How To Cook Flat Iron Steak On The Stove

Last Updated on 17th December 2021 by

The flat iron steak gets its name from the fact that it is shaped like a traditional flat iron. This thin cut of beef comes from the shoulder of the cow, one of two parts of meat that are cut from the shoulder. The other piece of meat that is cut from there is the top shoulder steak.

The flat iron steak is a well marbled steak and has plenty of flavor, and to top it all off, it is a very tender cut of meat. The tough connective tissue has been sliced through when removing this piece, so there is nothing strenuous to chew through.

I want to share with you how to cook flat iron steak. Because it is a thin, flavourful, and tender slice, it is ideal for pan searing or any kind of cooking method that uses a skillet and a stovetop.

It cooks quickly and evenly, which is great for when you just want to make a simple dish. You can focus more on the other parts of your meal or on the seasoning of the dish rather than getting the meat to cook just perfectly.

Of course, with a thin slice like this, there is a danger of cooking it too long, making it dry, hard, and lacking flavour. The more you cook it, the more flavour you drain from it, so watch for that. Don’t overcook it and instead err on the side of slightly undercooking it instead to preserve its signature tenderness and tastiness.

How to Cook a Flat Iron Steak

Start by choosing a good cut of meat. Make sure it is fresh and still has some shelf life to it. The fresher your beef is, the better it will taste, still retaining its flavour better than a steak cut that is about to expire.

Make sure you have a skillet that is large enough to accommodate the steak. Some cuts of flat iron steaks are larger than others and will need plenty of room to cook while laying flat. You could cut the steak into smaller pieces if you like, and it is often cut butterfly style into thin slices that cook very quickly.

How to cook flat iron steak on the stove? One thing I would say to be prepared for is the smoke that will be produced when you cook it on the stovetop. It produces a lot of smoke, so have your fan on when you cook it. That smoke could fill up your kitchen really fast otherwise.

This kind of steak also cooks well with a bit of oil. Some steak is juicy enough that it doesn’t need that, but I would suggest using just a bit of oil to cook this steak in.

That helps it retain its juiciness and not dry out, and it also helps to give the steak a slightly crispy outer layer, which is really lovely for creating a clash of texture sensations in your mouth, making for a more complex dish.

How long to cook flat iron steak for? You want to start with the right level of heat for this steak, which is on medium-high. That means it will cook quickly, and the high heat is fine for this and still ensures a fully cooked steak through and through because of how thin it is.

Any method for how to cook beef flat iron steak will be short. It doesn’t take long at all, cooking after about four or five minutes on each side.

Cooking it any longer can be problematic, resulting in a dried out husk of a steak that is tough and not very pleasant to eat. Let’s not do that, so watch your heat level and your cooking time carefully.

It would be better to not cook it enough than to cook it too much. You could always cook it more if it is underdone, after all. That would be my top tip for how to cook flat iron steak on stove top method.

How to Cook Flat Iron Steak in Oven

I definitely want to share an oven baking method for you as well. I like oven baking my steak because of how it helps to keep the nutrients in the steak, so it can be a healthier steak than if you cook it in some oil.

It also helps to avoid charring and gives you a more even cooking of the meat. I like that baking is simple and straightforward as well. You just place your steak on the baking sheet and let it cook.

You don’t have to keep an eye on it and prod it or flip it part way through, so it is definitely less complex than how to cook beef chuck flat iron steak on the stovetop.

Let’s talk about the oven cooking method for this cut of beef. So, how to cook flat iron steak in the oven? You just need to preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake the steak for 25 minutes until it is cooked all the way through.

You can baste it with some sauce or soak it in a marinade first, if you want. Glaze, season or rub it down- all of these work to give it some extra flavour.

There are plenty of ways to dress up and flavour the flat iron steak for oven cooking, and you are less likely to lose any of your sauce or seasoning with the oven baking method compared to the pan fried method.

How to Cook Flat Iron Steak on the Grill

You can cook the flat iron steak on the grill just as easily as you cook it with these other methods. The advantage of grill preparation is that you get slightly blackened steak and that nice grill flavour and smell.

You can easily cook it with other foods on the grill as well, grilling vegetables or fish together with the steak. The grill gives you more room to work than a frying pan would too, so you can cook everything at once and have plenty of space.

How to cook a flat iron steak on the grill? Just heat up the grill before putting the steak on there, because it doesn’t need to cook for long. It is best if the entire steak cooks at a high temperature a cooks quickly.

What is the right temperature and cooking time for how to cook flat iron steak on grill? You can cook it at a high heat and cook it for about five minutes. Then, flip it over and cook it on the other side.

Flat Iron Steak- How to Cook It Flawlessly

An important tip I want to share with you about how to cook a flat iron steak on the stove or the grill is that you should not touch it while it is cooking. You should only move it once you need to flip it over.

Otherwise, just leave it alone. Any experienced chef will tell you that how to cook beef chuck flat iron steak without it losing its flavour or becoming too tough is to let it rest in the frying pan or on the grill. Just put the piece of beef where you need it at the start and leave it be until you need to flip it.

The number one mistake that inexperienced cooks make with this steak is to push it around and flip it back and forth as it cooks. This is not good for the steak and really makes it lose some of its luster when it is finally finished.

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Pauline

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I'm Pauline, a mother of four grown children, my passion for cooking stemmed from the joy i get cooking for my family. I love to try new dishes, especially when dining out but creating and sharing my own recipes is my favourite thing to do!