Grilled Flank Steak with Burrata and Wine-Roasted Tomatoes

Why You'll Love this Recipe

• The marinade is easy to bring together the day before!
• Nearly any side you want will pair with this delicious steak, or enjoy it as prepared for an even easier meal
• This is a true flavor bomb!
• It looks as good as it tastes coming off the grill!
• Flank steak is under-appreciated at the moment and likely to be less expensive than other grilling cuts

History and Evolution of Marinating Tougher Cuts of Meat

Marinating tough cuts of beef in wine is an old-world practicality that adds a ton of flavor and tenderizes the meat.

The acid in the wine breaks down tough muscle fibers, while the tannins add depth. Add sugar and soy for balance and flavor, and you've got a marinade that works fantastically. Flank steak, a fibrous and lean cut of beef from the cow's lower chest, benefits massively from this kind of treatment. Without it, this cut can be very chewy, but with it, flank steak becomes a desirable cut of beef perfect for a budget.

Burrata, on the other hand, is a relatively modern invention from early 20th-century Puglia, Italy. Cheesemakers stuffed mozzarella with cream and curds to use up scraps and it became a luxury accent. Pairing it with grilled meat and roasted tomatoes is a great duo with rich, creamy, acidic, smoky all at once.

Why This Recipe Works

• The overnight marinade does two important things. It tenderizes and it flavors the meat. The wine's acidity gets deep into the muscle, while brown sugar balances the tang and helps with caramelization on the grill for a nice crust. Soy and Worcestershire add umami depth to the flavorful blend that makes the beef taste beefier.
• Tenderizing the meat before marinating matters. Poking holes with a fork or using a meat tenderizer breaks down connective tissue (and there is a good amount) in flank steak. Secondarily, it creates channels for the marinade to penetrate deeper into the meat. 
• Wine-roasted tomatoes concentrate flavor through evaporation. As the tomatoes blister and the wine reduces, sugars intensify and the garlic mellows into sweet, jammy bites. The rosemary infuses everything without overpowering. Honey adds just enough sweetness to balance the acid.
• Burrata is served at the end, not cooked. It stays creamy and cool, acting as a sauce when it splits open and combines with the juices from the roasted tomatoes.
• Resting the steak after grilling is important. If you slice it immediately, all those juices run out onto the board. Let it sit for 3 to 5 minutes and the fibers relax, keeping the moisture inside. And don't toss the juices! Pour them over the flank steak before serving for extra juicy goodness.

How to Make Grilled Flank Steak with Wine-Roasted Tomatoes and Burrata

This dish rewards patience with flavor. The marinade does the heavy lifting for flavor and texture. Cooking flank steak on the grill adds char and smoke. And the burrata and tomatoes finish everything with richness and brightness. Cook it once, and it'll become your go-to when you want to impress without tons of effort.

Ingredients

For the Flank Steak:

• Flank steak: This is a lean, flat cut with long muscle fibers. It's flavorful but can be chewy if not treated right. Look for one with minimal silver skin and even thickness so it cooks properly. 
• Kosher salt: Two teaspoons go in the marinade to season and help break down the meat proteins. The other two get sprinkled on right before grilling. Don't skip the second salting! 
• Dry red wine: Use something you'd actually drink, but not expensive (the $15 dollar range is a good bet). A Cabernet, Merlot, or Malbec all work great. 
• Neutral cooking oil: This helps the marinade cling to the meat and prevents it from drying out on the grill. We used sunflower oil, but Canola, grapeseed, or vegetable oil (and many others) all work well. 
• Bay leaf: It adds an earthy, slightly floral note. 
• Onion powder: This gives savory sweetness and depth and it distributes evenly in the marinade.
• Coriander seeds: These add an orangy, lemony, slightly floral warmth. It's subtle but rounds out the spice blend beautifully.
• Dried thyme: Earthy and herbal. It pairs perfectly with red wine and beef. 
• Black pepper: Adds heat and aromatics. 
• Worcestershire sauce: This is a versatile sauce. By using it sparingly, it amplifies the steak's flavor and adds a hint of umami.
• Soy sauce: More umami, plus saltiness. It also adds color to the marinade and helps with browning on the grill.
• Brown sugar: Balances the acidity, adds a touch of sweetness, and promotes caramelization. It also helps the marinade cling to the meat.

For the Tomatoes:

• Cherry tomatoes: These roast down into delicious sweet and slightly tart bites. Look for tomatoes that are firm and bright red. 
• Garlic cloves: Roasting garlic mellows it into something sweet and buttery. Leave them whole so they don't burn. Each garlic clove will cook slightly and lose their harsh bite. Smash them with the tomatoes before serving if you want.
• Rosemary: Fresh rosemary sprigs add woody, piney aromatics that complement both the tomatoes and the beef. Just toss the whole sprigs in and remove them before serving.
• Olive oil: Helps the tomatoes roast instead of steam.
• Dry red wine: Echoes the marinade and adds acidity that balances the sweetness of the tomatoes. As it reduces, it concentrates into a light sauce that is delicious drizzled over the steak as well.
• Kosher salt: Draws out moisture and intensifies the tomato flavor as they roast.
• Honey: A little sweetness to round out the acidity. It also helps the wine reduce into a syrupy consistency.

For the Final Dish

• Burrata: This is your creamy, indulgent topping. Burrata is fresh mozzarella filled with cream and curds. On these tomatoes, it's best cold or at room temperature.
• Extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, finishing salt, black pepper. These are your final touches. A drizzle of good olive oil, a few torn basil leaves, and a pinch of flaky salt make everything look and taste restaurant-level.

See recipe card below for quantities.

Equipment

You don't need a specialty kitchen to pull this off, but a few tools make the process smoother for better results.

1. Meat tenderizer or fork. If you have a meat tenderizer (the one with blades, not a mallet), use it. Most people don't own one so simply stab the steak all over with a fork. Flip it and do it again. You want to break up the muscle fibers and create entry points for the marinade. If you skip this, it's a guarantee that your meat won't be as tender.
2. Blender or whisk. Blending the marinade emulsifies everything and evenly distributes the sugar, spices, and liquids. You could whisk it, but a blender gives you a smoother, more consistent result in 10 seconds.
3. Marinating container or zip-top bag. Use something that fits the steak snugly so you don't waste marinade. A gallon freezer bag works great because you can flip it easily and it takes up less fridge space than a baking dish.
4. Outdoor grill (gas or charcoal). Either works. Charcoal gives you more smoke flavor, but gas gives you better heat control. You need both direct heat for searing and indirect heat for finishing without burning. If you don't have an outdoor grill, a grill pan or cast iron skillet will work as well, but make sure you have your vent fan turned out so you don't fill your house with too much smoke.
5. Instant-read thermometer. Flank steak is thin and cooks fast. Guessing doneness by time alone is risky. Pull it at 128-130°F internal temperature for medium-rare. It'll coast up a few degrees while resting.
6. Rimmed baking dish (for tomatoes). You need something that can hold the tomatoes in one layer and handle oven heat. A 9x9-inch dish or similar works perfectly. 

Step-by-Step Instructions

Tenderize the Beef

• Tenderize the steak with a meat tenderizer or poking it on both sides all over with a fork. Place the steak in a container just big enough to hold the steak and liquid marinade or in a gallon size zip top bag.

Prepare the Overnight Marinade

• Add 2 teaspoons of salt (reserve the other 2 teaspoons for grilling) and everything else to a blender and blend thoroughly. Pour over the steak and place in the fridge overnight or a minimum of 12 hours and up to 24 hours. Just make sure the steak is completely submerged in the marinade.

Make the Tomatoes and Prepare the Grill

• Preheat the oven to 400°F and preheat your grill. If you have 2 burners, go with hi and low. If 3, you can go hi, med, low.
• Clean the cherry tomatoes and add them to a baking dish that can hold them all in one layer.
• Add the garlic and rosemary to the dish. Thoroughly whisk the olive oil, wine, salt and honey. Pour the mixture over the tomatoes, and place the dish in the oven. 
• Roast the tomatoes for 30 minutes while you cook the steak.

Grill the Flank Steak

• While the tomatoes roast, remove the steak from the marinade, reserving some marinade for brushing the steak while on the grill. 
• Sprinkle the steak all over with the remaining 2 teaspoons of kosher salt.
• Grill the steak over high heat for a minute a side and then you can start moving the steak around the grill as needed from direct to indirect heat to prevent too much charring on the outside and baste occasionally with some reserved marinade. Flip the steak as much as you like but at least once after about 6-7 minutes of cooking.
• The steak should cook to around 128-130°F internal temp before taking it off the grill (this should take between 13 and 16 minutes total cook time depending on the thickness of your steak). This will result in something that is on the high end of medium rare (at its thickest point) to medium on the ends after resting. Adjust the cooking time if you like it done more or less. 
• Let the steak rest on a cutting board for about 3-5 minutes before slicing against the grain. 

Plate the Steak and Serve

• Place the sliced flank steak on a platter or on individual plates with the roasted tomatoes, and add the burrata. Drizzle some of the liquid from the dish with the wine-roasted tomatoes over the top of everything and garnish with good quality extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, salt and pepper if desired.

How to Know When It's Done

The difference between perfect and overcooked flank steak is a matter of degrees. Literally.

Use an instant-read thermometer and pull the steak at 130°F for medium-rare. This is the sweet spot for flank. Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the steak, making sure you're not hitting the grill grate underneath. The steak will continue to cook as it rests, reaching about 134-135°F, which gives you that pink, juicy center with a charred exterior.

If you prefer medium, pull it at 135°F to 140°F. It'll finish around 140°F to 145°F after resting. Anything beyond that and flank steak starts to get tough and dry. This is a lean cut with almost no fat to keep it moist, so overcooking is unforgiving.

For the tomatoes, look for visual cues. They should be wrinkled and starting to collapse, with some skins splitting open. The liquid in the pan should be reduced slightly and bubbling. If the tomatoes still look firm and the liquid is very thin, give them another 5 to 10 minutes.

Definitely use an instant read thermometer to check steak doneness.  

Variations and Substitutions

This recipe is flexible once you understand the structure.

• Swap the protein. Skirt steak, London broil, hanger steak, flat iron steak or even thick-cut pork chops work with the same marinade. Adjust cooking time based on thickness.
• Change the cheese. If you can't find burrata, use fresh buffalo mozzarella, ricotta or even a soft goat cheese. 
• Try different tomatoes. Grape tomatoes work in place of cherry tomatoes. 
• Make it spicy. Add red pepper flakes to the marinade or scatter sliced jalapenos, serranos, or Fresno peppers over the finished dish.
• Make it Mexican-inspired. Use lime juice in place of some of the wine, add cumin and smoked paprika to the marinade, and serve with queso fresco and cilantro instead of burrata and basil.

Storage

How to store leftover grilled flank steak:

• Let the steak cool to room temperature, then transfer it to an airtight container. Store the steak, tomatoes, and burrata separately. The steak will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. The roasted tomatoes will last 4 to 5 days. 

How to reheat leftover flank steak:

• To reheat the steak, bring it to room temperature first, then warm it gently in a skillet over medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Don't overcook it or it will dry out and toughen. You can also eat the steak cold or at room temperature, sliced thin for a steak crostini or on a salad or a sandwich.
• Reheat the tomatoes in a small saucepan over low heat or in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each interval. Add a splash of olive oil or water if they look dry.

Can you freeze leftover grilled flank steak?

• We don't recommend freezing the cooked steak, but you can freeze the raw meat in the marinade if desired.
• Freeze the marinated raw steak for up to 3 months if you want to prep ahead. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before grilling.

Leftover Transformations

Turn tonight's steak into tomorrow's lunch without getting bored.

Steak salad. Lay the steak over mixed greens with the roasted tomatoes, burrata, toasted pine nuts, and a red wine vinaigrette.

Steak and burrata bowls. Toss the sliced steak and roasted tomatoes with farro, quinoa, or rice. Add spinach, a drizzle of balsamic, and any leftover burrata.

Steak sandwiches. Pile the steak on crusty bread or a baguette with the roasted tomatoes, burrata, and a handful of arugula. Toast the whole thing if you want it warm and melty.

Steak crostini. The ultimate appetizer from leftover steak! Thinly slice the steak and serve cold over toasted baguette rounds, paired with some peppery arugula pesto and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Steak tacos. Warm corn tortillas, fill them with sliced steak, roasted tomatoes, crumbled burrata, and cilantro. Add a squeeze of lime.

What to serve with Grilled Flank Steak

Some crusty bread is always a great idea to soak up the extra wine sauce. Additional grilled vegetable skewers with zucchini, onions and bell peppers is a nice addition if you want to add more veggies to this dish.

What Wines To Drink with Grilled Flank Steak

You cooked with red wine, so it makes sense to drink it.

The safest bet: Pour the same wine you used in the marinade. If it's good enough to cook with, it's good enough to drink. A Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot works beautifully because the tannins match the richness of the beef, and the fruitiness complements the roasted tomatoes.

If you want something more refined: Go with a Côtes du Rhône or a Chianti. Both have enough acidity to cut through the burrata and enough body to stand up to the char on the steak.

If you want to get fancy: Try a Barolo or Barbaresco. These are powerful, structured wines that pair beautifully with grilled beef and won't get lost against the bold flavors of the marinade.

If you prefer white: This isn't a typical white wine dish, but a full-bodied, oaky Chardonnay could work if you like the contrast of creamy wine against savory meat.