I didn’t realize it until just now, but today will be the second day in a row that I’ve written about a tip I received from an OGT reader! I feel so fortunate to have readers who would take time out of their busy schedules to share their own ideas and experiences with me. It’s truly one of my favorite aspects of this job! :-)
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Today’s tip comes to us from a reader named Ronda, a Las Vegas native with a particularly juicy secret for cooking up tender and beautiful steaks. She claims to have learned this tip from one of the Strip’s top Executive Chefs, which seemed like reason enough to give it a try for myself! :-)
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A Very Secret Steak Marinade
According to Ronda and her chef friend, using Worcestershire sauce as a marinade will yield tender and beautifully glazed steaks. I admit I didn’t actually know very much about Worcestershire sauce to begin with, so I did some digging so that I could better understand how it might work as a marinade.
As it turns out, Worcestershire sauce already contains many of the components of a good marinade! It has vinegar to tenderize the meat, sugar for sweetness and shine, and deliciously savory flavors including onion, garlic, tamarind, and anchovies.
Worcestershire sauce is also quite concentrated, so it’s able to penetrate deeply into the meat. If you’re a fan of rich “umami” flavors and tender textures, you’ll definitely want to give this marinade a try the next time you fire up the grill!
How To Marinate Steaks With Worcestershire Sauce
You’ll need:
- Steaks (see below)
- Plastic zippered bag OR a ceramic bowl OR a glass bowl
- 1/2-1 cup Worcestershire sauce
Directions:
Place the steaks in a ziplock bag and pour in 1/2 cup of Worcestershire sauce. (If you’re using a bowl, place the steaks in the bowl and pour 1 cup of Worcestershire sauce over them.)
Let the steaks marinate for about 2 hours, or at least 30 minutes, turning the steaks occasionally for even saturation. After marinating, remove the steaks and pat them dry on both sides with a paper towel.
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Place them on a hot skillet or grill and cook to your desired temperature.
What Kind Of Steak Should I Use?
Need help choosing steaks? Here are a few of my favorites:
- Tenderloin/Filet Mignon – This pricey cut is melt-in-your-mouth tender, so it’s great for special occasions. Sear it off in a hot pan and finish it off in the oven to medium-rare perfection.
- New York Strip/Top Sirloin – This juicy cut has great marbling and delicious flavor. It’s also pretty reasonable in terms of price compared to fancier cuts!
- Flank Steak – Flank steaks are a great choice when you’re using a marinade. For maximum tenderness, cut it into thin strips across the grain before marinating!
What’s your favorite marinade?
THere used to be commercials for that particular brand with a steak in it. However I don’t ‘worster’ sauce as I call it. I always thought they made it up where my pop pop lives which was in Worster NY. I prefer my A-1 steak sauce if I ‘marinade’ something, or lo sodium Kikoman soy sauce. Now my next mention is not a marinade but a paste Ii love to put on my steaks (either while its cooking or after (or both) I get it from our Asian food market but not sure of what the exact name or brand… Read more »
I love this stuff and use it A LOT!! I like to mix it with tomato sauce and put it on eggs with runny yolks or even omelettes…yum!
My husband’s birthday is coming up in 10 days and I was thinking of marinating filet minions in cabernet sauvignon wine overnight, spiced with black pepper, salt, garlic powder and maybe some Italian seasoning. But maybe I’ll cut it with Worcestershire sauce as well! mmmm… Our oven isn’t working right now, though, so will have to cook in a fry pan. I’ve thought about cutting the steaks up into thin pieces, but if I don’t, I will score them criss-cross with a knife so the marinade really gets into the meat. What do you all think? Sound good?
I agree with the desire to get as much flavor out of the marinade and into the steaks. But overnight might be too long, especially if you cut them at all. You could end up with them being too tender, more like ground beef. Maybe poke them with a fork a few times, then marinate for up to 2 hours, but I wouldn’t do it any more than that.
Another cheap pre-made marinade option is salsa. Usually the cheaper the better, because that means a higher ratio of vinegar and tomatoes to other ingredients. Dump it in a ziploc bag, add steaks, and wait!
Yum! What a great idea!
It’s also one of the main ingredients in used in making a great Jerky for all the same reasons listed.
We used this for steaks, chicken & pork chops. We also buy in bulk & we’ll put them in freezer bags with the sauce & freeze them. Let the defrost in the sauce & they are ready to grill, bake or fry.
How clever!
Just throwing in one more MUST :) I used to be so bad about not letting the steak rest, but once I tried it, I’ll never go back! Five little minutes, thats all it needs. I throw brussels sprouts in the pan I cooked the steak to keep me busy…delish!
Thanks for all you do Jillee!
Buy a good quality cut of meat and you shouldn’t need to worry. Tougher cuts cover both sides in sea salt and let sit in the refrigerator for an hour or two. Then take it out and rinse it off with cold water. It will tenderize the toughest meat.
My favorite marinade for grilling pork is any Raspberry vinaigrette. It would probably be great for chicken also, but I prefer to save it for my pork chops!
I noticed that with the Worcestershire Sauce, you wipe off the excess marinade. Is that a good idea for all marinades when you are grilling?
I can’t eat beef, but bet that is a really good taste for steak. I wonder if it will be good on pork? I will try that this weekend.
I pat meat dry before cooking because it encourages a good sear. If the meat is wet with marinade, the meat sort of boil and steams for a while before it starts to brown :-)
I love Worchestershire sauce – it’s an awesome sauce for Dim Sum, too. When we go out for Dim Sum I’ve been known to bring a tiny travel size bottle in my purse…