Juicy Steak Marinade
Published 3/7/2023 • Updated 3/22/2024
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I used to be a boring salt + pepper + butter steak kind of gal, but this steak marinade has changed my mind! When I say your steak will be juicy, just trust me! This marinade infuses your steak with Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, garlic, and a hint of lemon. My favorite way to cook marinated steak is on the grill because the char flavor will bring out all of the flavors even more!
The Best Steak Marinade
Before cooking your steak, try marinating it in this savory blend of Worcestershire, balsamic vinegar, garlic, olive oil, and lemon. Marinate your steak for at least 30 minutes, and then grill or broil to your liking. This flavorful marinade will enhance the natural juiciness of your steak and leave your taste buds wanting more. The secret to this steak marinade recipe is a combination of sugar, salt, and a little citrus that leaves you with tender, flavorful, and juicy steak.
So, whip up this steak marinade and serve your juicy steaks next our grilled potatoes or slice up your steaks and serve it in our famous steak salad recipe!
How long should I marinate my steak?
We recommend marinating steak for at least 30 minutes or up to 12 hours. The longer you marinate steak the more tender your steak will be. Unlike salmon, you can marinate steak for a bit longer without lemon juice cooking the steak.
Steak Marinade Ingredients
- Worcestershire sauce– many steak marinades have Worcestershire in them because it is a vinegar-based sauce that has ingredients like anchovies, garlic, tamarind, and other ingredients that make a salty sauce that goes perfectly with steak.
- Balsamic vinegar– a little sugar to balance out the saltiness of this marinade comes from the balsamic vinegar.
- Minced garlic– adding fresh garlic to any marinade adds so much flavor. We don’t recommend subbing garlic powder.
- Olive oil– the olive oil binds all of the steak marinade ingredients together.
- Lemon juice– a bit of lemon juice lightens up this marinade and aids in tenderizing the steak before you cook it.
- Lemon pepper– adding some lemon pepper to this marinade brings out the lemon flavor in the marinade.
What is the best cut of beef for marinating?
There are many different cuts of steak out there and you can marinate any cut of steak in the marinade. We have personally used this steak marinade with the following cuts of meat:
Here are other cuts of beef you can use with this steak marinade
This steak marinade will tenderize any of the steaks below.
- Sirloin
- Ribeye
- New York Strip
- Filet mignon
- Skirt steak
- Skirt
- T-Bone
- Porterhouse
prep it ahead of time
You can add all of the ingredients for this steak marinade to a mason jar, shake it up, and store it in the refrigerator to have on hand for marinating steak, chicken, or pork!
How to Marinate Steak (3 Steps)
- Combine: simply combine all of the ingredients in a bowl or jar and mix to combine.
- Marinate: Place your steak into a dish or large gallon-size bag and pour in the marinade. Make sure that all sides are nice and coated.
- Let sit: Let steak marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.
What should I marinate my steak in?
When you make this steak marinade you add big flavor to your steak, but you don’t need many tools for this recipe. We recommend a gallon-size plastic bag or large container with a lid — nothing creazy.
Ways to Cook Marinated Steak
Sous Vide Steak
Sous vide steak is the ONLY way to eat steak. We are obsessed with the perfectly cooked goodness of sous vide steak. It’s as easy as 1-2-3.
Grilled Steak
- Add our Grilled Flank Steak to the menu this summer! You can serve this flank steak by itself, in tacos, or even in fajitas.
- Try our Grilled New York Strip (what we used in these photos). We love the fat to protein ratio of this cut of meat and the marinade is so good with this recipe.
Pan-Seared
If you don’t have a grill, you can easily use a cast-iron skillet or grill pan to sear your steak on high heat and then bake it until it reaches a safe eating temp. Try our cast iron steak recipe.
Steak Internal Temp
Everyone is different when it comes to how they like their steak. We are big fans of a medium-rare steak, but check the internal temperature of your steak when it’s almost done.
Rare: 130ºF
Medium Rare: 140ºF
Medium: 155ºF
Well Done: 165ºF
Remember, as your steak rests after it’s done cooking, the internal temperature will continue to raise around 5ºF.
FAQ
How you prepare your steak is all about preference, but marinating your steaks it will help infuse them with flavor and make them ultra-tender.
We recommend marinating your steaks for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
Marinating your steaks in citrus or vinegar helps to break down the tendons of the steak, making them tender.
You can easily use this steak marinade to marinate any cut of chicken.
How to store cooked steak
You can store cooked steak in the refrigerator for up to 7 days as long as it is stored in an airtight container.
Best Steak Marinade
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, ~half juicy lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients for the steak marinade together in a small bowl or Pyrex and whisk to combine.
- Then, pour the marinade on top of the steaks, remove as much air as possible and seal the bag. Squish the marinade around making sure it coats the steaks.
- Place steaks in the fridge and let marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
- Once you're ready to cook your steaks, follow our How to Grill Steak post or use any method you wish.
Tips & Notes
- Nutrition information does not include steak.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Photography: photos taken in this post are by Erin from The Wooden Skillet.
Easy flavorful marinade for grilling strip steaks!
This is truly the best steak marinade I’ve ever had!!!
Yay! So glad to hear you loved this marinade too 😀