The Easiest Grilled Steak for Labor Day

Anyone else feeling like a lazy griller at this point in the summer? Sure, you know how to mess with two-zone fires, and smoke with wood chunks, and all that. But if you just want to make easy, really delicious grilled steak for Labor Day, you need Sunset’s recipe for Soy and Ginger Flank Steak. This is almost one of those dishes where the name is the recipe—there isn’t much more to it than soy sauce, ginger, and meat. Some red wine adds brightness, and honey brings a rich, sweet note. Time, of course, is another major ingredient. The time the flank steak spends marinating is the difference between ho-hum beef and the tender and flavorful experience that you’re about to have. You’ll be amazed at how this preparation levels up the taste and texture of the humble flank steak, and we predict that it will become a go-to for any grilling occasion, not just Labor Day.

The salty-sweet teriyaki-style marinade goes together in about five minutes, especially if you use a food processor to mince the ginger and garlic. (Remember the lazy part?) Marinate the meat for a couple of hours, set the steaks on a hot grill (the recipe makes enough for two flank steaks), and they’re done in 10 or 15 minutes. Best of all, it’s simple to scale up the recipe—marinate and grill up as many flanks as your grill can handle. Easy! After all, isn’t Labor Day all about taking a break from work?

A Few Options

• Freeze the steaks in the marinade. You can start the recipe anytime you have a few minutes, and thaw it whenever. (It keeps 3 months in the freezer.)
• Marinate the steaks in 2 bags so you can grill one now, one later.
• Take the steaks camping. If you pack the meat and marinade frozen in your cooler, it will act like a mini ice block as it thaws.
• Use the marinade to season veggies. After you put the steaks on the grill, dunk vegetables like sliced bell peppers and onion wedges in the leftover marinade and grill them alongside the steaks. (Just be sure they get nice and hot, since the marinade was used for raw meat.)

Soy and Ginger Flank Steak

SERVES 8 (MAKES 2 STEAKS) / 20 MINUTES, PLUS AT LEAST 2 HOURS TO MARINATE

Sunset reader Stephanie Stephens of San Leandro, California shared the recipe.

2 flank steaks (about 1 1/4 lbs. each), fat-trimmed

2 tbsp. minced fresh ginger

4 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

6 tbsp. dry red wine

3 tbsp. honey

1. Put steaks in a 1-gal. resealable plastic bag. Combine remaining ingredients in a 2-cup measure and pour into bag. Seal bag, turn to coat meat, and chill at least 2 hours or until next day, turning occasionally.
2. Heat a grill to high (about 425°). Lift steak from marinade and grill (with lid closed), turning once, until as done as you like, 10 to 15 minutes for medium-rare.
3. Transfer steak to a cutting board and tent with foil. Let rest 5 or 10 minutes, then thinly slice across the grain.