Vietnamese Grilled Flat Iron Steak

You'll flip with the first bite of this amazingly tender and incredibly delicious Vietnamese Grilled Flat Iron Steak. The marinade is loaded with fabulous flavor and the simple secret tenderizing ingredient will shock you!

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Marinade time1

Total Time1 30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Vietnamese-inspired

Keyword: Vietnamese Grilled Flat Iron Steak, Vietnamese Steak

Servings:

Calories: 404kcal

Author: Chris Scheuer

Ingredients

For the marinade and steak:

¼ cup brown sugar packed
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 ½ tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped lemongrass or lemongrass paste
1 tablespoon minced peeled ginger or ginger paste
6 garlic cloves finely minced
2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1½-2 pounds Flat Iron steak

For serving:

Sweet Basil Vinaigrette

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the marinade:

Combine all marinade ingredients except the baking soda in a small bowl or measuring cup. Stir well to combine, then add the baking soda and stir again. (The mixture will foam up a bit, that’s normal!) Transfer the marinade to a large zip-lock bag.
Prick steak all over with a fork and add to marinade; turn to coat and massage the steak all over to work the marinade in. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 12 hours.

For grilling the steak:

Preheat your grill to high and clean the grates.
Remove steak from marinade, letting excess drip back into the bag and pat the meat dry with paper towels; reserve marinade. Drizzle the steak lightly on both sides with olive oil and rub with your hand to coat the meat. Season the steak with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.
Sear the steak over high heat until deeply browned then turn down the heat to medium and continue cooking, turning occasionally with a tongs until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 125-135° (the timing for this will depend on the thickness of your steak.
Tent the steak with foil and allow it to rest for 8-10 minutes, then slice into ½-inch slices across the grain. Pour any juices that have accumulated on the cutting board over the steak.

For serving:

Serve on its own, with the marinade drizzling sauce or with Sweet Basil Vinaigrette.
If you want to make a drizzling sauce, transfer the marinade to a small saucepan and bring it to a boil then lower the heat and simmer for 4-5 minutes until thickened a bit.

Notes

See Café Tips above in the post for more detailed instructions and tips to ensure success.

If you prefer to use Metric measurements there is a button in each of our recipes, right above the word “Instructions”. Just click that button to toggle to grams, milliliters, etc. If you ever come across one of our recipes that doesn’t have the Metric conversion (some of the older recipes may not), feel free to leave a comment and I will add it.

Nutrition