You want tender, juicy, flavorful steak for dinner. But it’s damn expensive in restaurants! The good news is, you can make the exact restaurant-quality steak or even better at home with ease. Your family and friends will love it.
The secret to making a perfectly tender, juicier, and flavorful steak at home is by marinating it a little. There are many steak marinades today. But I have narrowed them down to the best steak marinades in the market that will make your steak stand out from the crowd.
But:
First things first!
What is Marinating?
To marinate is to soak meat or other foods in a marinade. A marinade is a mixture of spices, oil, various ingredients, and wine, and there is no particular standard way of making a marinade. It all depends on your choices.
How to Marinate Steak
If you want to cook steak like a pro, here are step-by-step instructions on marinating a steak.
- Put the steak in a re-usable plastic bag or air-tight container
- Add the marinade to the air-tight container to generously coat the steak
- Press out the air from the bag and seal it tightly
- Place the tightly closed bag in the fridge and leave it to marinate
- Tender steak cuts should take between 1-2 hours to marinate
- Tough steak cuts should take between 18-24 hours to marinate
Note: The steak should be allowed to marinate in the refrigerator to prevent food-borne diseases.
7 Best Steak Marinades
Below are the best steak marinades.
1. Red Wine
Red wine makes a delicious steak marinade and tenderizes the meat giving it a wine flavor. The marinade ingredients include black paper, salt, minced garlic cloves, rosemary, lemon juice, and olive oil. You will follow the step-by-step ways to make a marinade and marinate your steak.
2. Italian
It involves combining various flavors to make your steak tasty. Make your steak marinade with a few spices if you don’t like a strong flavor. The ingredients include dried basil, ground black
pepper, minced garlic cloves, olive oil, dried thyme, vinegar, salt, and dried oregano. Follow the above steps of making a steak marinade and marinating the steak.
3. Fajita
Fajita is one of the best steak marinades when made the right way. The marinade’s ingredients include low sodium soy sauce, minced garlic cloves, paprika, crushed red pepper flakes, black pepper, chopped cilantro, pineapple juice, lime juice, and olive oil. Follow the steps of making the marinade and marinating the steak provided here.
4. Garlic and Herbs
Garlic and herb steak marinade can be your ultimate weekend dinner if you like. These are the ingredients; Minced garlic cloves, dried rosemary, salt, dried oregano, thyme, basil, olive oil, and black pepper. Follow the step-by-step method of making the best stead marinade and marinate it.
5. Ginger Soy
Your family will like the ginger-soy marinade’s strong flavor. The ingredients include raw honey, olive oil, minced garlic cloves, ground ginger, rice wine vinegar, and low sodium soy sauce. Follow the method of making the marinade and marinating the steak provided here.
6. Lemon Pepper
Lemon pepper marinade will make your steak incredibly delicious. The marinade’s ingredients include lemon zest, minced garlic cloves, crushed black peppercorns, sea salt, lemon juice, and olive oil. Marinate your steak by following the steps explained here.
7. Chipotle
It is my favorite steak marinade. The ingredients include ground cumin, onion powder, granulated garlic, black pepper, lime juice, sea salt, and adobo sauce. Follow the step-by-step method of making the marinade and marinate your steak with this fantastic marinade.
There are several steak marinade recipes available nowadays. It’s also possible to make one by combining a variety of ingredients. However, in my view, the steak marinades highlighted here are the best so far.
