What Is A Steak Marinade Recipe Made Of
A steak marinade recipe usually has four basic components:
- Salt Kosher salt, sea salt, or something salty like soy sauce or Worcestershire.
- Oil Because beef is naturally saturated with water, beef wont absorb the oil in the marinade. However, since herbs and spices are oil-soluble, they require the oil to release their full flavor.
- Flavoring Spices and herbs are your friends and theyll add a punch of flavor to any marinade.
- Acid Depending on the desired flavor, many marinades have an acidic liquid like lemon juice or vinegar. The acid helps flavor the beef, but it does not tenderize it.
How To Make It
Making this marinade is SO simple! Its simply a matter of whisking together the marinade ingredients and adding the steak. Lets take a quick look:
How Long Is Too Long To Marinate Steak
Ideally, you should not marinate a steak for more than 24 hours especially if you have a tender cut of steak. Any longer than that and the muscle fibers will break down and the texture will become mushy.
Some types of steak, like skirt steak, are naturally not very tender and should be left to marinate for a longer time in order to tenderize. For tougher cuts of beef, I recommend you prepare the marinade the night before and let the steak tenderize and soak up all the flavors overnight. Then, just grab and cook.
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Another Option: Dry Rub
A dry rub is sometimes the better option for steaks that need some extra oomph in terms of flavor. A dry rub is a mix of herbs and spices that you rub into the outer part of the meat. Dry rubs add a lot of flavor to a steak.
More importantly, they create a crust on the outer part of the steak that a marinade simply cant do. A marinade can leave steaks watery and unseared, but a dry rubs protective crust crisps up during cooking to create a nice sear. Plus, the browned crust helps hold the steaks natural juices in, allowing the steak to stay as tender as possible during the cooking process.
While rubs are usually saved for large pieces of meat going on the grill or in a smoker, they absolutely can work with steaks. Mix the ingredients together and, after patting the steaks dry, press the rub into the steak on all sides with your fingers.
Tips For How To Marinate Steak
Okay, so while its simple, there are still some quick tips Id like to share that will help you marinate and cook your steak like a pro. Here are some helpful tips on how to marinate steak to have the best results.
- Use a sealable plastic bag, large bowl with plastic wrap, or an air-tight container. You want to seal in the juices and flavors as much as possible. As a general rule, I use a 1 quart sized bag when Im marinating less than a pound of steak, and its perfect.
- Keep marinating meat away from other foods in your fridge to avoid unsafe contamination of the raw meat.
- Use a combination of an acid, oil, and spices in your marinade.
- Make sure to discard the unused marinade once its time to cook the meat and dont use it as a sauce unless you cook it first because it will contain raw steak juices.
- For the best results, try to marinate the steak the night before you cook it for the maximum flavor.
- If you cant get to cooking your marinated steak within two days, you can also freeze the meat in the marinade to be used later. Thats a benefit of using the freezer-safe bags you can just toss them right into the freezer for later. Then, when its time to cook, thaw the meat and cook.
- For most marinades, use about 1/2 cup of the marinade for every 2 pounds of beef.
- After removing the beef from the marinade, pat all sides of the steak dry with paper towels to prevent steaming and encourage browning.
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Tips For Marinading A Steak:
Use a variety of seasonings and flavors for the steak marinade, and be sure to let it sit for a long while in the fridge. In the case of this particular steak 1-4 hours is about right, but it can also marinate overnight too.
Steak marinade comes together quickly and should only be used for the steak you are currently marinading, for instance, do not save marinade and use it for next time. It doesnt work that way.
Steak does not have to be marinated however, if you do marinate it will give the steak a more tender texture and also a robust flavor.
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How To Cook Steak On The Grill
- Prepare grill. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Once its hot, clean with a wire brush and then oil the grates.
- Cook the steak. Place the steak on the grill and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes per side. If you prefer your steak medium to well done, you will likely need to cook a few more minutes.
- Insert meat thermometer. Beefs tender, juicy texture is optimum when cooked to medium rare to medium doneness. To determine doneness, insert an instant-read thermometer horizontally into the side of the steaks. Place the thermometer in the thickest part. The thermometer should not touch bone, fat or the grill.
- Let rest. Once its reached the desired temperature, remove from the grill and tent with foil. Let the steak rest for 5 minutes before serving.
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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.
The Only Steak Marinade You Will Ever Need
This steak marinade is genuinely the only steak marinade you will ever need. I have tested a ton of marinade recipes over the years, and we always come back to this recipe. We have been using this recipe for years, and it never disappoints us. A mix of savory and a hint of sweet helps give your steaks that perfect crust when you grill it up.
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Salt For Even More Tenderness & Extra Flavor
Salt further aids in tenderizing the meat, while also adding an important flavor aspect. Interestingly, the salt also plays an important role by drawing existing moisture out of the steak. This might seem like the opposite of what a marinade is supposed to do, but it actually helps to make the meat more flavorful. When the moisture thats already present is removed, the meat responds by soaking up more of the liquid from the marinade. This is one reason to make sure that the meat is completely submerged while marinating. We always recommend using a high quality salt like sea salt, kosher salt or Himalayan pink salt. You can also use a salty liquid like soy sauce or tamari.
What Is The Best Way To Tenderize A Steak
If you take a little extra time to tenderize your steak, you can really take a cheap cut of meat to the next level. Especially if you tenderize and marinate the steak!
The easiest and quickest way to tenderize your steak is to salt it. Yes, you read that right, just salt. A coarse salt, such as sea salt, is your best option here.
Simply lay your steaks out on a plate after you marinate them and cover in a layer of salt. Flip them over and repeat.
Let the steaks sit for 30 minutes to allow the salt to break down the muscle fibers and create a natural brine. This will also allow the steaks to come to room temperature which will help the steaks to cook more evenly.
Pat the steaks dry before you cook them to help get that picture-perfect, flavor-locking sear. After your steaks are cooked, allow them to rest 5 minutes before serving.
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How To Make Steak Marinade
Making the marinade itself takes practically notime! You will need a bowl and cling film or a Ziploc bag.
Use your steak marinade to serve up a flavorful pan seared NY strip or grilled cowboy ribeye steak. For more ideas on what to serve with steak, check out our page on the best steak side dishes! Enjoy!
The Best Way To Marinate Steak
Steak dinners come in many sizes and even more price points, making it feel like a tasty steak dinner as a midweek meal is way out of reach.
But turning an average Wednesday hump day dinner into stunning steak night is a whole lot easier than you may think.
The keys are to choose the right cut of steak and then marinade it in my Asian master sauce marinade thats ready to do its job at a moments notice.
Okay, make that 30 moments of notice, but thats quick enough and close enough for me. And soon enough, for you too.
Whether its a thick ribeye or a leaner flank steak, the key to this Asian sauce tenderizing your steak is the combination of acid, salt and enzymes from the citrus-flavored ponzu sauce and the vinegar.
These are the flavors of my Asian master sauce marinade, a multi-layer tool that can become a marinade, a salad dressing, added to the cooking water for a more flavorful grain or sautéed or tossed with vegetables for even more infused flavor within reach of your garlic-scented fingertips. Its truly a master sauce, and one of the building blocks of our Batch Cooking Basics meal prep guide.
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Best Steak Marinade Ingredients
Heres what you need to make our steak marinade:
Soy Sauce: Youll need 1/2 cup. I use Kikkoman brand. Low sodium works! You can use Coconut Aminos as a soy alternative as well!
olive oil: I prefer a light olive oil. Youll need 2 TBSP.
brown sugar: we use 1/2 cup regular brown sugar for this steak marinade. Youre welcome to reduce the sugar to 1/3 if you prefer.
Season All: Youll need 1/2 teaspoon of any type of all-purpose seasoning salt.
SPICES: Youll need 1/4 teaspoon each ground ginger, garlic powder & black pepper.
How Long Do I Marinade My Steak
When your marinade is ready to go, add your steaks to the mix and let it marinade for 2 hours or even overnight! The marinade will immediately start working to tenderize your meat, and the longer you wait, the more tender and flavor-packed your steak will be before grilling. The right kind of steak marinade shouldnt take much effort at all, as its usually only a handful of ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen.
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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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How Long Can You Marinate Steak
Steak can be marinated for up to a day, though the sweet spot is about 6 to 8 hours. Anything more than a day and you run the risk of the marinade breaking down the meat. The 6 to 8-hour spot is great for putting it all together in the morning and coming home to steak ready to marinate at night. Dont have several hours? No worries. You can almost marinate a steak to perfection in just an hour.
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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 Do You Make A Steak Tender
There are two ways that I use to make a steak tender. Acidic tenderizers are a great way to get a tender steak. I include lemon juice in my marinade to help to soften the steak. it breaks down the tough fibers in the meat. If you are starting out with an already tough cut of meat, I will also break down the fibers by pounding the meat before I cook it.
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Why Do Chefs Spoon Butter Over Steak
Basting your steak with butter is a pro chef tip that will forever change the way you cook! Using butter adds richness to the steak and is the perfect final touch. It bathes the meat and helps the heat distribute into every nook crevice on the surface.
Wait to bathe the steak with the butter until the end of the cooking process to prevent the butter from burning. It is ok to slightly brown the butter because that will add a rich and nutty sauce to your steak.
How Long Do I Cook Steak On Each Side
When we are grilling steaks at home, I usually grill over medium high heat, using a propane grill.
I allow the steaks to cook for 7 minutes on each side before flipping them over. I recommend only flipping them once. You will end up with the perfect medium-rare steak every time!
Adjust cooking time accordingly based on the doneness you prefer.
A digital meat thermometer is the best way to gauge doneness until you get the hang of it. Here is a basic guide, keep in mind that the higher the temperature you cook your steak to, the more likely they are to be tough and dry.
- 130 °F: Rare
- 150°F: Medium Well
- 160° F: Well Done
Learn how to grill steak perfectly every time to make sure that your steak is cooked to your preference.
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How To Cook The Marinated Steak
This recipe is for both options, grill pan and skillet pan.
In Grill Pan:
- Prepare your grill by preheating it to medium-high heat and lightly oiling the grates.
- Next, prepare your steak by removing it from the marinade and patting it dry. This will help to prevent flare-ups on the grill.
- Grill the steak to your desired doneness, using the chart below for temperatures and USDA recommendations.
- Once the steak is cooked, remove it from the grill, tent it with foil, and let it rest for at least five minutes before serving.
In Skillet Pan:
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Make The Perfect Marinade With This Easy Steak Marinade Perfect For Grilling Season
Its just about that time to fire up the grill, have you started up your grill yet? Weve been testing out quite a few recipes with our new pellet grill, Ill be sharing many of those over the next few months.
So far my favorite is a delicious grilled steak. It can also be done as an Air Fryer Steak as well.
One of the key factors of grilling or air frying a good steak is the marinade, it truly brings out all the flavors and the texture of the steak.
07/09/2020
Having a good, quick steak marinade recipe is essential during grilling season.
Although we think most cuts taste amazing with only a little salt and pepper, a good steak marinade recipe is great when you want to give the beef an added flavor.
Since we raise beef cattle, we eat a lot of steaks.
There are a few steak marinade recipes that we repeatedly use because theyre easy to make, theyre versatile for multiple recipes, they use common pantry ingredients, and they infuse flavor quickly.
For some of these steak marinades, the steak needs to marinade for as little as 15-minutes to get the flavor.
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