This Upside Down Seared Flank Steak recipe is the perfect way to get the most out of that lean cut of beef. Slowly smoked on your grill before ending with a nice char, dying could soon be your new favorite way to grill meat.
The reverse method is one of my favorite ways to cook steak recipes. Brings out the best in meat and understands its natural juices, slowly bringing it to perfection.
In this recipe we show you how to grill the perfect seared steak and how to expertly set up your grill like a pro. Let’s get into that.
What is reverse singing?
Reverse searing is(as the name suggests) the reverse way of traditionally searing steaks. In most traditional restaurants, steaks are first cooked over high heat and then in the oven to allow the inside of the meat to come up to temperature and achieve the desired doneness.
Reverse scorch takes this method and turns it on its head. In this method, the meat is first smoked or oven cooked to allow the interior of the meat to reach a medium doneness. It’s then covered and seared over high heat to give it that grilled finish we all love.
It can be done with a simple hearth oven or even through sous vide, but nothing beats a grill or smoker.
Any type of grill or smoker that can provide an indirect heat source will work. Including a pellet grill or smoker or rope a Big Green Egg.
We’ve seen it work beautifully with tri-tip steak and tomahawk steak . Today we want to move on to the flank steak.
What are the advantages of reverse sealing?
This way we can ensure that the inside of the meat is cooked to the desired doneness first without the outside drying out.
Another advantage is that if you only grill the steak over direct heat, you run the risk of cooking the meat unevenly, especially with larger steaks. Not only that. You will often see that the outside edges of the meat are very well done and the inside is thin. It looks disgusting and it doesn’t taste much better.
When you cook your steak straight, it’s very easy to overdo it and cook it past your desired doneness. It’s too easy to aim for medium rare only to end up doing well. By getting YOU up to temperature slowly, it’s much easier to get the results you want.
Why sear flank steak upside down?
While any type of steak can be used to sear upside down, I find flank steak to be the best cut of meat for the job.
Flank is a lean , chewy cut of meat that’s best at medium to well-done. Reverse searing is a method that completely cooks the steak, so it stands to reason that brisket is the better cut of meat. For this reason, Bavette Steak also lends itself well to this method.
What oil can I use to brown a steak upside down?
It is not necessary to use oil when grilling, but SHE can apply some vegetable or olive oil to the surface of the grill grate for browning.
If you burn your side, I recommend using olive oil or shortening. Use a generous amount and allow the steaks to cook in the fat or butter for a minute on each side.
How to set the grill to burn upside down
If you’re using a charcoal grill or smoker, set your coals the Minion method.
For those unfamiliar, this is a method of arranging embers to burn slowly over a period of time. This means YOU don’t have to change out the coals every 20 to 30 minutes, which would affect your smoker’s cooking temperatures.
Another benefit is that you set your grill for indirect grilling, which is the best way to approach reverse cooking.
Aim for a cooking temperature of 107°C, although anything up to 250°F is fine too.
Be sure to use lump charcoal and not briquettes. Lump charcoal burns much cleaner and is more energy efficient.
How to Flip Brown Flank Steak on a Grill
With your grill or smoker operating at 225°F, place your steak on the racks or top racks.
When reverse cooking, we don’t tend to set a specific cooking time. Instead, we assume the internal temperature.
If you choose Medium Rare, then you should look for an internal temperature of 120°F. If we do that, that temperature will increase by 5/10°F and we’ll be stuck with a final target temperature of 130°F.
It often takes 40-60 minutes for brisket to reach this level when cooked to 225°F.
Once the internal temperature is 120°F, remove the steak from the grill and allow to rest while increasing the heat to sear.
You want your grill to be as hot as possible , so open your grill or smoker vents as wide as possible and bring some extra glowing embers into the kitchen with a charcoal fireplace.
Place the steak back on the grill once your fire has built up. If it’s direct fire, it’s fine.
It’s important to remember that at this stage we’re not looking for a target temperature, just the aesthetic and texture that the scorch gives us. This is a charred finish with a small crackle.
You should only need 20-30 seconds for each side, although sometimes it takes a minute. Keep the steak moving and when it looks done, remove from the heat immediately.
Once you’ve taken off the heat, you don’t have to let it rest. Simply slice or serve immediately.
Writer & content creator. BBQ fanatic!
