Grilled Hanger Steak

This marinated and grilled hanger steak is tender and full of amazing flavor. All you need is a simple but flavorful homemade steak marinade and a few hours before grilling it to your desired temperature. Hanger steak will make perfect steak tacos, sandwiches, or just served with delicious sides.

GRILLED HANGER STEAK

Hanger steak is like an unsung hero of the non-prime steaks. It’s so flavorful and tender and that’s why it’s our preferred steak for tacos and sandwiches. Even though a skirt steak and a flank steak get the top choice for carne asada tacos or any other steak tacos, we actually prefer this steak.

The lack of popularity of this cut could be due to the lack of availability in the past. While skirt steak and flank steaks were always available in most stores and butcher shops, hanger steak was not easy to find. In fact, this cut is also called “butcher steak” because butchers ended up keeping if for themselves due to lack of popularity.

In recent years, more and more people are getting to know this steak and love it, so it became more available at the grocery stores. Next time you see it, definitely get it so you can marinate it and grill for dinner.

WHAT IS HANGER STEAK

Hanger steak is a long, tender cut that comes from the area between the rib and loin. It almost hangs between the rib and the loin and that’s where the name comes from. It’s a rich tasting, flavorful steak that’s great to marinade and then slice thinly for sandwiches, tacos, or just to serve with side dishes.

This steak is in the same group as flank and skirt steaks. You may also know it as “butcher steak” because it used to be a cut that butchers kept for themselves. It wasn’t a very well known steak but gained in popularity in the modern days.

Even though there is a long membrane the runs along the middle of this cut, this is one of the most tender cuts of beef. The best way to cook it is to marinate it first and then cook it to medium-rare or medium temperature. I don’t recommend cooking it any more than medium because it is lean and tender so it will become tough quickly.

If you are not familiar with it yet, I highly recommend that you try it soon.

MARINATING THE STEAK

Hanger steak is perfect when marinated with the right ingredients and cooked to medium-rare on the grill on stove. Any marinade should have the main three components of fat, acid, and flavor. When marinating steaks, you should have a good amount of acid in it like fresh citrus juices, vinegar, tomatoes, or alcohol.

My favorite marinade for steaks like hanger, skirt, and flank is very simple but it has a great combination of acid and flavor. It includes:

Oil

White wine vinegar

Fresh squeezed lemon juice

Fresh squeezed orange juice

Worcestershire sauce

Garlic

And seasoning like salt, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder.

QUICK GRILLING NOTES

What types of grill to use?

Charcoal or wood are your best choices. These grills will bring great additional smokey flavor.

How hot should the grill be?

You will want to set up two temperature zones so you can move steaks over to the cooler side to finish cooking after it was seared. Make sure to preheat the grill for about 10 minutes before adding the steaks. You want to the hot side to be hot, somewhere between 425° and 450°.

How long to grill steaks?

There is no magic number that will tell you exactly how long to cook any steak. Since every steak is different in exact thickness and amount of marbling, the best option is to use an instant read thermometer and check the temperature. Internal temperature will tell you when the steak is done.

Do note, that hanger steak is a little thicker and round so it will take a little longer to cook than an average flat steak.

What temperature to cook hanger steak?

Hanger steak is best at medium-rare temperature but you can cook it to medium as well. Don’t cook it over medium though or it will be tough.

HOW TO GRILL IT

As long as you follow the few simple tips, this steak is very easy to prepare. Start with marinating the steak for a few hours and then grill it. Make sure to slice it against the grain and thinly!

Marinating the steak:

Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a large zip-top bag and gently shake to mix.

Add steaks and make sure they are fully covered. Get all the air out and close the bag to seal. Place the bag in a wide shallow bowl or a baking dish to protect the fridge from any spills and let it marinade for about 4 hours or overnight. Don’t marinade longer than about 12 hours though.

Prepare the grill:

Make sure the grill grate is clean and set up two temperature zones. Start enough charcoal for high temperature. You want to the hot side to be hot, somewhere between 425° and 450°. Preheat the grill for about 10 minutes after spreading the charcoal.

Grill the steaks:

Take the steaks out of the marinade and let excess marinade drip off back into the back. Place them over direct heat and sear for about 4 minutes on each side. After you get a nice sear on each side, move steaks to the cool side of the grill. Close the lid and continue to cook until it reaches desired internal temperature. Remember to flip the steaks about half way through so it’s cooked evenly.

Use a digital instant-read meat thermometer to check temperature. Hold the steak with metal tongs and insert thermometer through the side of the steak, towards the middle. You want to get the reading from the thickest part and in the middle if the seak.

Rest:

Take them off the heat and let them rest for 5-10 minutes on the cutting board before serving. Make sure to cut the steaks against the grain and thinly. It’s very easy to see which way the muscle runs on the hanger steak.

HOW TO USE HANGER STEAK

As I mentioned earlier, you can use hanger steak in steak tacos, sandwiches, or just serve it with your favorite sides.

It will be great is a steak grilled cheese or even in a Philly Cheese Steaks.

Use any of your favorite taco topping like lettuce, tomato, and onions. Steak goes great with blue cheese crumbles or salsa and pico de gallo.

Any of your favorite sides will go well with this marinated grilled steak.

Top off your favorite dinner salad with grilled steak, blue cheese crumbles, and pickled onions.

If you made any of my recipes and shared them on Instagram, make sure to tag me @grillingsmokingliving and #grillingsmokingliving so I can see all the things you tried!

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