Marinated steak??

[Skittle68]

My bf seems to think steak should be marinated. He says that's why no name steaks are so good. I think you should be able to just buy good steak, and season it. Steak is a tender cut- why would you marinate it?? What would you even marinate it in? I want to taste the steak, not a marinade... What do you think? Restaurants wouldn't marinate a nice ribeye, so why would I?

 

[Andy M.]

I agree with you. A good steak (filet mignon, NY Strip, ribeye) just needs salt and pepper. I also use a steak rub on these steaks. It really seems to enhance the beef flavor.

For other cuts, such as flank, skirt, steak tips, I do marinate.

 

[CraigC]

I like a nice flank steak marinated in Italian dressing. I also like fajitas, which is marinated skirt steak. Also there are tough cuts which are called "steaks", but IMO need marinade more as a tenderized.

Prime cuts, I just salt and pepper. Maybe a rub, but they don't need a marinade, IMO.

 

[salt and pepper]

Some cuts of meat go well with a marinate,like flank, london broil for example. But other prime cuts, T- bone, Rib-eye, do well with just salt and pepper or a light rub. Let the beef flavor shine through! But,to each his own. If thats the way he likes it, so be it.

 

[pacanis]

It's the same with sauces. I love a good plain steak as much as the next guy, but sometimes a nice sauce adds a special something, especially with a thick, tender cut like filet mignon. Actually, any thick cut where there's a lot of meat and little crust. Just like there's au jus for prime rib. Now you horseradish users... lol
I say to each his own, too.

 

[Kayelle]

I don't marinate tender steaks either, but I often use a dry rub with cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt & pepper.

 

[Rob Babcock]

My bf seems to think steak should be marinated. He says that's why no name steaks are so good. I think you should be able to just buy good steak, and season it. Steak is a tender cut- why would you marinate it?? What would you even marinate it in? I want to taste the steak, not a marinade... What do you think? Restaurants wouldn't marinate a nice ribeye, so why would I?

Some do. If you marinate you should keep it simple. As others have said, flank is good to marinate. But I've worked in places where even filet and ribeyes were marinated.

Typically you have a flavor component and some type of oil. For instance, rosemary, garlic and olive oil is a pretty good basic marinade for been.

Overall I'm with you though- a good steak really only needs salt and pepper. I like Himilayan salt and fresh cracked peppercorn melange.

 

[MrsLMB]

I also like to taste my steaks. I would only marinade if it needs time to tenderize and that is very seldom.

Salt and Pepper are more than enough for my steaks. When I do want a wee bit extra I have a mix of garlic powder, onion powder and paprika that I sprinkle on.

And I generally don't use a sauce on my steaks either with the rare exception of a dab of horseradish to dip it in.

 

[4meandthem]

I marinate my steaks in soy for 20 minutes befor the grill. Nothing else. I like the umami on the crust but it doesn't effect the center at all. If I don't do this I use a dry rub sparingly. I like horseradish with both.

 

[pacanis]

Not to go too OT... but horseradish is so strong. How do you taste the beef through it?
I can see using it on an oxroast sandwich as a condiment, but I never got the association it has with a good piece of beef. Just curious.

 

[CharlieD]

It's like Andy said, if it is prime cut, all it needs is a bit od salt and pepper, on the cheaper, tougher cuts then you can use marinade or something else.

 

[pacanis]

I use just S&P on less than prime cuts. I grew up with supermarket cuts of beef though.

 

[Andy M.]

Several posts make reference to only marinating to tenderize meats. That's a common misconception.

The following link is to an article by Shirley O. Corriher, Alton Brown's occasional sidekick on Good Eats and a food scientist.

Marinades Add Flavor but Don't Always Tenderize - Fine Cooking Recipes, Techniques and Tips

 

[4meandthem]

I didn't invent it but I sure like it! Salsa too really enhances. Chimichurra?

 

[taxlady]

Several posts make reference to only marinating to tenderize meats. That's a common misconception.

The following link is to an article by Shirley O. Corriher, Alton Brown's occasional sidekick on Good Eats and a food scientist.

Marinades Add Flavor but Don't Always Tenderize - Fine Cooking Recipes, Techniques and Tips

Thanks for the link. That was interesting. If I am cooking a tough piece of meat, I would rather pound it or braise or stew it than try to make it tender with a marinade. I use marinades (but not often) for flavour.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I don't know why no one else has brought this up. Marinades are defined as savory, usually acidic liquid used to flavor foods, especially meats. The acids in marinades, usually wine or vinegar, react with the meat surface, causing the proteins to tighten up, keeping the marinade from penetrating any deeper than that outer layer. They don't tenderize meat, but flavor the outside.

Valid methods for achieving tender meat is cooking properly for the meat type, massaging, or pounding to break up the meat fibers, using a tenderizing tool as in meat mallet, meat tenderizer (has blades of tines that again break up meat fibers), meat cube device (wheel with protruding blades that alternate cuts, as in cube steak), Stewing, braising, slow roasting, pressure cooking, and for more tender cuts that require little tenderizing, cooking to the proper temperature.

There are a good many people on this site who can help you create, or select a brine, or cook your meat cut in a host of different methods. But don't rely on a marinade to tenderize your meat.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Haywire2]

Marinade with any DRY condiments is fine

 

[Andy M.]

Marinade with any DRY condiments is fine

That would be a dry rub, not a marinade.

 

[taxlady]

That would be a dry rub, not a marinade.

+1

 

[Addie]

Anytime I make hamburgers or meatloaf, I always add some milk. Been doing it for years. My mother always soaked her bread in milk for her meatloaf. The majority of us don't use the best cuts of beef for these two staples.

If your bf wants a marinade, then give it to him. But you can keep yours the way you like it. Just salt and pepper.