Whats The Best Steak Marinade
There are two major components to every marinade that has to be there to be the best. Some form of acid, and some form of sweetness.
The acid tenderizes the meat. Acids include citrus juice or vinegar. Worcestershire sauce has a high level of acid in it, being our tenderizer for this marinade.
The sweetness helps to get that caramelized flavor, or umami, that makes grilled meats extra flavorful. In this recipe for the best steak marinade, I use brown sugar as our sweet component.
However, you can also use honey, granulated sugar, or other natural forms of sweeteners in its place.
Now that we have our two crucial ingredients, acid and sugar, other ingredients in the best steak marinade include seasonings of black pepper, Montreal steak seasoning, and salt, thats it! Super basic ingredients you probably already have in your own kitchen.
How Long Does A Marinated Steak Last In The Refrigerator
The answer to this question depends on the type of steak and the marinade.
If you are cooking a steak, it can last for up to three days in the refrigerator. For a steak without a sauce, it lasts for an entire week.
A marinated steak can last up to two weeks in the refrigerator if you use oil and vinegar dressing or barbecue sauce, and an entire month with other types of marinades.
What Goes In Beef Steak Marinade
Heres what you need for the Steak Marinade. Use this marinade for any economical steak do not use for expensive steaks, that would be a waste!!
Heres why this combination of ingredients makes your steak plump, juicy and adds flavour:
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Balsamic vinegar the tenderising ingredient, because its acidic
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Soy sauce the salty liquid to act as the brine so the steak retains moisture. It does not make this steak taste Asiany, we only use a bit!
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Dijon Mustard a touch of flavour and to thicken the marinade slightly so it coats the steak better
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Flavour all the other ingredients! Worcestershire is pretty intense in flavour so you only need a bit to add savoury flavour into things.
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Meal Prep Tools For This Recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning these steaks into your weekly lunches.
- I get all my grass-fed beef from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
- Get a meat thermometer to make sure your steak is cooked through
- Use these Ziploc bag holders if you’re marinating the steak then freezing it
Favorite Veggies To Grill With Steak
- Tomatoes and green beans: This is my favorite combo. Just place in foil, drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper. Then fold up sides and cook for about 15 minutes.
- Corn: Grill your corn by wrapping in foil and cook for 10 minutes, turning occasionally. To elevate your corn, try making Mexican street corn or easy corn salad.
- Asparagus: Coat asparagus with oil and salt and pepper to taste. Grill on high for 2-3 minutes. I like my asparagus a little crunchy, but grill for 1-2 more minutes if you prefer softer.
- Zucchini: I like to grill my zucchini in spears. Brush with olive oil and salt and pepper then grill until beginning to char, about 3-4 minutes each side.
- Baked potato: Poke holes into the potato with a fork, then brush olive oil on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap in foil and grill for about an hour, turning the potatoes constantly.
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How To Make This Steak A Meal
The beauty of this steak is it not only makes a meal, it can prep a few for the week too. Simply cook the steak and save the leftovers for these ideas through the week.
- Ramen Noodles With Steak and Broccoli
- Asian Steak Street Tacos: Add steak to 4-inch warmed flour tortillas with shredded cabbage or Quick Korean Shredded Slaw, avocado, sweet and sour pickled cucumbers drizzled with sour cream spiked with lime juice and cilantro and extra Asian master sauce if desired.
- Asian French Dip Sandwiches: Add sliced steak to sliced onion, red and green peppers and mushrooms sautéed in a bit of oil and 3-4 tablespoons of Asian master sauce and served in toasted French rolls and dip in beef stock accented with a bit more master sauce for even more Asian flavor-flave.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Bookmark this recipe and leave a comment below, or take a photo and tag me on with #foodiecrusheats.
- 3clovesgarlic, minced or pressed
- 1/4teaspooncrushed red chili flakes
- 1 1/2 to 2poundshanger steak
Creamy Garlic Steak Bites With Mushrooms
Alyssa RiversJump to Recipe
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Creamy Garlic Steak Bites with Mushrooms are made in the most amazing creamy garlic sauce with melt in your mouth steak bites and mushrooms!
We love steak at our house and these recipes are also our favorite! Skillet Garlic Butter Herb Steak and Potatoes, Lemon Garlic Butter Herb Flank Steak, or this Grilled Flank Steak with Avocado Corn Salsa!
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The Best Steak Marinade For Grilled Rib
Before grilling, set the steak out for 30 minutes so it can come to room temperature.
Prepare your grill, I highly suggest a charcoal grill. But, alternatively, you can use a gas grill or grill pan on the stove.
Sear the steak on both sides until cooked to your liking. About 5 minutes on each side. For medium, pull steak off the grill at an internal temperature of 140°F degrees.
Remove from heat, add butter, cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve with a garnish of parsley, optional.
How To Make A Quick Steak Marinade
This marinade is quick and easy to make. I am going to walk you through this recipe and give you a few of the tips Ive learned and substitutions, and notes that may be helpful. Make sure to scroll to the bottom for a FULL recipe card.
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When I Grill Steaks They Come Out Toughwhy
Lets rewind a little bit you probably missed adding an acidic touch to your marinade recipe. Muscle fibers within your steak need to be broken down, as well as the proteins turned into gelatin in order to make your steak tender. Over high heat and with more tender cuts of steak like filet mignon, this happens very easily. But for tougher cuts of meat, you need to grill it slowly and continue to keep it covered in marinade.
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How Long To Marinate A Steak
Tender steaks like ribeye or sirloin should marinate for a maximum of 4 hours. As theyre already tender, you dont want to marinate longer than that or the meat will break down too much and the texture can become unpleasant.
A tougher cut of steak like a flank steak, skirt steak, or even chuck can marinate longer, up to 24 hours .
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Tips For Steak Marinade
- This marinade can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days, so its great to make in advance if youre entertaining. You can even freeze your marinade for up to 2 months if need be!
- Feel free to use a low sodium soy sauce if youre watching your salt intake.
- Italian seasoning is a blend of dried herbs that can be found in the spice aisle of most grocery stores. This seasoning is typically a blend of dried basil, parsley, garlic and oregano. If you cant find Italian seasoning, you can blend together your own dried herbs in equal amounts.
- The steak in these photos is topped with an herb butter which is super easy to make. Simply combine 1/4 cup softened butter with 2 tablespoons fresh chopped herbs, 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic, salt and pepper. Add a dollop of butter on top of each steak as it comes off the grill.
- This marinade works well with most cuts of beef, I recommend using it on flank steak, New York strip, ribeye, sirloin or filet mignon.
Levels Of Doneness For Steak:
- Rare: Cool red center, 125° F
- Medium Rare: Warm red center, 135° F
- Medium: Warm pink center, 145° F
- Medium Well: Slightly pink center, 150° F
- Well Done: Little or no pink, 160° F
In general, we want it at least 145° for a safe-to-eat internal temperature. However, unlike with chicken breast, it is safer to eat undercooked steak than it is to eat undercooked chicken. Keep in mind as well that the steak will continue to cook and increase in internal temperature by approximately 5° F AFTER its removed from the heat.
If you dont have a digital thermometer , here are some tips for how to know when steak is cooked.
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What Cut Of Steak Is Best For Marinating
Leaner cuts of steak like flank steak, hangar steak, or flap steak are the prime candidate for this style of marinade to create a flavorful steak ready to cook in just 30 minutes. You can also choose to marinate overnight. Id avoid letting the sauce sit longer than a day in the marinade because the steak will break down too much and become soft and mushy.
A good cut of meat can also be marinated, but we prefer to keep them pure, maybe with some added flavor of butter, garlic and thyme. If you do however want to try it on a thicker cut of meat, allow for at least 8 hours for the sauce to infuse.
How Long Do You Marinate Steak
Even though I swear by the 20-minute time on this marinade, you can soak it for longer. For example, if you have extra time or want to make this marinade in the morning or the night before, you can either make it and marinate it longer or put it all together 20 minutes before you are ready to grill.
If you are using a lesser cut of steak, you can go longer to really tenderize it. If you get in a real pickle or forget about it, your steak will still be good to cook for up to 24 hours in a marinade.
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How To Marinate Steak Without A Recipe
For the grill, I always choose a thin, quick-cooking steakIm talking skirt, hanger, or flank steak tri-tip, short ribs, faux hanger , or entraña steak. These are all cut from large, strong, active muscles, which makes them more flavorful and great for serving a crowd. But those strong muscles are also naturally tougher. Which is why these steaks require a marinade.
Making a steak marinade is a lot like making a salad dressingyou can customize it depending on your mood, your menu, or whatever happens to be in your pantry. But unlike salad dressing, you want the flavors in your marinade to be extra strongstrong enough to infuse the meat with flavor that will linger long after the marinade is discarded.
Every steak marinade needs four elementsoil, acid, flavoring, and salt. Once you understand the basic ratio and timeline of how to marinate steak, youll never need to look at another recipe again.
Lets dig in: heres how to marinate steak without a recipe:
Essential Steak Marinade Ingredients
You can whip up a fast, flavorful homemade marinade using pantry staples. The best marinades balance fat, acid, salt, sugar and aromatics to infuse the meat with intense flavor.
Here are the key ingredients in our perfectly balanced steak marinade recipe:
- Olive oil: Since most marinade steaks tend to be lean, a fat, like olive oil, helps keep the steak moist and juicy.
- Lime juice: Citrus functions as an acid that tenderizes the steak and infuses it with a great flavor.
- White wine vinegar: This secondary acid further helps break down the meats connective tissue to make it tender.
- Salt: Salt is critical to a good marinade. It helps tenderize the meat and enhance its flavor, and also helps the steak absorb the marinade.
- Honey: Something sweet balances the flavors of a marinade and helps the meat caramelize for a tasty char on the outside.
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Key Ingredients For Marinades
- Fat: You could use almost any oil for your marinade, but we love olive oil for its flavor and quality. It has a smoke point that is lower than avocado or peanut oil, but it still prevents sticking and adds flavor.
- Acid: Balsamic or red wine vinegar and even lemon juice are said to help tenderize tough cuts of meat, but more importantly their sharp flavor counters both the salinity of a well-seasoned steak and the rich flavor produced from the grill. Bonus: The natural sugars in vinegar caramelize, making for really great grill marks!
- Salt: What doesnt salt bring to the party? It seasons the steak, aids in moisture retention, and tenderizes. Dont skimp on it here!
- Flavor enhancers: If all marinades are effectively made from the same four components, this is the one place to make yours unique. Mustard is one of our go-to flavor enhancers because it packs a lot of flavor in a little punch and everyone has it in the fridge. Try a few smashed cloves of garlic and let them marinate too. Got some green onions? Throw them in as well.
How To Grill Sirloin Steaks
Once the steaks are marinated, I highly recommend cooking them on a grill for the best flavor. To grill the perfect sirloin steak, follow these simple steps.
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How To Properly Marinate A Steak
Properly marinating a steak is going to depend on the type of steak you’ll be using. For example, a strip steak will need a different marinade than a ribeye steak because of its different textures and flavors.
While you can typically utilize any recipe for any steak you want, you will need to consider several different factors when choosing which recipe to use, including how long you have to marinate the steak and how much marinade will be needed to infuse the steak with the right amount of flavor.
Depending on the tenderness of your steak, you can easily marinate different cuts of beef from 5 minutes to overnight. We dont recommend marinating beef for longer than 24 hours since you will the run risk of mushy steak which isnt good for anyone!
The good news? The steps to marinating a steak are pretty much the same, with the only significant difference being how to marinate a steak with a wet marinade versus a dry marinade.
To Make The Steaks In A Skillet
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