Impress your friends and family with this delicious recipe for a grilled flank steak stuffed with spicy capicola and provolone. Perfect for a summer barbecue!
Imagine a lean, boneless, and tender flank steak rolled up into a pinwheel, with rich, garlicky Italian meat, cheese, and herbs, on a skewer, grilled to perfection. This grilled stuffed flank steak is just like a giant lollipop!
Yes, I’m talking about juicy Italian Meat Lollipops! This is one of our favorite flank steak recipes.
What Is Flank Steak?
Flank steak is a beef cut from the cow’s abdominal muscles. It’s an extended, flat cut about a foot long and one inch thick. Flank steak is inexpensive and has a rich, beefy flavor. It’s versatile but can be a bit chewy and tough because it is a relatively lean cut of beef. It can be prepared in tacos, sautéed with vegetables in a wok, or eaten alone on the grill.
Ingredients and Substitutions
The recipe card at the end of this post lists the complete ingredient list with measurements.
Meat: Flank steak and Capicola. You’ll need a two-pound flank steak. Look for one that is as uniform in thickness as possible. If you can’t find flank steak, substitute it with skirt steak. Prosciutto or salami are good substitutes for Capicola.
Seasoning: dried oregano, onion powder, Kosher salt, and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
Garlic: freshly grated cloves of garlic.
Cheese: we use provolone cheese. You can substitute with Mozzarella, Havarti, Fontina, or Gruyere.
Helpful Equipment
- Meat Thermometer: David uses a Thermapen One, an instant-read thermometer by Thermoworks.
- Wooden Skewers – soak in water for 30 minutes before grilling
- Butcher’s Twine – to help keep the flank steak rolled while cutting.
- Oil – for oiling the grill grate.
How To Make Grilled Stuffed Flank Steak With Spicy Capicola and Provolone
Since the stuffing ingredients did not require much cooking time, grill the flank steaks like a regular ribeye steak. An excellent hot sear and fast! The recipe card at the end of this post provides detailed instructions with times and temperatures.
Prepare the Flank Steak – Stuff and Roll
- Pound the flank steak with a mallet into a rough rectangle.
- Position the steak so that the grain of the muscle fibers runs parallel to the edge of the counter; season with the salt and pepper, grated garlic, onion powder, and oregano evenly over the surface of the steak.
- Lay the capicola slices evenly over the steak, then add a cheese layer on the meat. Leave a 1-inch border along the top edge.
- Starting from the bottom edge closest to the counter’s edge, roll the beef into a tight log and place it on the cutting board seam-side down.
Skewer the Flank Steak
Skewering the stuffed flank steak before cutting helps divide it into equal portions.
- Evenly space eight wooden or metal skewers at 1-inch intervals into the steak, starting in the middle and working out to about ½-inch from the end of the rolled steak.
- Skewer the beef directly through the bottom to the outermost flap of steak near the seam, allowing the skewer to extend ½-inch on the opposite side.
- Ensure that both flaps at the seam are skewered and the roll is tight so the cheese will not ooze out too much when grilling.
Cut the Steak Into Pinwheels
- Using a sharp knife, slice the roll between skewers into 1-inch-thick pinwheels.
- Season the meat lightly with more salt and pepper to taste.
Light the grill!
David uses his 22-inch Weber Kettle setup for indirect heat (half the bottom of the grill with hot coals and the other side without).
- Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour the coals evenly over half of the coal grate. (If using a gas grill, light half the burners to high heat.)
- Set the cooking grate in place; cover the grill and allow it to preheat for 5 minutes.
- Clean and oil the grilling grate.
- Grill the pinwheels over direct heat, undisturbed, until well browned, 3 to 6 minutes. Using tongs, flip the steaks, cover, and grill the second side until medium-rare, with crisp edges, about 3 to 5 minutes longer or until the internal temp is 125-130 degrees F. (use the chart below and adjust the time as needed)
Beef Temperature Cooking Chart
A perfectly cooked flank steak will have a dark red center and be light pink on the outside. Use the chart below to gauge your pull temps.
Preferred Doneness | Pull Temp | Target Temp |
Rare | 115-125°F | 120-130°F |
Medium rare (recommended) | 125-130°F | 130-135°F |
Medium | 130-135°F | 135-140°F |
Medium well | 140-150°F | 145-155°F |
Well done | NA | NEVER! |
Rest and Serve
- Remove the skewered pinwheels from the grill and transfer them to a large serving platter.
- Rest at least 5 minutes before serving, or all of those good juices will be on your plate instead of your mouth!
- Serve with or without the skewers.
Tips For Making This Flank Steak Recipe
- I am here to tell you that freezer or butcher paper will change your life in the kitchen. I have been using it like crazy lately for anything messy. It catches all the crumbs and creates a clean workspace you can clean up in seconds by balling it up and throwing it into the trash can. I used freezer paper for this job. It’s so much easier! GET A ROLL!
- Rolling may cause the stuffing to push out as you roll the meat; push the filling ingredients back inside as you roll the meat. Once the meat is rolled, lay it seam-side down onto the work surface. Tie a piece of butcher’s twine around the middle and two ends to help hold it together, if needed.
What to Serve With Grilled Flank Steak
We enjoy these stuffed grilled flank steaks with mashed potatoes. Use the list of suggested side dishes below to create your meal!
- Corn on the cob
- garden salad
- pasta salad
- grilled asparagus
- smashed potatoes
Leftovers?
Storage: Wrap leftover flank steak tightly in aluminum foil or an airtight container for up to 3 days; beyond that, it’s just not that good.
Reheating: grilled flank steak is best reheated in a cast-iron skillet until warmed through. A microwave will work just fine. We recommend heating in 1-2 minute increments until the steak is warm. Be careful not to overcook it, or it will become rubbery and chewy.
I served our steaks with some good ole mashed potatoes. You know, there’s just nothing like meat and taters! Add this to your grilling recipes!
Grilled Flank Steak Stuffed With Capicola and Provolone Cheese
Useful Equipment:
Ingredients
- 2 pounds flank steak
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 3 medium garlic cloves grated
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons oregano dried
- 8 slices spicy capicola
- 8 slices provolone cheese
- 8 skewers wooden skewers soaked in water for 30 minutes prior
- 3 pieces butcher’s twine 12-inch long (optional)
- extra virgin olive oil for oiling grate on the grill
Instructions
- Using a mallet, place a piece of wax paper over the meat and pound the flank steak into a rough rectangle shape.
- Position the steak so that grain runs parallel to the edge of the counter, season with the salt and pepper, grated garlic, onion powder, and oregano evenly over the surface of the steak. Lay the capicola slices evenly over steak. Leave a 1-inch border along top edge. Cover capicola with an even layer of cheese, leaving a 1-inch border along top edge.Starting from the bottom edge that is closest to the edge of the counter, roll the beef into a tight log and place on cutting board seam-side down.Rolling may cause the stuffing to push out as you roll the meat, just push the filling ingredients back inside as you roll the meat. Once the meat is rolled, lay it seam side down onto the work surface. Tie a piece of butcher's twine around the middle and two ends, to help hold it together, if needed.
- Evenly space 8 wooden or metal skewers at 1-inch intervals into the steak, starting in the middle working out to about ½-inch from the end of the rolled steak. Skewer the beef directly through the bottom to the outermost flap of steak near the seam, allowing skewer to extend ½-inch on opposite side. Make sure that both flaps at the seam are skewered and the roll is tight so that the cheese will not ooze out too much when grilling.Use a sharp knife, slice the roll between skewers into 1-inch-thick pinwheels. Season the stuffed flank steaks lightly with more salt and pepper, if desired.
- Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread the coals evenly over half of the coal grate. (If using a gas grill, light half the burners of a gas grill to high heat). Set cooking grate in place, cover gill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate.Grill the pinwheels over direct heat, undisturbed, until well browned, 3 to 6 minutes. Using tongs, flip the steaks, cover, and grill the second side until medium-rare, with crisp edges, about 3 to 5 minutes longer or until the internal temp is 125-130 degrees F. (use the chart below and adjust the time as needed)
- Transfer the grilled stuffed flank steak to a large serving platter. Let rest at least 5 minutes before serving, or all of those good juices will be on your plate, instead of your mouth!
Notes
- Serve with or without the skewers.
- I am here to tell you that freezer or butcher paper will change your life in the kitchen. I have been using it like crazy lately for anything messy. It catches all the crumbs and creates a clean workspace you can clean up in seconds by balling it up and throwing it into the trash can. I used freezer paper for this job. It’s so much easier! GET A ROLL!
- Rolling may cause the stuffing to push out as you roll the meat; push the filling ingredients back inside as you roll the meat. Once the meat is rolled, lay it seam-side down onto the work surface. Tie a piece of butcher’s twine around the middle and two ends to help hold it together, if needed.
Tasty Eats Ronit Penso says
Mouthwatering!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thanks, Ronit. This was delicious!
felisrecipes says
Looks delicious <3
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thank you! 🙂
Debbie - Mountain Mama says
Yum!! Mountain sister, you’ve done it again!! You amaze me with your creativity in the kitchen!!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Mountain Sister!! Thank you for the compliment, but I cannot take credit, for the creativity. I am inspired by so many! Have a great weekend!
Marisa's Italian Kitchen says
I don’t cook beef often but these look amazing?
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Marisa! Thank you. This may need to be one of those rare occasions when you should eat beef. 🙂
Anonymous says
This looks amazing!
I needed a new idea for the grill!
Thanks!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thank you. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
FrugalHausfrau says
Wow, Debbie – you guys have really outdone yoiurselves! Mouthwatering goodness right there!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thanks Mollie. Hope you are having a good week!
Julie is Hostess At Heart says
This recipe is right up our alley! I love how you showed you skewered the steak before you cut it too. How in the heck did you get that drip shot! Amazing!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Lol! Thanks, Julie. That drip shot was not easy! The skewers are tricky and I even get confused when skewering so I thought it would be helpful. ?
cookingwithauntjuju.com says
Great post, pictures and instructions! I need to make this before grilling season is over. I frequently use prosciutto but will give capicola a try. I agree with Julie – that drip shot is amazing 🙂
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy this as much as we did. ?
Mary Ann McGuire says
Can’t wait to try this. How do you keep cheese from melting out of roll up while on the grill?
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Mary Ann, great question! Make sure to keep the “lollipops” as cold as possible prior to grilling. A quick hot sear will also help seal them up, as this is not a very long cook. Hope you enjoy this recipe!