My easy marinated pan seared flat iron steak is beyond delicious and the perfect meaty main to serve with any of your favorite sides! Steaks are marinated in a garlicky red wine marinade that tenderizes the meat and infuses it with incredible flavor!
Juicy, tender, and packed with flavor – perfectly pan-seared flat iron steaks are a steakhouse-quality dinner!
Steak is one of my all-time favorites! Who doesn’t love a juicy, delicious steak paired with mashed potatoes or another delicious side dish? It’s an amazing way to treat your loved ones to something special!
Easy pan seared flat iron steaks have the perfect golden-brown sear, they’re super juicy, and they’re made incredibly tender and flavorful with my red wine marinade! Red wine goes perfectly with the steak and transforms the meat into an intensely flavorful main course!
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❤️ Why I Love This Recipe
- So Simple! Marinate the meat, and then sear it in a hot pan! It really couldn’t be more simple!
- Bursting with Flavor! You’ll be stunned at how much flavor my red wine marinade imparts into the steak. Every bite is bursting with delicious flavor!
- Perfect for Steak Night! Who doesn’t love steak night? These delicious flat iron steaks will taste like you’re dining at your favorite fancy steakhouse!
🥘 Ingredients
My incredible red wine marinade really makes these flat iron steaks sing! Make sure to use a red wine you’ll want to drink!
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
Flat Iron Steak
- Olive Oil – This will help to sear your steak without any burning! I like to use a standard olive oil or a neutral oil with a high smoke point.
- Flat Iron Steak – Flat iron steak is so versatile and has a delicious marbling that keeps the steaks juicy! You’ll want ½ pound of steak per person.
- Salt & Pepper – Since we’re using a marinade for this steak, we’ll keep the seasoning simple!
- Butter – You’ll add butter to the steak at the end to baste it and coat it in amazing buttery flavor!
Red Wine Marinade
- Dry Red Wine -- Red wine tenderizes the steak and adds a ton of flavor! Steak and wine are a perfect pair, so the flavor is amazing in a marinade (See Tips & Recipe Notes)
- Olive Oil – I like to use extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)here for the flavor and because it’ll help to seal in the juices of the steak.
- Lemon Juice – Fresh lemon juice also helps to tenderize the meat and adds great flavor!
- Minced Garlic – I love the perfect flavor combination of garlic and steak! You can use pre-minced or mince your own?
- Onion Powder – This will add more fantastic flavor to the steaks! You can use onion powder or granulated onion, but not onion salt.
- Sea Salt – Salt is of course necessary when making steak! We want to make sure that the steaks are perfectly seasoned, and the delicious natural flavors are highlighted.
- Black Pepper – I love freshly ground black pepper here to enhance the marinade and the flavors of the steak!
📖 Variations
- Want to add even more flavor to your steaks? You can add some chopped fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme to the steak marinade to make them even more delicious!
- Can’t have red wine, but want to make these amazing steaks? Try using half the amount of pomegranate juice! It has that rich, fruity flavor without the alcohol! It is much sweeter, however—so you should use less! You could also try substituting beef broth with a little red wine vinegar!
🔪 Instructions
Making an amazing steak has never been easier! The marinade is so simple but so delicious!
Flat Iron Steak Marinade
- Make the Marinade. In a mixing bowl, combine ½ cup dry red wine, ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, ½ tablespoon of minced garlic, ½ tablespoon of onion powder, 1 teaspoon of sea salt and 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper. Then, pour the marinade into a Ziploc plastic storage bag.
- Add the Steaks. Add 1 pound of flat iron steaks into the plastic storage bag, press out the extra air, and seal the bag. Marinate in your refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
Searing the Flat Iron Steaks
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- Remove Steaks from Marinade. Remove the bagged steaks from the fridge, take out of marinade and then pat dry with a paper towel to remove excess marinade. Allow the steaks to come to room temperature for no more than 1 hour before searing.
- Prep the Pan. In a large skillet or cast-iron pan, heat ½ tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat. You want the pan to be very hot, and the oil to be shimmering.
- Sear the Steaks. Sprinkle the now room temperature steaks with salt and pepper to taste and add the steaks to the pan. Sear your steaks for 4 to 6 minutes on one side, then turn over and sear for another 3 to 5 minutes until the steaks have reached the desired level of doneness (use an instant-read thermometer to make sure it’s at the perfect temperature).
- Baste with Butter. When the steaks are 2 minutes away from being done, add 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan. Let it melt, then quickly spoon the butter over the steaks to baste them and help the brown further.
- Serve! Remove the steaks from the pan and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
My easy and delicious red-wine marinated Pan Seared Flat Iron Steaks are an incredible main course! They’re perfect for dinner served with hearty sides like mashed potatoes, or even for lunch sliced over a salad with lots of mixed veggies. Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
I like to use a dry red wine for the marinade – make sure it’s something you’ll drink!
- I recommend using a Cabernet Sauvignon, or another medium-bodied red wine for the marinade that you’d like to drink with the meal.
Ensure a perfect sear by making your pan and oil very hot!
- The pan should be shimmering and very hot when you add the steaks, so that they create a beautiful golden-brown sear on the steaks.
Use an instant-read thermometer probe to make sure your steak comes to your desired temperature!
- Bring the steaks to an internal temperature of 120-125°F (49-52°C) for rare, 125-129°F (52-54°C) for medium rare, 130-139°F (54-59°C) for medium or 140-145°F (60-63°C) for medium well.
- The carryover cooking while the steaks are resting will finish bringing them up to temperature completely!
Make sure to let the steaks rest for at least 5 minutes before serving or slicing into them!
- Dry steaks are never good! If the steaks are allowed to rest, the juices will be able to evenly distribute back into the meat and will keep the steak wonderfully juicy!
🥡 Storing & Reheating
You’ll want to make sure any leftover steak is well-wrapped in plastic cling film or aluminum foil and then it can go in your fridge, where it’ll keep for up to 3 to 4 days!
Did you know you can freeze steaks? Just make sure to put it into a good freezer storage bag, squeeze out the extra air, label, and it’s good to keep it in your freezer for up to 6 months. When ready to reheat, defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
Reheating Pan Seared Flat Iron Steaks
My favorite steak reheat method is to use the oven! Start by preheating your oven to 250°F (121°C). Then place steaks on a baking sheet (use a wire rack if you have it) and bake for about 30 minutes or until the center reaches at least 125°F (52°C).
If desired, you can also sear the leftover steak quickly in a hot skillet to re-brown.
🥩 What To Serve With Flat Iron Steak
❓ Recipe FAQs
Basting steaks with butter is a not-so-new food trend, and is a French technique called 'arroser'—and it’s popular for good reason! Butter is of course super flavorful, and it deepens the crust on the outside.
Butter also can help the steak finish cooking more quickly by applying heat to both sides of the steak.
The flat iron steak is a cut that comes from the chuck of the cow! This affordable and delicious cut is marbled nicely with fat, so it keeps the meat tender and moist. It’s also sometimes referred to as a top blade steak!
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📖 Recipe Card
Pan Seared Flat Iron Steak
Ingredients
Flat Iron Steak
- ½ tablespoon olive oil (extra virgin)
- 1 lbs flat iron steak (2 8-ounce portions)
- each, salt & pepper (to taste)
- 1 tablespoon butter
For The Red Wine Marinade
- ½ cup dry red wine (Choose a nice Cabernet Sauvignon or other red that you will enjoy with your meal.)
- ¼ cup olive oil (extra virgin)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
Marinade Instructions
- Combine all the marinade ingredients into a mixing bowl.
- Pour the marinade into a Ziploc bag.
- Add the flat iron steaks into the bag, press the air out and seal the bag.
- Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
Pan Sear The Flat Iron Steaks
- Remove bagged steak from the refrigerator, then remove the steaks from the marinade, using a paper towel dab to remove excess marinade, and allow to come to room temperature.
- Heat a large skillet or cast iron pan to medium high. Add the olive oil to the pan.
- Get the pan very hot, the oil should be shimmering.
- Sprinkle the steaks with salt and pepper. Add the steaks to your heated pan and cook for 4-6 minutes, turn steaks over for another 3-5 minutes. (Use an instant-read temperature probe to determine doneness.)
- When steaks are 2 minutes away from being done add the butter to the pan. Spoon the butter over the steaks.
- Remove steaks from pan and allow to rest 5 minutes before serving, enjoy!
Tilly van Hoolwerff says
Heb vanavond, zondag 26maart, gemaakt en oh oh oh wat hebben we heerlijk gegeten. Met kastanje paddestoelen die gebakken waren in het achtergebleven vet van de gebakken katenspek plakjes. Later heb ik de paddestoelen in de marinade van het vlees laten inkoken. Heerlijk zacht vlees gekregen door de marinade 😋😋
"Made this tonight, Sunday March 26th, and oh oh oh what a delicious meal we had. With chestnut mushrooms that were fried in the fat left behind from the fried bacon slices. Later I let the mushrooms reduce in the marinade of the meat. Delicious soft meat obtained by the marinade"
Anonymous says
ga dit heerlijke recept voor de kids morgen maken.
heb 1,4 kg Flat iron steak gehaald ( sligro )
de rode wijn marinade welke hoeveelheid moet ik hier voor aanhouden ?
gr michel
"going to make this delicious recipe for the kids tomorrow.
got 1.4 kg Flat iron steak (sligro)
the red wine marinade what amount should I use for this?
gr Michel"
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Hallo Michel, ik zou het recept voor marinade verdubbelen en dat zou voldoende moeten zijn om je flat iron steak te marineren. Genieten van!
"Hello Michel, I would double the marinade recipe and that should be sufficient to marinate your flat iron steak. Enjoy!"
Anonymous says
thx.
michel
Mary says
I have never been able to make a good steak and spent plenty of money on all the expensive ones. But I followed this step by step and it it was the most tender, tasty bite of steak I ever had!
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Awesome! We love hearing a great success story! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!