When you're crazy busy, it's time to make this Crazy-Easy Grilled Marinated Flank Steak. It's one of those recipes you'll want to jump up and cheer for-- but who has the time?! So just make it, taste it, momentarily revel in its deliciousness and give yourself a quick pat-on-the-back for your culinary cleverness!!

Though it's definitely a couple of weeks away until Labor Day and therefore technically still summer, we seem to be ignoring the calendar around here. Yep, except for the high temps, we're in full back-to-school mode, getting our middle guy ready for college (in fact, we've dubbed this the "Week of James")and our daughter ready for high school--lots of changes around here. Add in rehearsals for one of my shows and hockey (of course), and easy, quick dinners like this become absolute necessities!!

There's barely anything to this. In fact, I kinda feel guilty promoting this as a "recipe" when all you do is mix together a few simple pantry ingredients, pour them over the steak in a resealable bag, let it do its thing for a few hours and then simply grill it. In fact, the hardest part is getting to the store to buy the steak!

The steak is juicy, flavorful and goes with just about anything--I love to make it with a salad or a simple side, like these Balsamic Glazed Carrots or Stir-Fried Sesame Asparagus.  Whatever you do, everyone will love it and you can sit for about 3 minutes and bask in the glory, before jumping up to get the next thing done!!

Looking for other ideas as to what to do with flank steak? Check out this post from The Bearded Butchers and add loads more flank steak joy to your summer!!

Crazy-Easy Grilled Marinated Flank Steak

Serves 4-5 people

Flank steak is a cut of meat that can be a little tough unless you marinate it well and cook it over high heat. Plus, you want to really cut thin slices. If you follow those guidelines, you'll wind up with a delicious, easy and pretty economical steak experience!!

Prep Time: 10 minutes (plus several hours to marinate meat); Cook Time: 15-20 minutes (depending on how you like your steak cooked)

Ingredients

For the marinade

• 1/3 cup olive oil

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce

• 1/4 cup honey

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

For the steak

• About 2 pounds flank steak

• Kosher salt

• Black pepper

The Recipe

1.  In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the marinade and set aside. Place the steak on a cutting board and score the meat with a sharp knife, making 1/4 deep cuts, about 1 inch apart, across the grain of the meat. Place the meat in a large resealable bag and pour the marinade over it. Seal the bag, squeezing out the air and tossing the bag around a bit to coat the meat well with the marinade. Place the bag flat in the refrigerator and chill for at least 3-4 hours or even overnight, turning the bag upside down a few times, just to make sure the meat is evenly marinating.

2.  Remove the meat from the fridge about 30 minutes before you're ready to grill it. Discard the marinade and bag. Sprinkle the steak with some kosher salt and black pepper. This helps to give it a nice crust and seal in the juices.

3.  Brush the grill with a little olive oil and preheat. Cook the meat over high heat for 7-8 minutes per side. or longer if you like it more well done. When ready, transfer the steak to a cutting board and let sit for 10 minutes. Then slice the meat thinly, against the grain and serve.

4.  Leftover steak can be stored well wrapped in the refrigerator for several days.

Enjoy!

Note:  Recipe adapted from Simply Recipes.