For the grill, I always choose a thin, quick-cooking steak—I'm talking skirt, hanger, or flank steak; tri-tip, short ribs, faux hanger (aka bavette, sirloin tip, or flap meat), or entraña steak. These are all cut from large, strong, active muscles, which makes them more flavorful and great for serving a crowd. But those strong muscles are also naturally tougher. Which is why these steaks require a marinade.
Making a steak marinade is a lot like making a salad dressing—you can customize it depending on your mood, your menu, or whatever happens to be in your pantry. But unlike salad dressing, you want the flavors in your marinade to be extra strong—strong enough to infuse the meat with flavor that will linger long after the marinade is discarded.
Every steak marinade needs four elements—oil, acid, flavoring, and salt. Once you understand the basic ratio and timeline of how to marinate steak, you'll never need to look at another recipe again.
Let's dig in: here's how to marinate steak without a recipe:
1. Start your marinade with oil
Your marinade should be at least 1/2 oil. The oil helps emulsify the marinade into a thick sauce that coats the meat. It's also a flavor-carrier. And having a coating of an oil-based sauce on your steak before you grill it will help it cook better and more evenly.
You'll need 1/2 cup of marinade per pound of meat you're grilling, and you want that marinade to be at least half oil, so for two pounds of steak, start with 1/2 cup of oil. If you don't want to taste the oil, go for a neutral oil like grapeseed or canola. If you're open to a stronger flavor, try olive oil or sesame oil or even an infused oil. You can mix together a couple oils or stick with just one. And of course you can add more later if needed once you get all the other elements in play.
2. Add acid, but not too much
Acid helps tenderize tough connective tissues—which my favorite steaks have plenty of—but too much acid will actually cook and toughen the meat, turning it weird and chalky. To prevent this from happening, use equal parts or less acid to oil.
You can always add more acid later, but you can't take it away. So though you can add up to as much acid as oil, I like to start with less, just to be safe. For two pounds of steak I usually start by whisking together 1/4 cup of acid and 1/2 cup of oil. What kind of acid you use depends on how you want it to taste—you could use a fresh fruit juice such as lemon juice, orange juice, or pineapple juice, or you could use any kind of vinegar such as balsamic, apple cider, or rice vinegar. Your acid could also come in the form of wine, beer, buttermilk, yogurt, or even puréed onions and garlic. I love a classic combo of olive oil and balsamic on a juicy hanger steak.
3. Mix In Some Flavorings
The flavoring elements are simply that—flavor for the surface of your steak. So have fun and add whatever you think tastes good. Raid your condiment collection as well as your spice cupboard and herb garden. Try Worcestershire sauce or mustard, some miso or chili paste, sliced garlic or shallots or grated or pressed garlic, roughly chopped fresh herbs or herb sprigs (or a smooth purée of fresh herbs), fresh or dried chiles, whole or ground spices, ketchup or sriracha, or grated or sliced fresh ginger or citrus zest. (I add Dijon mustard, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and pepper to my balsamic marinade.)
