Steak Marinade

Marinated steak seared whole in a cast iron skillet

5 from 1 vote

This steak marinade turns an inexpensive cut into a steakhouse steak. Soy sauce and Worcestershire build savory depth, lime and Dijon cut the richness, and brown sugar gives you a dark, caramelized crust.

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Marinating Time2

Total Time2 25

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 356kcal

Author: Ned Adams

Cost: 15

Ingredients

For the Marinade

½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
¼ cup olive oil
3 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoon lime juice fresh
2 tablespoon brown sugar packed
5 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

For the Steak

2 lb skirt steak or flank, sirloin, or your cut of choice
fresh parsley chopped, for garnish
lime wedges for serving

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, garlic, Dijon mustard, smoked paprika, onion powder, black pepper, and red pepper flakes until fully combined and emulsified.
Pat the steak dry and place it in a large zip-top bag or shallow dish. Pour the marinade over, making sure every surface is coated. Press the air out and seal.
Refrigerate at least 2 hours. For the deepest flavor, marinate 8 to 12 hours. Do not exceed 24 hours or the texture will turn mealy.
Take the steak out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Remove it from the marinade, let it drip, then blot both sides dry with paper towels and scrape off any clinging garlic or spice. Discard the used marinade, or boil it a full 3 minutes if you want to reduce it into a sauce.
Heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat, or heat a grill to high with a two-zone setup, until it is just beginning to smoke.
Lay the steak down and leave it undisturbed for 3 to 5 minutes, until a dark crust forms.
Flip and cook another 2 to 4 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer reads about 5°F below your target doneness. Medium rare is 130 to 135°F.
Transfer to a cutting board, tent loosely with foil, and rest 10 minutes.
Slice thin against the grain on a slight bias. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with lime wedges.

Notes

Marinating window. Minimum 2 hours, best at 8 to 12 hours, never more than 24. Past that the salt and acid break down the surface and the texture goes mealy.
How much you need. This makes about 1½ cups, roughly ¾ cup of marinade per pound of meat.
Pat it dry. A wet steak steams instead of searing, and the brown sugar on the surface will scorch. Blot both sides before it hits the pan.
Freeze from raw. Bag the raw steak with the marinade and freeze flat up to 3 months. It marinates itself as it thaws in the fridge overnight.
Leftover marinade. Never reuse marinade that touched raw beef without boiling it for at least 3 minutes. Set some aside before adding the steak if you want a clean finishing sauce.
Storage. Cooked steak keeps 4 days in the fridge or 3 months frozen. Unused marinade keeps 5 days in the fridge.
About the nutrition. Most of the marinade is discarded rather than eaten, so the sodium and calorie figures below overstate what actually ends up on your plate.

Nutrition