This is just an excellent beef steak marinade that adds juiciness and flavour into steaks, transforming economical steaks from just ok to “wow!”. It injects extra flavour without overpowering the natural flavour of beef, and makes the meat tender.
Terrific for any type of steak – for grilling or pan searing!
Beef Steak Marinade
Steaks are like wine – the more you spend, the better they are. Juicier, more flavour, more tender, no random bits of sinew throughout.
And as much as we’d all like to be able to splurge on premium quality beef every time we have a hankering for steak, the reality is that most of us cannot!
But you can turn every day beef steaks into something that tastes as good as a premium cut (in my humble opinion) by using a great beef steak marinade!
When should you marinate steak?
Use this marinade for economical steaks – it will make the flesh more tender and add flavour. Do not use this for expensive, prime grade beef steaks!
This steak marinade makes steaks juicier and enhances the flavour rather than overpowering the natural flavour of beef!
It’s actually easy to make marinades that infuse flavour into steaks. But it’s harder to make marinades that enhance without adding too much flavour into the steak. You want the steak to taste mainly of (gasp, shock horror!) BEEF. Not overwhelmed by marinade flavour!
What goes in Beef Steak Marinade
Here’s what you need for the Steak Marinade. Use this marinade for any economical steak – do not use for expensive steaks, that would be a waste!!
Here’s why this combination of ingredients makes your steak plump, juicy and adds flavour:
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Balsamic vinegar – the tenderising ingredient, because it’s acidic (which breaks down meat fibres);
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Soy sauce – the salty liquid to act as the brine so the steak retains moisture. It does not make this steak taste Asiany, we only use a bit!
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Dijon Mustard – a touch of flavour and to thicken the marinade slightly so it coats the steak better (thus marinates it more effectively, rather than having to worry about turning the steak regularly);
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Flavour – all the other ingredients! Worcestershire is pretty intense in flavour so you only need a bit to add savoury flavour into things.
How to marinate steak
I always marinate my steak in ziplock bags which I acknowledge is not environmentally friendly, but it is the most effective way to marinade steak because it keeps the steak evenly coated with a relatively small amount of marinade.
If you want to use a container instead, use a glass or other non reactive container and I would recommend doubling the marinade.
How long to marinate steak?
12 to 24 hours is best. You can also freeze it immediately – then it will marinate as it thaws!
Pan fry or grill it, and marvel at how JUICY and FLAVOURFUL your steak is!!
The steak marinade injects enough flavour into the steak such that you don’t need to serve this with a sauce. But I couldn’t resist adding a smidge of garlic butter on top!
You could also serve it with a Creamy Mushroom Sauce or Creamy Peppercorn Sauce, or even gravy.
As for sides, it’s pictured with buttered baby potatoes and a classic Rocket/Arugula Salad with Shaved Parmesan. Here are some more suggestions for great sides!
Sides for Steak Dinner
So….who’s in the mood for a STEAK DINNER now? 🙂 – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Beef Steak Marinade
Ingredients
- 2 steaks , economical (Note 1)
Marinade
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp minced garlic (1 large garlic clove)
- 1/2 tsp onion powder (or sub with garlic powder)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce (Note 2)
- 1 tbsp oil (I use olive oil, but any oil is fine)
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Mix together mustard, garlic and onion powder. Then mix in remaining ingredients.
- Place beef in a ziplock bag with Marinade and marinade overnight (12 - 24 hours).
- Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking to bring to room temperature - key for even cooking of steaks. Shake off excess marinade.
- Brush BBQ Grills with oil, then heat on high heat until is really hot - you should see wisps of smoke. Or heat a heavy based skillet on high until very hot, then add oil - it will heat almost instantly.
- Add steaks. For 2cm / 3/4" thick steaks, cook the first side for 2 minutes, then turn and cook the other side for 2 minutes (medium rare 52°C/125°F, chart below for other doneness temps). (Note 3)
- Remove from skillet onto a WARM plate, cover loosely with foil and set aside for 5 minutes.
- Serve! I couldn't resist garlic butter - see recipe in notes.
Recipe Notes:
4. Garlic butter: 100g / 1 stick unsalted softened butter, 1 small garlic clove very finely minced (using crusher is best), 3/4 tsp salt, 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley. Mix together, place on baking paper to form a log. Roll up then twist ends tightly repeatedly until it forms a neat log. Refrigerate until firm, cut to serve.
5. Nutrition per serving for a 400g/14oz bone in steak (T-bone, ~300g/10oz exc bone), excluding butter.Nutrition Information:
Originally published June 2016. Updated 2020 with new photos and brand new video! No change to recipe.
My favourite back-pocket marinades
These are the ones I use over and over again, made with pantry staples with lots of sub options!
And more steak recipes
Also try this Mushroom Gravy (this is a seared chicken recipe, just switch the chicken with steak) or the onion gravy in this sausage recipe (just directly switch the sausages with steak).
Life of Dozer
Suffice to say he didn’t stray too far the whole time I was photographing and filming this steak….😂
Very tasty marinade! Completely agree that it adds great flavour while allowing the natural beef flavour to shine.
Thanks Nagi!
Holly x
You’re so welcome Holly, thanks so much for the great feedback! N x
I used the marinade for trimmed thigh chicken fillets. it worked well and was delicious.
Hi Nagi, thank you so much for your beef steak recipe. My children enjoyed this meal very much. They rated good dish and delicious.
Is this good to use on cross rib cut steaks?
Yes definitely Betty! N x
Nagi, this is the most awesome easy marinade. My husband said, this is good (which I do not hear all the time!!).
Thanks for all your hard work. Hi Dozer!!
Just cooked this and sliced it up and served wraps with onions, peppers and mushrooms, absolutely delicious! 😊
can i use white vinegar instead of balsamic vinegar
Hi Robert, balsamic or red wine vinegar would be better suited here. N x
Ok I made this tonight but probably should wrap it up in foil it was good not tough but do you recommend grill right onto grated for better taste I would try this recipe again made it as recipe calls for no substitution of any also for potato no being fully done do you recommend how to grill small potatoes like red or the other small potatoes ok thanks for the recipe bob rondeau
I have used this marinade lots of times now people…it makes a supermarket (Coles in Aus) rump steak a beautiful tasty tender chew. These days with Steak pricing off the planet I find myself buying cheaper supermarket cuts however its not all bad news with this marinade. I usually BBQ grill.
Thanks Nagi
Hi Nagi,
So my husband got T bone steaks that were already tenderised. The pieces are pretty thin in width. How long should I marinade, I am thinking 12 hours may make it mushy? Please help out. 😊
Excellent marinade. The first one I have found and can honestly say it flavored the steak. Only had 6 hrs. but it was still delicious. Thank you.
Nagi! I am so glad I found your website! Your recipes have not failed me a single time yet 🙂 I tried following so many other recipes and it always turns out meh… my family was afraid I will spoil another steak dish again and they were pleasantly surprise that it was perfect! Thanks for that.
I only had time to marinate for an hour and oh my god it was amazing! I don’t think I’ll be able to eat steak any other way from now on.
Hi Nagi,
I don’t have balsamic vinegar on hand, can I use chinese black vinegar?
Is there any difference on taste?
I’m absolutely grateful for this recipe. Three days (yikes!) of badly marinated, way too overpowering, salty as heck meals. Here’s to hoping my marinade works and I get some of my cooking cred back!
Is tenderised blake steak ok to use this marinade in? If so, should it still marinade for 12-24 hours?
Sorry blade not blake
Hi Sarra, by tenderised do you mean that it’s already in a brine? If so – I wouldn’t use if for this recipe sorry! N x
Simply delicious
Changed a cheap steak into something totally delicious! Everyone at the BBQ asked for the recipe. Couldn’t believe how tender but full of flavour the steak was.
Could I use red wine vinegar instead if it’s all I have on hand? 🙂 thank you
Hi! I was wondering how many pounds of steak is this recipe good for? I had a little over 2 lbs of skirt steak & noticed I didn’t have as much floating around the bag to cover all the steak as you did in the video.
Hi Christine, I would definitely double the amount for 2 lbs of steak – N x
I don’t have any vinegar in the house, can anything be used in its place?
Hi Nagi,
Would the Chimichurri sauce recipe on your site go well with the steak after using this marinade?
Thanks so much
Jen
Yes 100% Jenni! N x
What cut of steak did you use in this recipe? I love your recipes!
Hi Nagi, would this work on a chuck eye steak? It’s a pretty tough steak to grill.
Hi Dianna, yes you could use that here 🙂 N x