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Overhead shot of a platter of flank steak, grilled vegetables, and roasted potatoes

5 Ingredient Flank Steak (easy to make + perfect for grilling!)

This 5 Ingredient Flank Steak is insanely flavorful and so easy! It'll be your new go-to marinade this summer. All you need is red wine, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and garlic. It's just the right balance of savory flavors, and the touch of brown sugar balances everything out. You won't believe how simple and delicious it is!

Course Beef, Dinner, Main, Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword 5 ingredient, 5 ingredient marinade recipe, 5 ingredient recipe, easy flank steak marinade, easy flank steak recipe, easy grilled flank steak recipe, easy summer grilling recipe, grilled flank steak recipe, summer marinade, summer steak marinade
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Inactive Time 12 hours
Servings 4 -6
Author Molly | Spices in My DNA

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup dry red wine*
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce*
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 pounds flank steak

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the red wine, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, and pepper. Place steak in a gallon size zip-top bag and pour in the marinade. Press all of the air out of the bag and seal tightly. Shake the bag and work the marinade around to ensure all surfaces of the meat are covered. Refrigerate for 12-24 hours (24 is preferable), turning the bag once if you can remember!

  2. When you're ready to grill, remove the steak from the fridge 15-20 minutes or so ahead of time to get the chill off of it (this allows it to cook more evenly.) Preheat your grill or indoor grill pan to medium-high. Once preheated, shake the excess marinade off of the steak and grill for 4-5 minutes per side (for medium/rare-medium), depending on the thickness of your steak and your desired temperature. Let the steak rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Be sure to slice it against the grain on an angle. Serve immediately!

Recipe Notes

*I like to use a full bodied, dry red wine for this recipe. Something like a Garnacha or Spanish red is what I typically use, but just be sure you use something that you'd enjoy drinking - the flavor only intensifies when you cook with it!
*Don't use low-sodium soy sauce for this recipe. The meat really needs regular soy sauce to be seasoned properly.
*If you have the time, marinate this steak for 24 hours. The longer, the better. If you can't, 12 hours is totally fine!