Flat Iron Steak with Steak Board Sauce

Whether you are grilling up a flat iron steak or preparing a filet mignon, slice the finished steaks on a cutting board filled with fresh herbs, garlic and extra virgin olive oil for a delicious and easy cutting board sauce. Sponsored by Harris Ranch Beef.

Getting my family of five to agree on dinner can be a challenge, especially now that they are older and have more sophisticated taste buds. I blame myself for their high standards. but, one meal they will always agree on is a steak dinner.

What’s not to love about steak?! We prepare all kinds of cuts of meat in all kinds of ways, from oven roasted tri tip to grilled porterhouse steaks to deep fried ribeye roasts. But the simplicity of this cutting board sauce is probably my new favorite way to serve up steak. And all five of us gave it a big thumbs up!

Why this recipe is so awesome

With the cost of meat going up, many are finding it hard to enjoy a delicious steak dinner. Luckily, there are tasty and tender cuts of beef that are more affordable than a filet mignon or ribeye. The flat iron steak is one of these great budget friendly and flavorful steaks.

The flat iron steak is also known as a boneless top chuck steak or a shoulder top blade steak. It is cut from the shoulder area, a region that produces some flavorful cuts of beef. The flatiron is quite tender and is well-marbled. It may not be as melt-in-your-mouth tender as a filet mignon, but it is surprisingly tender like a T-bone or ribeye.

When you look at the flatiron, it is as the name suggests, a flat cut of meat. It is more tender than the flank or skirt steak, which are cut from the underside of the cow. Because of its thin shape, it cooks relatively quickly making it a wonderful steak to enjoy and prepare any day of the week.

My favorite way to enjoy a steak is to keep it simple: salt, pepper and a little butter. Although I love a grilled steak, I have also been enjoying the ease of pan searing steaks in a cast iron pan.

I have already shared with you some simple pan sauces you can prepare if you are cooking a steak in a pan. This bourbon sauce is quite flavorful and the whole family loved the red wine sauce. Both are super easy to whip up and quite delicious.

You might have heard of chimichurri sauce, which is a delicious South American condiment made with fresh herbs, olive oil and red wine vinegar. It is incredible served with steak, chicken, pork or any meat or vegetable. This cutting board sauce is similar to a rustic chimichurri sauce.

The beauty of a steak board sauce is in its simplicity. While the steaks are cooking, chop fresh herbs with garlic, peppers and onions over a cutting board with a groove around it so the sauce won’t spill out. Mix in the olive oil and let it sit until the steaks are done cooking.

See my Steak with Cutting Board Sauce Web Story for a quick visual guide to making this recipe.

When the steaks are cooked to your desired doneness, place them directly onto the herbs. You usually let the steaks rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting, but you don’t need to do that with a cutting board sauce. You can begin cutting right away or after resting for 1-2 minutes. Mix the meat juices with the rest of the sauce and serve.

Can it really be THAT easy? Well, yes!

The herbs you use in a cutting board sauce are all up to you. I like to use a variety of herbs, mixing strong flavors with mild. Some favorite herbs I use include parsley, cilantro, sage, thyme, oregano and basil. You can also use herb flowers. They are both edible and incredibly aromatic.

I typically do not season a cutting board with salt and pepper because the meat is seasoned. So I suggest waiting to add additional salt or pepper until you tasted the final combination of cut steak and sauce.

Choosing the best steak

I have had the privilege to work with Harris Ranch Beef, a California beef company that has worked tirelessly for the past 50 years to bring the highest quality of beef to the world. Because they control multiple aspects of the beef production process, they can control the quality of their meat.

Their beef is minimally processed and contains no artificial ingredients. Their cattle spend most of their lives grazing on grass, with only the last 120 days eating a grain-based diet at their feed lot. It is not surprising that Harris Ranch Beef keeps winning the hearts and taste buds of their clients in blind taste testing.

When the cows come to the feeding lots after 18-24 months of grazing on grass, they are fed custom made feed. Harris Ranch mills all of their own feeds under the guidance of a consulting animal nutritionist. Probiotics and vitamins are added to keep the cattle healthy.

I toured Harris Ranch’s feeding lot and was really impressed to see how well the animals are treated and how much attention is made to keep them healthy and stress free. Their livestock facilities were designed by Dr. Temple Grandin, a world-renowned expert in animal welfare. She also assisted in training the staff on proper livestock handling techniques.

Harris Ranch Beef now offers nationwide shipping, so you can enjoy their amazing beef from anywhere in this great nation. Plus, for a limited time, they are also offering free shipping to anywhere in California. Every shipment is packed with ice in insulated shopping bags. All of their shipments are sent Monday thru Wednesday to ensure better delivery.

Ingredients you need

I make this cutting board sauce with flat iron steaks, but you can use this sauce for any steak you like. It is also delicious with pork chops.

• Kosher salt: I prefer kosher salt for steak rubs as it is less salty than regular salt and is flakier. This helps the salt dissolve onto the meats surface, creating a little bit of a crust, depending on how long it sits there.
• Coarsely ground black pepper: I like tasting the pepper so I prefer coarse pepper. Finely ground pepper blends in with the spice blend more.
• Green onions: For the onion flavor you can use green onions, chives, red onions or sweet Vidalia onions.
• Garlic: If you do not have garlic, you can use shallots for your onion and garlic choice.
• Fresh herbs, like parsley, sage and oreganoJalapeño
• Jalapeño: If you like a spicier sauce choose a spicier pepper and keep the seeds. You can try serrano or Thai peppers. I chose a mild red jalapeño, but you can also use green.
• Lemon zest: If you want to add some zing to your cutting board sauce, stir in a little red wine vinegar or lemon juice. I added some lemon zest, but you can also use lime or orange zest as well.
• Extra virgin olive oil: You will want to choose a good quality extra virgin olive oil. Perhaps one that is more pungent and flavorful than a mild oil.

Step-by-step directions

1. Season both sides of the steaks with salt and pepper.

2. If grilling the steaks, preheat grill to high heat. Clean grate and rub down with oil.

If pan searing the steaks, heat a large cast iron pan with grape seed or avocado oil over high heat until just smoking hot.

Place steaks over high heat and cook for 5 minutes, for medium-rare. Flip steak over and grill for an additional 5 minutes. For medium cook for 7 minutes per side.

3. While steaks cook, chop green onions, herbs, garlic and jalapeño on a large cutting board with a lip, to prevent sauce from spilling over.

Mix in grated zest and olive oil. Let sauce sit until steaks are done.

4. Once steaks are cooked to desired doneness, place directly onto the cutting board sauce and let sit for 1-2 minutes.

Slice steaks across the grain, letting the hot meat juices mix with the herb sauce. Mix the meat slices, juices and sauce together and serve immediately.

Expert tips and Recipe FAQs

Like many other steaks, you can prepare the flatiron steak on a grill or in a cast iron pan. Both will yield a terrific steak. Because it is a thinner cut of meat, the thickest end is about 1-inch, you can marinate the falt iron very easily.

I keep the preparation simple with a dusting of kosher salt on both sides of the steak.

If cooking over a grill, heat the grates over high heat. You want it scorching hot to sear the steaks. Cook each side for 5-minutes to yield steaks done at medium-rare to medium.

Follow the same instructions if cooking with a cast iron pan. Heat the pan until just smoking and then add the steaks.

You can also use a meat thermometer to determine doneness. Because we are not letting the steaks rest for a long period of time, factor that when deciding the right time to remove the steaks from the heat.

For medium rare, you will want temperature to be 130-135ºF and medium 135-145ºF.

I like to serve steaks prepared with a cutting board sauce family style, all the sliced meat and sauce on the cutting board. I also add in any other vegetables to the mix.

The sauce works beautifully with almost any vegetables grilled or roasted: potatoes, tomatoes, asparagus, green beans, eggplant, squash, bell peppers, red onions and mushrooms.

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Yield: serves 4

Flat Iron Steak with Cutting Board Sauce

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Whether you are grilling up a flat iron steak or preparing a filet mignon, cut the steaks on a cutting board filled with fresh herbs, garlic and extra virgin olive oil for a delicious and easy cutting board sauce.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Additional Time 2 minutes

Total Time 32 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 flat iron steaks, about 8-oz each
• 2 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 green onions
• 2 cups chopped fresh herbs, like parsley, sage and oregano
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeño, diced
• 1 TBS grated lemon zest
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Season both sides of the steaks with salt and pepper.
2. If grilling the steaks, preheat grill to high heat. Clean grate and rub down with oil.
3. If pan searing the steaks, heat a large cast iron pan with 1 teaspoon grape seed or avocado oil over high heat until just smoking hot.
4. Place steaks over high heat and cook for 5 minutes, for medium-rare. Flip steak over and grill for an additional 5 minutes. For medium cook for 7 minutes per side.
5. While steaks cook, chop green onions, herbs, garlic and jalapeño on a large cutting board with a lip, to prevent sauce from spilling over.
6. Mix in grated zest and olive oil. Let sauce sit until steaks are done.
7. Once steaks are cooked to desired doneness, place directly onto the cutting board sauce and let sit for 1-2 minutes.
8. Slice steaks across the grain, letting the hot meat juices mix with the herb sauce. Mix the meat slices, juices and sauce together and serve immediately.

Notes

Use a variety of herbs, mixing strong flavors with mild. Some favorite herbs I use include parsley, cilantro, sage, thyme, oregano and basil.

For the onion flavor you can use green onions, chives, red onions or sweet vidalia onions. If you do not have garlic, you can use shallots for your onion and garlic choice.

If you like a spicier sauce choose a spicier pepper and keep the seeds. You can try serrano or Thai peppers. I chose a mild red jalapeño, but you can also use green.

You will want to choose a good quality extra virgin olive oil. Perhaps one that is more pungent and flavorful than a mild oil.

If you want to add some zing to your cutting board sauce, stir in a little red wine vinegar or lemon juice. I added some lemon zest, but you can also use lime or orange zest as well.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 256Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 1209mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 15g

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Disclosure: I did receive a stipend from Harris Ranch Beef Company to develop a recipe using their flat iron steak. The story I have written is all true, and the opinions are truly mine. If I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t blog about it.