This Steak Marinade recipe is a simple combination of pantry-staple ingredients that adds fantastic flavor to your steaks!
In our family, we pretty much like all steaks cooked any which way, but even so, we have our favorites. We love steaks seared in a pan, as I talk about in this post: How To Cook Steak On The Stovetop. Those steaks are seasoned with salt and pepper. But sometimes, it is fun to switch things up and season with a marinade for steak!
Included In This Post
Steak Marinade Ingredients
- Olive Oil: The olive oil in a marinade helps release the flavor of the herbs, seasonings, and spices. It also adds moisture and helps to prevent sticking when grilling.
- Soy Sauce: We added soy sauce because it enhances the meaty flavor, helps tenderize the meat, and adds salt.
- Sea Salt: Salt helps tenderize the meat and adds flavor to it.
- Minced Garlic: For this recipe, we used fresh minced garlic for a great flavor boost, but you could use dried minced garlic or garlic powder as well.
- Coarse Ground Black Pepper: Black pepper goes so well with steak, and we love the coarse ground option with those bigger grains of pepper.
- Crushed Red Pepper: Adding a little crushed red pepper brings additional flavor to the steak as well as a touch of heat.
- Paprika: The paprika also adds a peppery flavor to the steak marinade.
How To Make Steak Marinade
Whisk: Whisk the ingredients together.
Place In Bag: Put the steak in the bag and add the marinade. Seal and place in the fridge for the desired amount of time.
Pre-heat The Grill: Heat the grill to medium-high. Remove the steak from the bag and discard the marinade.
Cook: Grease the grill grates, add the steak, and cook for 4-5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of your steaks and on how well done you like it.
Top and Serve: Remove the steak from the grill, top with butter and thyme, and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Variations
We tested several different combinations, and although they were all okay, this combination ended up being the best steak marinade, in our opinion. But everyone likes different things! Here are some more things you could add:
- Worcestershire sauce – this could be added as a tenderizer, but it also adds a distinctive flavor.
- Balsamic vinegar – is another tenderizer option that adds a different flavor.
- Lemon juice – works as a tenderizer and gives the meat a zesty flavor.
- Brown sugar – adds a touch of sweetness and helps with caramelization
- Honey – another option for when you want to add sweetness.
- Mustard – adds a spicy flavor to the marinade
Frequently Asked Questions
That depends on the cut of meat and the flavors you want to add to the steak. High-quality, tender cuts of steak can simply be seasoned with salt and pepper. More economical, tougher cuts of steak can definitely benefit from a steak marinade.
Steak marinade is a combination of oil, meat tenderizers, and seasonings. You can use different flavor combinations depending on how you plan to serve the steak.
You should marinate steaks for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours, depending on the thickness of the steak and the cut of meat. We’ve found that 3-4 hours is usually just the right amount.
How To Grill Marinated Steak
Heat the grill to medium-high heat. Remove the steak and discard the marinade for the steak. Grease the grill grates before adding the steak. Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of your steak and how well you want it cooked.
How long should I cook my steak?
The length of time for cooking steak depends on how thick the steaks are and how you want them cooked. You can use a thermometer to check the temperature. For medium-rare, the temperature should be 130˚F, 140˚F for medium, and 160˚F for well-done.
How To Cut Steak
After removing the steak from the grill, top it with herbed butter, and allow it to rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Then, using a sharp knife, cut the steak into thin slices against the grain. That means you want to look closely at the steak to see which way the lines are running. You’ll want to make the cuts in the opposite direction so that the lines in the steak and the cuts you are making are perpendicular, forming a “T”.
Want more marinade recipes? Try these next:
- This Adobo Peppers Chipotle Sauce is a fabulous chicken marinade. Put the chicken and the sauce in a gallon-sized zip-top bag and marinate for 30 minutes before cooking.
- A Coconut Milk Marinade is perfect for Mango Chicken Kabobs with a tropical flair, including mango and pineapple pieces!
- Use a Jamaican Jerk Marinade to make grilled Jamaican Jerk Chicken topped with a fresh pepper salsa bursting with flavor!
- This Garlic and Herb Chicken Marinade recipe makes the BEST juicy, tender, flavorful chicken that is a perfect main dish or delicious on a salad.
Marinade for Steak
Ingredients
Marinade
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
Steak
- 1 lb steak I used top sirloin
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ teaspoon thyme
Instructions
- Whisk together the olive oil, soy sauce, sea salt, garlic, black pepper, red pepper, and paprika.
- Put the steak in a gallon-sized zip-top bag. Add the marinade, seal the bag and place in the fridge for 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.
- Heat the grill to medium-high heat. Remove the steak and discard the marinade for steak. Grease the grill grates before adding the steak.
- Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side depending on the thickness of your steak and how well you want it cooked.
- Remove the steak from the grill, top it with a mixture of the butter and thyme, and allow it to rest for 5 minutes.
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