Whats A Good Steak Marinade

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.

Why Is My Steak Tough And Chewy

The muscle fibers in meat have to be broken down and the proteins turned into gelatin in order to make meat tender. This happens very quickly over high heat with tender cuts of steak like filet mignon, but tougher cuts of meat require slow cooking, usually in some sort of liquid to keep them from drying out.

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.

You May Like: Omaha Steaks Chicken Cordon Bleu Cooking Instructions

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 Do You Soak Your Marinading Steak

You can place your steak in a bag with the marinade. Then every little bit you can go and grab the bag and massage the meat to really help infuse the marinade into the steak more to give your steak the best chance of those rich flavors soaking in. Or if you want you can use an airtight container.

For anyone curious, I massage my steak about once an hour when I am marinading it.

Read Also: Seasoning Steak Overnight

How Do You Know Your Steak Is Done

Everyone loves their steak done to different degrees and using a thermometer is the way to go to make sure you cook it just right. Remember too, when your steak is taken off the heat it will continue to cook for a minute or two, raising the temperature about 2-4 degrees more. I often remove my meat right before it reaches that perfect temp.

Should You Marinate Steak In Fridge

Always marinate in the refrigerator Never marinate at room temperature or outdoors when barbecuing as bacteria can quickly multiply on raw meat if it is warm. Some older recipes call for marinating at room temperature. Marinating at room temperature causes meat to enter the danger zone (between 40 degrees F.

Don’t Miss: Mcdonalds Steak Egg And Cheese Bagel Calories

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:

Is It Better To Marinate Steak Longer

It is best to soak your chicken, pork chops, or loins and steak for at least 30 minutes before eating so that marination magic takes place. Never eat it in large quantities for more than an hour. Reserve portions of the marinade so that the flavor gets more concentrated with the raw meat before adding it.

Also Check: Steak Eze Sams

How To Make The Perfect Steak

You need 3 things in order to have a delicious steak:

Once you have these three things, make this homemade steak marinade. It really is delicious! I am seriously now thinking of buying enough rib eye or tri tip to last me the entire week so I can eat more of this!

What Meat Should Be Marinated

Beef and Pork: A steak marinade is ideal for tougher cuts like flank, skirt, sirloin, round, and hanger. It also does wonders for pork tenderloin and pork loin, if the loin is cubed into smaller pieces. These cuts can marinate up to 24 hours. Flat cuts of meat benefit the most from tenderizing marinades.

Read Also: Steak Of The Month Club Butchers Market

What To Serve With Steak

Nothing pairs more perfectly with steak than potatoes and vegetables. Try this marinated steak recipe with any of these side dishes for a winning meal!

• Flank Steak
• Skirt Steak

Side Dishes To Serve With Steak

There are so many side dishes that pair well with steak! This Grilled Mexican Corn on the Cob is charred and full of flavor with several seasonings and cheese. And you can never go wrong with Homemade Mashed Potatoes. Creamy and full of flavor, these are easy to whip up in no time! If you’re looking for a good salad to pair, check out my Romaine Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette Dressing. It’s made with creamy Havarti cheese, crisp bacon, and tossed in a rich vinaigrette dressing. It’s the perfect blend of sweet, savory, and crunchy goodness!

My Latest Cookbook

Read Also: Did Mcdonald’s Discontinue Egg White Delight

What Youll Need For This Recipe

This easy marinade is a cinch to pull together and you probably have most, if not all, of these ingredients in your pantry.

Lets take a quick look at what youll need here and, as always, you can find the full, printable recipe card at the end of this post.

• extra virgin olive oil this is the base of our marinade.
• balsamic vinegar one of my favorite marinade ingredients, balsamic vinegar adds incredible depth to this marinade and goes so well with steak. Gives your steak a restaurant quality.
• soy sauce I opt for low sodium otherwise I find the steak is too salty.
• Worcestershire sauce adds savory, complex flavor.
• pineapple juice this will help tenderize even the leanest cuts of steak.
• brown sugar subtle sweetness and molasses flavor that isnt overwhelming. Honey is a good alternative.
• Dijon mustard rounds out the flavors and pulls the marinade together.
• ground black pepper for seasoning.
• garlic powder fresh garlic will burn easily on a grill so I like to use garlic powder instead. Not enough to overpower the flavor of the steak, just enough to enhance it.

How To Make This Easy Steak Marinade:

• Whisk marinade ingredients: in a mixing bowl whisk together balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, olive oil, dijon mustard, honey, garlic, pepper and rosemary until well blended.
• Pour over steaks and marinate: place steak in a gallon size resealable bag, place steak in gallon size resealable bag. Pour marinade over steaks, seal bag while pressing out excess air. Let marinate.

Don’t Miss: How Do I Track My Omaha Steaks Order

What Ingredients Go Into Steak Marinade

• Balsamic vinegar I dont recommend substitutes here. Balsamic vinegar will add the best flavor. And use dark balsamic, white isnt as strong.
• Worcestershire sauce another key ingredient. This is one of the best ingredients for steak marinade.
• Soy sauce keep in mind the longer the steak marinades the more sodium it will absorb from the soy sauce, so if you only marinate 1 hour you may still need a little salt added to the steaks.
• Olive oil dont use extra virgin olive oil because it has a low smoke point, just regular refined olive oil.
• Dijon mustard this adds a little extra flavor. Dont use regular mustard.
• Honey just a light amount helps tone down acidity of the vinegar it also helps the exterior of steaks brown better.
• Garlic as always only use fresh. It makes a big difference.
• Freshly ground black pepper if you havent made the jump to fresh ground pepper now is the time! It really is a lot better.
• Dried rosemary of course fresh will work great too, use 1 Tbsp chopped if using fresh.
• Steak this makes enough marinade for about 2 pounds of steak.

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 .

You May Like: Pee Dee Steak House On 125 Menu

How Do You Marinate Your Meat

Tips For Grilling Steak

While this marinade is full of vibrant and savory flavors, you also have to remember grilling your steak properly is equally important. The reason being is if you overcook your steak it will end up dry and chewy.

• Preheat Grill | Always preheat your grill, this will help get the grates hot and when you put the steak on the grill it will offer that sear sound which means success.
• Steak Tip | I always sit my steaks out for at least 15-20 minutes before I plan to place them on the grill. I watched this tip on the Food Network channel years ago, and have done it ever since. This always sets you up for the success of a juicy steak that is cooked nicely.
• Dont Cut Steak | When checking the done-ness of your steak dont slice into the steak to see how red or done it is. Use a meat thermometer and check it that way. If you cut the steak it will leak the juice and dry out.
• Rest the Steak | Once your steak is done, lay it on a plate and put aluminum foil over the top. Let it sit for five minutes to allow it to soak in all those juices for a juicy and flavorful steak.

Also Check: Mcdonalds Bagels Discontinued 2020

Is It Bad To Marinate Too Long

Despite the fact that baking a marinade is fun, easy, and flexible, there are a few things to keep in mind. Longer processing of food results in harsh, dry or less textured results due to the duration of processing. The result is that all weekend long you wont be able to sit in their marinade and you will have to cook those shrimp.

What Is The Difference Between Prime Choice And Select Beef Steak

• Prime beef comes from young cattle. It has a generous amount of marbling , this is the best and most expensive grade of beef.
• Choice beef steaks are high quality and are more budget friendly than prime, they just dont have quite as much marbling.
• Select beef steak is the lowest grade and the most budget friendly. Meat is leaner and not quite as tender.

Also Check: Seasonings For Ribeye Steak

What Is The Best Store Bought Steak Marinade

• How long should you marinate steak in Worcestershire?

Reviewers claim that Sweet Baby Rays is the best store-bought steak marinade you can find, packed with the robust flavors of onion, garlic, tomatoes, and spices. Though we think it tastes best as a steak marinade, users also recommend this flavorful sauce for marinating poultry, seafood, veggies, and more.

Can You Use This Marinade On Other Steaks

Yes! Because this marinade contains vinegar, which is a steak tenderizer, you can use it to tenderize and flavor any of your favorite cuts of steak. I do not recommend marinating an already tender cut, like a filet mignon.

For more tender steaks, like the sirloin pictured throughout this post, a ribeye or New York steak, I recommend a quick marinade between 20 minutes and 2 hours. For a tougher cut of steak, like a flank or strip steak, I recommend marinating for 4-8 hours.

Try the marinade with any of these cuts of steak.

• Top Sirloin
• Skirt Steak

Recommended Reading: Country Fried Steak Sam’s Club

What Is The Best Tenderizer For Steak

I agree with you on Williams Sonoma reversible meat tenderizer as the best overall meat tenderizer. Amco 4-in-1 Stainless Steel Meat Tenderizer for a great price. I would suggest Rosle Meat Hammer as the best mallet-style meat tenderizer. A meat tenderizer with blade style should use JY COMPANYs meat tenderizer.

Should Meat Be Covered Marinating

It will work much better if you marinate all of your chicken or beef meat in protein marinade for as long as you do, ensuring that all the meat or bones are thoroughly submerged in the liquid. Listed below are several recipes for delicious chicken marinades we think are super-easy. Throughout the whole season, they keep your cooking from getting lost.

Also Check: How Long Can Omaha Steaks Stay Frozen

How Long Is Too Long To Let Steak Marinate

Dont marinate a steak for more than a day, since it will cause the meat to spoil. It takes 24 to 36 hours to marinate the steak for good flavor, but if it isnt done correctly, the meat will become mushy, ht 6-8 hours. Its bad to marinate the steak for too long as it can become mushy, over-flavored,

How To Tell When Steak Is Done

The USDA recommends that steak be cooked to at least 145° F for food safety. An instant read thermometer is the best way to tell if your steak is done. Remove steaks from the heat when they register a few degrees lower than your desired level of doneness. The internal temperature will continue to rise as the steak rests.

• Medium-Rare: 135° F

Recommended Reading: Sam’s Club Philly Cheese Steak

To Make The Steaks In A Skillet

Best Steak Marinade Ever

Besides being the best marinade for all types of beef steaks, the marinade is also awesome with the following:

• Pork
• Seafood
• Vegetables
• Roasts

Anyhow, this is the way I like my steak done medium, but well done on the edges .

I never bother to make large batches, as this Marinade takes only minutes to make, and it contains all standard, everyday pantry ingredients.

This way I can also make a single batch, double or even more, depending on how much meat we want to cook on a specific day.

I always have to share the recipe with all our family and friends when we have them over for a barbecue or dinner ! Many people refer to this recipe as the best steak marinade for bbq, but it is so much more.

Using this Marinade turns out the meat , tender and juicy, each and every time.

Cooked to perfection and ready to be served

Update:

Over time we have used the Marinade not only with most red meats, but it is also very good with chicken and pork.

My daughter also marinated a pork roast and they loved it !

She did however, marinated the roast over night as she had a busy day ahead.

Every now and then she turned over the marinade container. And then she cooked the roast, using her rotisserie gadget in her oven. Below the roast she had a dish with plain, lightly salted potatoes into which the juices from the roast dripped.

Hearing about how fantastic her pork roast turned out, I just had to try it, also with the potatoes in a separate dish below the roast. Absolutely amazing !

You May Like: Canada Steak Burger Chula Vista