My Review of Flat Iron Steak in “World’s Best Marinade”
We grilled a flat iron steak after marinating 16 hours in the “World’s Best Marinade,” and here is what we thought…
If you’ve been on Pinterest for any length of time, you’ve likely seen the viral recipe, “World’s Best Steak Marinade in Existence.” I decided to try this marinade on a flat iron steak and to share my thoughts here on the blog. First, I’ll address some basic questions that some might have.
What is a flat iron steak?
Cut from the Top Blade, flat iron steak is extremely tender, well-marbled, flavorful, and great for grilling. Flat iron steak is the second most tender cut after the tenderloin. It’s often considered to be an ultra-tender alternative to the ribeye.
Is flat iron steak the same as flank steak?
No, they are not the same. The flank steak is leaner than the flat iron, but both are flavorful and tender. Below are some of the cuts of beef explained.
What is The difference between flat iron steak, hanger steak, flank steak, and skirt steak?
- Flat iron Steak: A flat muscle off the shoulder blade. This cut is known for being tender. It is best marinated and grilled.
- Hanger Steak: This cut “hangs” between the tenderloin and the rib, encircled by the rib cage. It is tender & flavorful, but expensive (one hanger steak per cow). It is often seasoned and skillet-seared (for steak frites) or broiled.
- Flank Steak: This cut lies on the belly close to the hind legs. It is super lean and needs to be marinaded and sliced very thinly across the grain. It is often used in fajitas and stir-frys.
- Skirt Steak: Long, thin, and fibrous, this is actually the cow’s diaphragm. It is a chewy piece of meat that really requires tenderizing (whacking with a meat mallet) and marinading. This is the traditional cut used for fajitas.
The best flat iron steak that I have ever eaten came from Shipley Farms. You can visit their website here and place orders and subscribe to monthly orders.
How long should you marinate a flat iron steak?
12-24 hours is plenty of time to marinate a flat iron steak. Too much longer than 24 hours could result in over-tenderizing and making the steak mushy.
What goes in the “World’s Best Marinade”?
This marinade is made up of a lot of yummy ingredients and spices that make this steak phenomenal. The marinade consists of soy sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and a large mix of spices including cayenne pepper, ground white pepper, and more. The key to this marinade is making sure that your steak marinates for plenty of time so it can soak up all of those delicious flavors from the marinade.
Is The Best Steak Marinade in Existence Really the Best?
My opinion is simply my own; however, I do enjoy and highly recommend the marinade (in the recipe below). My personal favorite, though, is this Kensington Club Steak Marinade, which was the signature marinade at the (now closed) Steak and Ale restaurant chain. It is outstanding.
Is it hard to grill Flat Iron Steak after marinating?
It does not take very long to grill this steak and I recommend cooking it however you normally like your steak. Just do it how you like it, super simple and super easy! Once it is done to your liking, you can pull it off the grill and let it rest for about 10 minutes.
How do you cut a flat iron steak?
The most important thing to know when you are cutting your grilled flat iron steak is to cut it against the grain. If you haven’t heard of this before it basically just means to cut in the opposite direction from the fibers of the meat. Another good thing to note is that you will want to wait at least 10 minutes after you pull the meat off of the grill in order to let it rest. After that, you are good to start slicing it!
A Video of Me Making The World’s Best Steak Marinade in Existence
My Favorite Carving Board and Serving Platter
I absolutely love my Williams’-Sonoma carving board:-). We use it every time we grill meat. The side channels prevent juices from spilling, and the meat is so easy to slice. The link to my exact board is below (WS has MANY boards; it took me a while to find this one when my friend recommended it.)
I’d LOVE to hear back from any of you who have thoughts or opinions on the topic. As always, thanks so much for stopping by. Wishing you a joyful, blessed, and savvy day!!!
Flatiron Steak in World's Best Marinade
Flatiron steak in World's Best Marinade is to die for yummy, tender, and flavorful.
Ingredients
- Flat iron steak
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
- 3 Tbsp dried basil
- 1 1/2 Tbsp dried parsley flakes
- 1 tsp ground white pepper
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp minced garlic
Instructions
- Combine all marinade ingredients; stir until combined.
- Place steak inside heavy duty ziploc bag; pour marinade over.
- Marinade 8 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.
- Grill flatiron until desired doneness.
- Allow to rest 10 minutes before slicing.
- Cut thinly across the grain; serve.
Nutrition Information
Yield 10 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 112Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 6mgSodium 451mgCarbohydrates 3gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 3g
Adapted from Allrecipes.
Oh that sounds SO good!!! I love a surf & turf!!!!!!
Made this yesterday for annual Surf and Turf Christmas Dinner — Marinade was a massive hit!!!
If grilling lobster and steak at same time on same grill, respect the times. The Flat Iron will take about 10-12 minutes longer than the lobster…
I am SO happy that you liked it!!!!
This marinade is amazing! I was super skeptical with all the dried basil and parsley in it for frilling, but it turned out really incredible! I did not have lemons, so I skipped on the lemon juice, but I can only imagine that the steak would have been even more tender after a few hours with it. I will definitely use this one again!
Gu Corinne! I don’t have steak size for this, but as long as the marinade covers at least one side of the meat it should be fine. Just be sure to turn the meat to get both sides in the liquid. XoXo
You don’t mention size/ weight of steak per marinade. Please clarify. Sounds delish.
So glad you and the family love it!!! Thank you for that grammar tip; I get confused on that one lol!!!
Love this marinade for the flat iron steak — kids love it too! FYI: marinate is the verb; marinade is the sauce. :)
This marinade is excellent. Have used it several times and the steak came out delicious. Flat iron steak is one of the tenderest pieces of steak you can buy. Pretty easy to mess it up when preparing. If you don’t want to grill you can do in pan on top of stove as well. Comes out great that way too!
Hi Mateo, I am so happy that it turned out perfectly!! Bravo to you!!! Thank you for leaving feedback!!!
Wow! This was perfection! Completely made up for my previous steak mishap!
Hi Rebecca, those do sound like some good tweaks to make. I definitely think a tad of sugar makes most things better:-)
Three things this marinade is missing: fresh rosemary, mustard (dry or fresh), and a little sugar to ease the bite. Otherwise, very nice.
Hi Jennifer! I am so glad you liked it! And pecan wood sounds great; I’ll have to try that next time:-) Thanks for touching base and leaving a commment!!!! XoXo
OMG this is an AMAZING marinade. THe best I’ve ever had for a flat iron. Thank you so much! PS – even better when barbecued over pecan wood.
Hi Andy! You posed a great question; I really had to think before answering. Honestly, I am not a “beef connoisseur” in that I order my steaks medium well AND I prefer an obvious marinade. Enhance or hide? I am not sure. Probably, I want to enhance enough to minimize an overtly beefy flavor:-) Hope this makes sense. Please let me hear what you think if you end up trying this. I think you’ll like it.Thanks so much for joining the conversation!
Thanks for the recipe- thinking about trying it. I usually cook my Flat Iron in a cast iron with salt and minimal pepper. It has a very good beef flavor (similar to sirloin)- but being such a tender cut, why do you recommend marinating it? Is it to hide some of the beef flavor or to enhance it?
So glad you enjoyed this!!!! The potatoes under the broiler sound delish; I am gonna try them out!!
I just made this and the marinade is awesome. I marinated the steak for 8 hours and chose to broil it on a wire rack and it was so tender and flavorful. Next time I’ll put thinly sliced potatoes under the rack so they can soak up the drippings. Thanks!
Hi Mina! We love the gourmet Gruyere grits; the twice baked potatoes are wonderful also. We also love salad with steak; I have several great ones on the blog. Hope it turns out. Let me know!!!
Hi! What sides would you recommend with the grilled steak? There’s so many options out there. Btw, I love flat iron steaks so I’ll definitely give this recipe a try! Thank you in advance!
Lauren, do give it another try, and try the marinade I used. You might also use a meat tenderizer and pound the steak with the “rough side” and see if that helps. Do let me know!!!
Jamie – Okay, we’ll give this another shot, and we’ll try your recipe the next time! The more I read, the more I think the butcher cut it wrong. I’ve read that if you don’t cut meat with the grain it can be like chewing on rubber bands… which is a perfect description for our experience. What still worries me is how it really had no flavor, but maybe that’s due to the marinade we used. How can so many positive testimonials online be SO wrong?! :)
Hi Lauren! I am so sorry your meat didn’t turn out well:-( I have no idea what could’ve gone wrong, as ours turned out buttery tender (and we are not expert grillers:-). You might try buying your next cut at another store and see if that makes a difference. I love meat from The Fresh Market and Winn Dixie. Let me know what you try and how your next one turns out!
We tried flat iron for the first time, and it was so chewy and had no flavor. We did marinate it for 8 hours and cooked it medium rare. We said we’ll never do it again, but every article we read says how tender and flavorful this cut is. Something doesn’t make sense. We had to ask a butcher at Whole Foods to cut us a piece since none was out. Do you think we got the wrong cut of meat? Should we give it another shot? Did we cook it wrong?
Hi Barbara! It was a typo~LOL~now corrected:-) Thanks for catching it. Hope you enjoy the steak!!!
What is “Campaign ICon”? It is an ingredient in the marinade.