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Grilled steak is already pretty good on its own. However, if you marinade a grilled steak the flavor is simply out of this world. We show you exactly how to do it so you can have an amazingly flavorful grilled  steak!

You Make A Marinade For Your Steak By:

START 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.

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.

MIX IN 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 garlic.

GET SWEET AND SALTY
To balance out the flavor, just as you would a salad dressing, you need to also add something sweet and something salty to your marinade. The salt is essential as a tenderizer and moisture retainer for the meat, but it doesn't have to come from actual salt. You can also use a salty liquid such as soy sauce or fish sauce. Sugar is not as essential, but helps balance out the flavor.

MARINATE FOR AT LEAST ONE HOUR, AND UP TO 12

Thin cuts of steak shouldn't marinate for more than 10 or 12 hours, so this is not so much of an overnight thing—more of a marinade it in the morning, grill it at night game. The shortest amount of time you can get away with is one hour. Any shorter and the marinade won't have a chance to work its magic.

PAT DOWN, GRILL
Remove the steak from the marinade and give it a good pat down with paper towels. Make sure no bulky flavorings like slices of jalapeño are stuck to the meat—they'll just burn on the grill.

Your cook time will depend on the heat of your grill and the cut of steak you're using, but generally speaking all thin cuts fare well cooked over high heat.

REST, SLICE AGAINST GRAIN

Serve & Enjoy!

Now that you know how to make the perfect marinade for your grilled steak you may just want to make it all the time. Have you used these tips to make a steak marinade before?

Let Us Know How It Turned Out For You!

Article Source: Epicurious