The Underrated Steak Cut You Should Marinate Before Grilling

You don't have to be a steak connoisseur to know steak is an expensive cut of beef. Top-tier cuts like filet mignon, ribeye, or T-bone often come with hefty price tags, but the good news is delicious steak is possible even without the high cost. For this, look to a cut of beef you can meld to your liking — one that's versatile, inexpensive, common, and receptive to marinating.

That's sirloin flap steak. Or is it sirloin tip? Or faux hanger, sirloin bavette, bottom sirloin butt, or simply flap meat? This unassuming piece of meat has taken on a variety of monikers regionally, but the cut is the same. It's a large, flat, boneless cut (typically three to four pounds) from the sirloin primal toward the rear of the cow and is ideal for marinating and cooking briefly at a high temperature, such as grilling or broiling.

Here's the thing about marinades: They don't generally penetrate deep into the meat, instead mostly remaining on or near the surface. That can be a limitation when it comes to marinating steak, but for sirloin flap, it becomes an advantage. The steak's rough, craggy edges will hold marinade in its valleys and corners, retaining flavor, unlike the liquid draining off of a smoother cut like filet mignon. Additionally, its flat shape means this cut has a lot of surface area relative to its volume, meaning there's a lot of surface for the marinade to interact with.

In some cases, marinades can help meat retain moisture during cooking. Want juicier steak? Scientific testing, per the journal, Molecules, has confirmed a honey-based marinade helps beef retain moisture as it cooks, so consider marinating your sirloin flap steak in this sweet-based marinade for one to eight hours before you grill it.

Honey isn't the only way to seriously upgrade your steak marinade. Acidic fruits or juices (think citrus or pineapple) add sweet, bright flavor and tanginess to the steak, but they should be used with caution. Their acids can start to break down meat's muscle fibers, making it mushy, not tender, if you leave your steak in the marinade for more than about two hours. And while most marinade ingredients won't penetrate the meat fully, salt will. You can include salt in the form of soy sauce, which adds a depth of flavor not found in plain salt. Paired with rice vinegar, ginger, honey, and other seasonings, it'll impart sirloin flap steak with a rich umami taste.

After marinating your sirloin flap steak, preheat the grill to medium-high heat, around 450 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Drain most of the marinade from the steak (try to avoid letting liquid get into the grill itself) and grill your steak for four to six minutes per side for medium rare. Slice the steak against the grain before serving.