How to Cook the Perfect Marinated Steak

Cooking the perfect steak often starts with the perfect marinade.  You can impress everyone at your barbecue by cooking the perfect marinated steak, and there are several ways to achieve this goal.  A good marinade should enhance the steak’s flavor and not cover it up.  You are probably no stranger to cooking with marinades, since many popular sauce companies have offered steak marinades for years, but you might consider trying a few new things.  The best marinades for cooking steaks are often made from scratch. 

Most marinade recipes call for spicy ingredients such as garlic and onions.  You might consider a bit of garlic salt and pepper as a steak rub, and letting it marinate in just those seasonings.  Others like to add a bit of brown sugar to the mix before cooking, and this can certainly add a different flavor. 

Don’t rule out alcoholic beverages when cooking steak, either.  Most people use beer or wine to marinate a steak before cooking, but you can use plenty of other spirits for new and interesting flavors.  Using coffee as a marinade before cooking is growing increasingly popular.  Really, finding the perfect marinade just depends on your own personal taste.

Once you’ve decided on your steak marinade, you should fill a zipper bag with the marinade and then drop a steak in.  Close it and place in the refrigerator overnight, or at least for eight hours.  Many people make the mistake of marinating while cooking, and you miss out on many of the complex flavors.  Also, after marinating, cooking on the grill is the best bet, though a pan-seared steak can be truly delicious.