Name: THE BEST STEAK MARINADE
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 205 min
Ingredients: ½ cup Soy Sauce; 2 TBSP olive oil; ½ cup brown sugar; ½ tsp Season All {or any type of all-purpose seasoning salt}; ¼ tsp ground ginger; ¼ tsp black pepper; ¼ tsp garlic powder

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Best Steak marinade made with soy sauce, brown sugar, olive oil, ginger and garlic; you’ll never taste a better grilled steak. It’s fast, flavorful and everyone enjoys it.

Steak marinade recipe that’s insanely delicious & has been a favorite in our family for years. Comes together in minutes and you won’t believe the incredible flavor! This steak marinade recipe has been in our family for years (Thanks Aunt Pam!) and continues to be one of our favorites.

What is steak marinade?

Steak marinade refers to a combination of ingredients added to steak to tenderize and add flavor. Steak marinade can be made of liquids, like my recipe below, or a combination of dry ingredients that’s most often referred to as a “dry rub.” When I make a marinade, I aim to combine the following: an acid to tenderize + an oil + flavor. For my acids, I usually use soy sauce, lemon juice, orange juice or even Dr.Pepper or Coke. I prefer using a light olive oil in my marinades. I always add some salt for flavor, but I also like to add garlic, onion or onion powder and dried seasonings. There are so many types of marinade; it’s always fun to try new recipes!

What type of steaks to marinate?

Our entire family of 7 really enjoys steak, but whew, it can get pricey! A great compromise is to buy less expensive cuts of steak and marinate them for tenderness and added flavor. Our favorite steaks to marinate are Flat Iron steak, Skirt or Flank steak, Tri-tip steak or even London Broil.

How do you make marinade?

It’s quite simple! When I make a marinade, I aim to combine the following: some form of acid to tenderize (soy sauce, lemon juice, orange juice & even Dr.Pepper!), an oil and flavor. I always add some salt for flavor, but I also like to add garlic, onion or onion powder and dried seasonings. Whisk the ingredients together and toss with your choice of meat. Small pieces of meat season faster, so you won’t have to marinate them for very long. Remove the meat from the marinade and discard. Cook however you’d like and enjoy your juicy, flavorful meat.

How long do you have to marinate steak?

How long you marinate steaks really depends on how thick the steak is before cooking. If you’re using a Tri-Tip steak, which is 2-3″ at it’s thickest part, you’ll want to marinate it for 6-7 hours. Skirt teak or flank steak is one of my favorite cuts of beef for a few simple reasons- it’s inexpensive, super tender and easy to cook! Skirt steak often is folded in the package so once you remove it, you’ll see it’s quite thin. Thin steaks don’t need to marinate very long! I aim for 3-6 hours, and usually end up marinating mine for 4 hours.

This really is the BEST Steak Marinade ever! It’s very simple to make as it uses just 6 ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry. Marinade for 3-6 hours, depending on the type of steak you’re using. Small, thin round steaks take less time to marinade than flank steak, but I love flank steak, so that’s what I use most often. The marinade yields a flavorful, juicy steak that everyone loves. It’s reminiscent of teriyaki with a slight twist- try it and you’ll see what I mean!

BEST Steak Marinade ingredients

Here’s what you need to make our steak marinade:

–Soy Sauce: You’ll need 1/2 cup. I use Kikkoman brand. Low sodium works! You can use Coconut Aminos as a soy alternative as well!

–olive oil: I prefer a light olive oil. You’ll need 2 TBSP.

–brown sugar: we use 1/2 cup regular brown sugar for this steak marinade. You’re welcome to reduce the sugar to 1/3 if you prefer.

–Season All: You’ll need 1/2 teaspoon of any type of all-purpose seasoning salt.

–SPICES: You’ll need 1/4 teaspoon each ground ginger, garlic powder & black pepper.

How to marinade steak

Put a gallon-sized Ziplock bag in a bowl and add all the ingredients of the marinade to the bag. (The bowl helps keep the bag upright and in place.)

Seal the bag and shake the bag around a bit, as well as squish it around with your hands to mix all the ingredients.

Add the steak and squish it all around again, until the marinade covers the steak.

Allow to marinate for 3-6 hours, depending on the thickness of your steak.

Grill steak 2-6 minutes per side, depending on the type of steak used and overall thickness.

Let steak rest for 5-10 minutes after grilling, to allow the juices to redistribute. Slice, serve & enjoy!