This balsamic red wine flat iron steak is a simple meal that tastes anything but! A mix of kitchen staples like balsamic vinegar, BBQ sauce, and red wine results in a flavorful marinade and pan sauce that amps up the flavor of tender flat iron steak.
One of my New Years resolutions was to be better at meal planning. Most of the time I just can’t think straight if it’s 6:30 pm and I’m even the tiniest bit hungry. Seven months into 2015 and I’m happy to report that I’ve made serious progress! Of course, I still get hung up on the occasional Thursday night “hmmm I ran out of my three dinner ideas for the week already”, but that’s a whole lot better than scratching my head on a Tuesday, wondering how many iterations of leftovers we can take before someone goes looking for a take-out menu.
The one hinderance to my meal planning? Our supermarket! It’s kind of funny, but randomly they won’t have basics in stock. Four out of five times they won’t have basil, we stock up on frozen shrimp (for these!) BIG time when we find them, and there’s no rhyme or reason behind the cuts of meat they have at any given time. At all.
On one trip I struck out on finding flank steak (or skirt steak…), so I took a gamble on new-to-me flat iron steak. Ummm, hello? Where have I been? Flat iron fan for life right here! As I’ve now learned, flat iron steak is a tender cut of meat with a bit of marbling for flavor just perfect for marinading. And one of the best things about it is that it’s less expensive than some of the other steaks. That’s a win-win in my book!
Currently, there are two flat iron steaks in our freezer (found a sale, baby!). Can you tell we’re head over heels?
To date, this balsamic red wine marinade is my FAV-OR-ITE. It’s tangy from the balsamic vinegar, rich from the addition of red wine, and a bit zippy from the BBQ sauce. Combined with olive oil and a little bit of salt and pepper, you’ve got a balanced mix of flavors that works wonders with the flat iron steak.
One of the best parts of this recipe is the pan sauce. Ooooh man, that pan sauce. Once the steak has finished cooking, you shut off the stove top and pour about a half-cup of red wine into the still-hot skillet. Swirl it around and watch as it reduces and thickens. Scrape the pan sauce on top of your steak and Y-U-M. Flank/skirt steak, who?
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cup red wine, plus 1/2 cup for deglazing
- 1/3 cup BBQ sauce, your favorite
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 - 2 lb. flat iron steak
- Cut flat iron steak into 1" - 1 1/2" pieces and place in a container that you'll use to marinade it in.
- Combine the balsamic vinegar, red wine, BBQ sauce, olive oil, black pepper, and salt in a bowl and pour it over the steak pieces. Cover and place dish in the refrigerator to marinade for 45 minutes to 1 hour (or at least a half hour), flipping the pieces over halfway through.
- Remove the dish from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes. While the steak is sitting, preheat oven to 400 degrees F and place a large cast iron skillet in oven to preheat.
- After 20 or so minutes, place skillet on stove top over medium to medium-low heat and lightly grease the bottom with olive oil. Immediately add steak pieces to skillet in a single layer and cook for approximately 7 minutes per side so that a crust forms, or to your preferred doneness. Remove steak to a separate plate.
- While the skillet is still hot, turn the stove top off and pour about 1/2 cup of red wine into the skillet and swirl it around. The wine will reduce very quickly and thicken. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, remove the pan sauce and pour over steak. Serve over mashed potatoes or alongside your favorite steak side dish.
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom says
Alyssa, this balsamic red wine marinade looks amazing!!!! it must add so much flavor! I MUST TRY this!!! love!
Stephanie @ The Glamorous Gourmet says
I love a Flat Iron steak and your description of this recipe is making my mouth water! Beautiful photos too and I bet it would be delicious paired with a Cab or Cotes du Rhone – Cheers!
Alyssa says
Thank you Stephanie! Those sound like perfect pairings!
Terri says
OMG!!!! My mouth is watering just from looking at your pictures!! Can’t wait to try this out on hubby since he is a big fan of steak! Love your blogs and all the recipes too…Bon Appetíte!
Alyssa says
Thank you Terri! 🙂
Ashley says
That would drive me nuts if my grocery store was always out of the basics! It happens only a few times at mine and even then I get pissed 🙂 haha This steak looks awesomeeee. Happy weekend!!
Alyssa says
Haha it’s crazy Ashley! There’s no telling what they’ll be out of. Recently they rearranged all of the aisles so I have no clue where anything is! Thankfully they always have flat iron steak haha. 🙂
Danielle says
My husband loves steak, I secretly do too but I’m always afraid I’ll cook it wrong haha. These look fantastic, Alyssa! I love the red wine addition too, always a great idea 😉
Alyssa says
Haha I always had that fear, especially when we’d cook it on the grill. Definitely outside my comfort zone! Now that we’re in an apartment and don’t have a grill, the stove top it is. This is one of our favorites!
Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic says
i used to avoid flank steak because I thought it would be too tough and lean but when cooked right, it is pretty awesome! Your version with balsamic red wine looks INCREDIBLE!
Alyssa says
Thanks Bianca! We are big fans!
Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel says
This sounds so yummy! I hardly ever make steaks because I have it in my head that they can only be cooked on the grill (which I don’t mess with– that’s hubby’s deal). But this method makes it sound so easy! I’ll have to try!! And any sauce with balsamic has got to be good!
Alyssa says
Haha yes! We always used to cook steak on the grill but since we moved into an apartment – no more grill! Kind of forced us to experiment with the stove top but we love it. Thanks Jess!
Sues says
What a delicious-looking steak! Love that balsamic red wine 🙂
Alyssa says
Thanks Sues! It’s a favorite. 🙂