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The easiest dinners at our house are the ones cooked mainly on our grill, and they almost always involve preparing a great marinade for steak! This easy marinade is super quick and easy to make, and guarantees that your steak will turn out tender and flavorful every time.
Pair this steak marinade with my easy and perfect grilled steak and this French au poivre sauce and you’ll be in heaven!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It imparts the right amount of flavor without being overpowering.
- This marinade is the ONLY marinade I use, and it’s phenomenal on all cuts of beef.
- It works beautifully for overnight or longer marinades, guaranteeing a tender and flavorful steak every time!
Introduction
At our house, the easiest and most delicious dinners usually are cook on the grill. It’s one of my favorite times of year when I can fire up the Weber and enjoy the warm Charleston air on our long summer nights. Whether I’m cooking steaks, chicken, or even the occasional chicken parmigiana (yes, on the grill!), I’m a firm believer in brines and marinades. Brines keep proteins juicy, while marinades deliver bold, mouthwatering flavor without overpowering the meat.
This steak marinade is the only marinade recipe I need! I love letting the steaks soak overnight for maximum flavor. You all you need to do is quickly whisk together a few pantry stapes, add the meat, and refrigerate until you’re ready to cook; then the grill does the rest! These perfectly marinated steaks are always the star of the dinner table.
Ingredients
Curious what ingredients you need for this super-simple marinade? Fortunately, all you need are a few basic items you are sure to have on hand! Let me tell you about these key ingredients…
- Vinegar: A good marinade always includes an acidic ingredient like vinegar, which helps break down the proteins and makes the meat more tender. I like using Balsamic vinegar, as it has a rich flavor.
- Worcestershire Sauce: This umami-heavy sauce brings a great flavor to the marinade and really brings out the flavor of the steak.
- Yellow Mustard: This adds a tang and balanced flavor. Substitute with Dijon for extra kick if you like!
- Soy Sauce: Along with the Worcestershire, this adds a great umami flavor that pairs perfectly with the beef. The salt in the sauce helps tenderize the meat.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make a Steak Marinade
Scroll down for the full printable recipe or stick around for the step-by-step breakdown with photos to walk you through every delicious detail.
1
Combine
Toss all those marinade ingredients into a bowl like you’re hosting a flavor reunion.
2
Whisk
Whisk them together until they’re best friends—or shake them up in a mason jar like you’re mixing a cocktail for the grill.
3
Marinate
- Pour the marinade over the steaks in a large bowl or add the steaks and the marinade into a new zip-top plastic bag and seal. Put the meat in the fridge overnight, or at least 8 hours.
- Remove from the fridge 2 hours before cooking to allow the meat to come to room temperature.
Recipe FAQs
You’ll need an oil, an acid (like vinegar or pickle juice), some umami, like Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce, and some flavoring like garlic, mustard, or spices. Simply whisk the marinade ingredients together until they’re combined, then add the meat and refrigerate overnight.
You’ll actually need four main types of ingredients: oil, acid, seasoning, and salt. Choose your favorite ingredient in each category, and you’ll have a great tasting marinade! In this recipe, though, I recommend using olive oil, balsamic vinegar for acid, soy sauce for salt, and garlic, Worcestershire sauce, yellow mustard, and black pepper for seasoning.
Avoid using too much acid in a marinade or marinating for too long (like longer than 8-12 hours) can make the meat mushy or soggy. Also, be sure to pat the steak dry with paper towels before cooking to help it sear beautifully.
Serving Marinated Steak
Once your steak is perfectly marinated, you’ll need to cook it! My favorite way to enjoy this meat is to grill the steak perfectly, either inside or outside–or use the easy stovetop technique described in my French steak au poivre recipe.
Enjoy your steak along with French bread dinner rolls, browned butter mashed potatoes, and this refreshing marinated fresh fig and mozzarella salad. If you have any leftover steak, use it up in this po’ boy steak sandwich, these steak tartines with red peppers and horseradish cream, or this sweet potato and steak salad.
Expert Tips
- Keep the flavor focused. A great marinade shouldn’t be a “mix-anything jar.” Instead, choose one or two defining flavors—like garlic and mustard—and let them shine. Too many ingredients can muddy the flavors.
- Balance your acid and fat. Acid helps tenderize, but too much can mess with the steak’s texture. Pair it with plenty of oil to mellow it out.
- Always discard the used marinade that’s touched raw meat.
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Perfect Steak Marinade
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons quality olive oil
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Briskly whisk or process all ingredients together and place steaks into a large bowl or Ziploc bag with marinade. Seal the bag, making every effort to lesson the amount of air inside the bag.
- Marinate preferably overnight, or at least 8 hours.
- Two hours prior to grilling, remove steak(s) from marinade and lay flat on a baking sheet lined with foil. Allow meat to come to room temperature on the counter.
- Grill the steaks at a temperature between 450° and 500° for a medium-rare center, but this depends on the thickness of the cut. Allow the steak to rest tented with foil for 5 minutes, then slice against the grain and enjoy.
Notes
- The marinade works not only to impart flavor, but also to tenderize the beef.
- The longer the marinating, the more tender the final product.
- There are arguments about whether blotting your beef lightly with paper toweling before throwing it atop a hot grill grate lessens the flavor. I personally do not believe it does IF the meat has been marinating for at least 15 hours. This also depends on the thickness of the cut. As seen in the video, I like a bark or crust on my steak. I tend to blot lightly (do not remove all of the marinades) and throw atop HOT grill grates once my beef is sufficiently at room temperature. I can cook it lower and slower, achieve the bark, and not sacrifice flavor or moisture.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This marinade looks like it has just the right ingredients for flavors without fussing with extras. How many pounds will it marinade?
Dai, the most I’ve done is 10lbs with the way the recipe is written. If you use your cursor and hover over the word “servings” in the recipe card, you can easily scale it if you require more or less. I would be remiss if I failed to mention that while it say 10lbs, I am marinating in large zipper bags and turning them over every 45 minutes. I’ve never attempted any other marinade since perfecting this one. Please let me know how you and yours enjoy it! Jenny