Habanero cherry BBQ sauce is sweet and tangy with just a little bit of spice and it complements the grilled flank steak to the next level. 
• Fire is fun.
• When looking for the best way to bbq your steak, breaking out the grill is my favorite but you can also make this in your oven just as easy.

Grilled Steak and BBQ Sauce Ingredients

• Flank steak
• Olive oil
• Garlic
• Ketchup
• Habanero pepper
• Apple cider vinegar
• Orange juice
• Cherry preserves
• Soy sauce
• Worcestershire sauce
• Spices

How to BBQ Steak

To make your Cherry Habanero Grilled Flank Steak, add olive oil to a skillet and heat over medium heat. Add diced habanero pepper and sauté for 2 minutes.

Add in garlic and cook for another minute. Pour in ketchup, preserves, vinegar, soy sauce, orange juice and remaining spices.

Bring to a low boil and then lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Pour BBQ sauce through a small screen strainer to remove habanero pepper and garlic pieces.

Allow sauce to come to room temperature.

How to Cook the Perfect Steak on the Grill

Rinse and pat dry flank steak. Using a basting brush, lightly coat with your cherry habanero BBQ sauce.

Next, prepare your grill… Once hot and coals are ash colored, place steak on grill rack coated with cooking spray.

Grill 5-6 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness (medium rare is 135 degrees).

Coat with BBQ sauce as you flip your steak. Move steak to a cutting board, coat with sauce again and cover loosely with foil.

Let stand 5-10 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices.

Pro Tips for the Best BBQ Steak

• Let your cherry BBQ sauce come to room temperature. This allows it to thicken up a bit before using on your BBQ steak.
• Get your grill HOT before adding your steak. Since flank steak is thin, it will cook quickly and you want that crispy sear on the outside.
• Let your steak rest for 5-10 minutes after removing it from the grill to allow juices to redistribute in the meat. This is vital to a juicy steak.
• Cut your steak against the grain and slice your steak into thin strips. This can be a tough cut of meat. Slicing your meat thin and against the grain ensures a tender bite.
• Leftover habanero cherry BBQ sauce can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Beef Silver Skin

That white / silver thin layer of super tough connective tissue that you sometimes find on the back of ribs and flank steak is called silver skin.

It is not tasty and is super tough to chew through so you will always want to remove it before cooking your meat. 

Simply, slip the tip of your knife between the silver skin and the meat and carefully slide the knife down the meat while gently pulling up on the silver skin.

The silver skin will (usually) easily pull away from the meat in large pieces.

If the silver skin is too slippery or if you are having trouble pulling it away from the meat, usually grabbing it up using a paper towel helps. 

Discard the silver skin and continue preparing your flank steak.

Flank Steak Grill Time

Flank steak thin and is quick and easy to cook so the grill time is less than thicker cuts of meat.

It takes about 4 minutes per side for medium rare, about 6 to 8 minutes a side for medium, pair it off with some vegetables and maybe some rice or a side of pasta and you have the perfect dinner.

Grilled Flank Steak Temperature

When it comes to grilling your flank steak, hitting the right temperature is the most important part of grilling. 

For rare, you want to remove your grilled flank steak when it reaches 125°F. 

If looking for Medium Rare, remove at 135°F. 

For Medium Well, remove your grilled flank steak at 155°F and for Well Done, hold off until it reaches 155°F. 

Once you remove your grilled flank steak from the grill, cover and let sit for 5 – 10 minutes to come up to full temperature and doneness.

You can easily monitor your temperatures with an easy read meat thermometer.

Grilled Steak Temperature Chart

• Medium Rare flank steak temp – 130 to 135 degrees F – center is very pink, slightly brown toward the exterior portion and slightly hot to the touch
• For Medium flank steak – 140 to 145 degrees F –  center is light pink, outer portion is brown and hot throughout
• Medium Well flank steak temp – 150 to 155 degrees F – mostly gray-brown throughout with a hint of pink in the center

Difference Between Flank Steak and Skirt Steak

When it comes to skirt steak or flank steak, the two cuts of meat are very similar and can be used interchangeably.

Flank steak is a bit more lean than skirt steak and has a strong meaty flavor. Skirt steak also has an intense flavor but has more tough fibers than flank steak does.

Both are tasty and both do best when marinated.

Cut Meat Against the Grain

When a recipes says to cut meat against the grain, it means to slice the meat perpendicular to the natural lines running through your meat.

In flank steak or skirt steak, it’s quite easy to see the grain running through the meat. They look like lines in the meat.

Don’t cut with these lines, always cut across them them. If you cut across the lines, you will have tons of natural breaking points in the meat which keeps the steak pieces from being tough.

How to Cook Flank Steak in the Oven

Sometimes firing up the outdoor grill just isn’t an option and that is OK … this grilled steak recipe can just as easily be made in your oven instead.

To cook your BBQ steak in the air conditioned comfort of your kitchen, heat you oven to Broil.

Once fully heated, line a baking sheet with foil and spray non-stick cooking spray. Add you steak to a baking pan and move your oven rack to 6 inches below the broiler.

Broil your marinated steak for 4-5 minutes on one side, flip and broil for another 4-5 minutes on the second side, depending on how done you like your steak.

Remove from the oven, transfer to a plate and cover with foil and let sit for 5-10 minutes before slicing against the grain in thin slices. 

Perfect Side Dishes To Serve with Steak

Veggies: Adding some quick vegetable sides is a great way to keep things light. Roasted brussels sprouts, Rainbow Carrots or my Easy Bean Salad are perfect!

Potatoes and Pasta: You can never go wrong with a side of Scalloped Potatoes, Macaroni and Cheese or Twice Baked Potatoes.

Summer Salads: No backyard BBQ is complete without Italian Pasta Salad, Potato Salad and Homemade Coleslaw.

More Easy Steak Recipes

• Grilled Flank Steak with Blackberry Chipotle Sauce
• Oven Broiled Mexican Flank Steak
• Soy Marinated Broiled Flank Steak 

Enjoy ♥

Update Notes: This post was originally published in May of 2018 but was republished with an updated recipe, new photos, step by step instructions and tips in March of 2024.