Meat tips for tenderizing and flavor
Make a statement your next steak night with these tips that will turn a cut from a bargain to a superstar!
Why Marinate a Steak?
Marinating a steak before cooking serves two purposes: It helps tenderize the meat and adds just the right amount of flavor. Some top-quality steaks can go without a marinade, since they're already full of meaty flavor and, with the right prep, end up juicy and tender without any help from a marinade. Budget-friendly or value steaks, however, benefit tremendously from marination. A good marinade on a value steak makes a difference your taste buds will appreciate!
Steak Marinade Ingredients
These are the ingredients you'll need to make homemade steak marinade — you may already have most of the ingredients you'll need:
- Oil: This top-rated steak marinade recipe starts with olive oil, which keeps the meat nice and moist.
- Sauces: You'll need Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce. Hot sauce is optional, but it's a great addition for people who appreciate a little heat.
- Lemon juice:The acidity from the lemon juice cuts through the other flavors, adding welcome brightness. The acid also helps tenderize the meat even further.
- Spices and seasonings:This flavorful marinade is seasoned with dried basil, garlic powder, dried parsley flakes, black pepper, and minced garlic
How Long to Marinate a Steak?
How long you marinate your steak depends on the size and variety of the cut you're using.
- Thinner cuts, such as skirt or flanks steaks, should be marinated for 2-4 hours.
- Value or Budget-friendly steaks, will benefit from marinating overnight (about 8 hours).
How to Use Steak Marinade
- Pour the marinade into a resealable plastic bag.
- Add steak, coat with the marinade, squeeze out excess air, and seal the bag.
- Marinate in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours.
- Remove steak from the marinade and shake off excess.
- Discard the remaining marinade.
- Let meat come up to room temperature.
- Cook or grill steaks to desired doneness.
What to Do With Leftover Marinade
- You may be tempted to re-use the marinade straight from the bag, but don't! A used marinade is not safe to use as-is. In fact, the bacteria from the raw meat could make you (and your dinner guests) very, very sick.
- All that flavorful marinade doesn't have to go to waste, though: You can make it safe-to-eat by boiling the liquid for several minutes. This process will also reduce the liquid, resulting in a thick sauce that'll work well with your freshly cooked steak.
How to Make Homemade Steak Marinade
To make this steak marinade recipe at home, simply blend all the ingredients together. That's it! You'll find the full, step-by-step recipe with more detailed instructions below.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons dried basil
- 1 ½ tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 ½ tablespoons dried parsley flakes
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried minced garlic (Optional)
- ¼ teaspoon hot pepper sauce (Optional)
Directions:
- Place olive oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, basil, garlic powder, parsley, white pepper, minced garlic, and hot pepper sauce in a blender; blend on high speed until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds.
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