The Best Steak Marinade Recipe Ever (2024)

FAQs

What are the 3 main ingredients when marinating? ›

A typical marinade is made up of three essential components: an acid (such as vinegar, wine, or citrus), an oil (such as olive oil or sesame oil), and a flavouring agent (such as herbs and spices). These elements work together to transform the taste and texture of your dish in different ways.

To make Gordon Ramsay Steak Marinade, mix balsamic vinegar, oil, sugar, soy sauce, rosemary, garlic, and red pepper in a zip-lock bag. Add a little black pepper to it and give it a good mix. What is this? Add the steak to the bag and mix so that the steak gets covered with the marinade.

How long should I let steak marinate? Marinate steak for at least 1-2 hours in the refrigerator. However, for best results, use a steak marinade for several hours or overnight. The extra time allows the steak fibers to break down and tenderize before cooking.

A great marinade is carefully balanced and made of three basic components – acid, fat and seasoning. Acids, such as wine, vinegars, citrus juice, buttermilk and enzyme-rich fruits like papaya or pineapple, work to soften the meat's surface by weakening proteins allowing for slight absorption of flavoring.

The components of a good marinade are acid, fat, salt, flavors and time.

Most fine restaurants age their beef to intensify the flavor and improve the tenderness of the cut. Aging is done by letting the meat sit (in very controlled conditions) for several days or weeks.

Remove Marinade Before Cooking: To prevent flare-ups on the grill and ensure properly browned meat when sautéing or stir-frying, wipe off most of the excess marinade before cooking. Keep just a little marinade on the meat surface to maximize flavor.

Meat-based dishes

Worcestershire sauce is a natural pairing for red meat and pork, particularly when you want to, pardon the pun, “beef up” less flavorful cuts of meat.

Marinate: Marinating your steak in acids or enzymes breaks down the fibers and tenderizes the steak. To marinate the meat in an acidic solution, add lemon juice, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, or buttermilk to your marinade and let the steak soak in it for thirty minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the cut.

Velveting is a Chinese method of marinating which keeps delicate meat and seafood moist and tender during cooking. The velveting technique is very easy and gives amazing results.

What are the three types of marinades? ›

There are different types of marinades, classified as acidic, enzymatic, or oil-based.

Marinate for 30 minutes. Tenderize meat with a fork before marinating to increase the surface area on which the marinade can impart flavors. Marinate food in a Ziploc bag with air removed to help the marinade soak the entire surface. Place marinating meat in the refrigerator to keep it in the safe temperature zone.

Marinades typically feature an oil and an acid — but the sky's the limit for creativity: For your oil base, try olive, peanut, truffle, sesame, walnut, or chile oil. You can also use milk, coconut milk, buttermilk, or yogurt. For acids, experiment with different types of vinegar, wines, beers, lemon, or lime juice.

For a solid, all-purpose marinade, Driskill suggests using 1 part neutral-flavored oil, like canola, to one part extra-virgin olive oil.

The rule -of-thumb ratio for marinades is 3-to-1, three parts oil and 1 part acid. For example, you would mix 1 cup oil (olive, canola, or vegetable) and ⅓ cup acid such as a vinegar, lemon or lime juice or other citrus, or wine.

Your steak probably tastes better at a steakhouse because we use lots (and lots) of butter. Bonus points when it's compound butter! Even the dishes that aren't served with a pat of butter on top are likely doused with a ladle of clarified butter to give the steak a glossy sheen and a rich finish.

What does Texas Roadhouse do to make their steaks so tender? The key to making the steak tender is to let it rest after seasoning the steak. This lets the seasoning penetrate into the steak which helps to break down the muscle fibers. Let is rest for at least 30 minutes.

The steaks should be evenly coated with the salt and pepper. When the pan is extremely hot, add the steaks and sear evenly on all sides (top, bottom, and sides) for about 2 minutes per side. (Be sure the cooking area is well ventilated.) You'll probably need about 3 turns to sear the sides and about 10 minutes total.

Balsamic Vinegar is a go-to ingredient when marinating or preparing meats. This is because it can tenderize a tough cut of meat while adding a spectacular flavor to the dish.

Your best bet for achieving marination magic is to soak your chicken, pork chops or loins and steak at least 30 minutes, but never longer than overnight.

Why is my marinated steak tough? ›

The acid or enzyme in a marinade causes the meat's tissue to weaken on the surface, but it must be used minimally and not for extended periods. Otherwise, the meat will become mushy, tough, and dry.

Don't reuse marinades or use marinades as a sauce after cooking. Marinades are in contact with raw ingredients, which may contain harmful bacteria. Always discard your marinade after use. Don't marinate in metal containers.

Marinades do not penetrate the meat deeply. Most of the tenderizing effect of a marinade will occur on the surface. Piercing the meat before marinating will give the greatest tenderizing effect.

Room temperature marinade fosters bacteria growth and food borne illness. While you'll want to cook your steak at room temperature, you'll want to refrigerate it while it marinates.

Add 1T butter and 2T olive or canola oil to the pan and watch for the butter starting to brown. Place the steak into the pan and reduce the heat to medium, cooking the first side for 4-6 minutes. Turn the steak gently with tongs, then tilt the pan and baste the cooked side with pan juices.

Why do people put butter on steak? Adding butter to steak adds extra richness and can also soften the charred exterior, making a steak more tender. But a good Steak Butter should complement the flavor of a steak, not mask it.

Most recipes for marinating meat and poultry recommend six hours up to 24 hours. It is safe to keep the food in the marinade longer, but after two days it is possible that the marinade can start to break down the fibers of the meat, causing it to become mushy.

Do NOT marinate in a metal container since the acidic mixture can react with the metal. Marinate in a resealable plastic bag, a resealable plastic container, or a glass container only. Turn meat occasionally so all sides are coated evenly with the marinade.

You'll still want to follow the rule of cutting against the grain and if you want the full benefit of the marinade, even flatten and tenderize the steak with a meat mallet before marinating.

Cola's high acidity and caramel flavor makes a surprisingly good meat tenderizer. Cola typically has a pH of about 2.7—for comparison, lemon juice has a pH of 2—making it acidic enough to break down some proteins without dissolving your meat.

How do chefs tenderize meat? ›

Velveting is a simple process of using baking soda or a mixture of egg whites, cornstarch and oil to marinate and tenderize economical cuts of steak, chicken and other meats before cooking. Velveting meat softens fibers to reduce toughness and enhance juiciness for maximum flavor and tenderness.

To better understand this, let's look at the three main methods of tenderizing meat: mechanical, thermal, and enzymatic. Mechanical tenderization involves pounding or piercing the meat with one of those medieval looking devices.

Pounding

Using a meat mallet (or kitchen mallet) to pound steaks helps soften and tenderize the meat. Simply place the meat in between pieces of plastic wrap or wax paper and pound it prior to cooking. If you don't have a meat mallet, you can also use a heavy kitchen tool such as a skillet, saucepan or rolling pin.

Briefly soaking meat in a solution of baking soda and water raises the pH on the meat's surface, making it more difficult for the proteins to bond excessively, which keeps the meat tender and moist when it's cooked.

Marinating your meats in apple cider vinegar can work to tenderize them, as long as you don't add too much vinegar and don't marinate them too long (it's very acidic, so prolonged exposure can break down the fibers in the meat and turn it to mush).

Tenderizing Steak with Salt

Salt tenderizes beef by drawing moisture out of it, then dissolving so it acts as a brine. We prefer sea salt over table salt for tenderizing, as it has the perfect texture and flavor for steak.

There are different types of marinades, classified as acidic, enzymatic, or oil-based.

Marinades generally consist of cooking oil, an acidic liquid, such as vinegar, wine, tomato, or citrus juice (or a natural enzyme, such as ginger or pineapple), and flavorings, including garlic, molasses, honey, fresh or dried herbs, and spices.

Firstly, you can marinate anything – fruit in wine; tofu in sesame oil, rice wine vinegar and soy sauce; vegetables in olive oil, lemon juice and garlic; so on and so forth.

For a solid, all-purpose marinade, Driskill suggests using 1 part neutral-flavored oil, like canola, to one part extra-virgin olive oil.

Should steak marinate in the fridge? ›

Always marinate in the refrigerator. Marinating at room temperature can allow dangerous bacteria to grow and lead to foodborne illnesses. Marinate vegetables for 15 to 30 minutes, fish and seafood for 15 minutes to one hour, poultry for 30 minutes to 3 hours, and other meat for 30 minutes to overnight.

Most recipes for marinating meat and poultry recommend six hours up to 24 hours. It is safe to keep the food in the marinade longer, but after two days it is possible that the marinade can start to break down the fibers of the meat, causing it to become mushy.

Remove Marinade Before Cooking: To prevent flare-ups on the grill and ensure properly browned meat when sautéing or stir-frying, wipe off most of the excess marinade before cooking. Keep just a little marinade on the meat surface to maximize flavor.

Try using buttermilk or yogurt, which are also acidic. -Enzyme Marinades. Using kiwi, papaya, pineapple and other fruits that contain papain or bromelain are perfect marinades. These proteins break down the meat to make it more tender.

All About The Lemon Marinade

The lemon juice not only provides flavor and acidity, but also helps tenderize the chicken. This works especially well for leaner cuts like chicken breast. The result is super flavorful, vibrant, juicy, and tender chicken.