Grilled Steak Marinade

And a blueprint for building flavorful marinades for meat

Hey, everyone!

The weather is heating up in Austin, and I’m starting to do a lot more outdoor grilling. One of my favorite things to grill is a simple marinated skirt steak— it’s delicious, cooks fast, really absorbs a marinade, and is easy to get right. Pair that with some simple grilled vegetables and bread for an easy meal you can do entirely on the grill.

Today I’m going to talk about how to build a flavorful marinade for meat. Marinades are a great way to both tenderize and add flavor to certain cuts. In theory you can marinate just about anything, but I’ve found it works particularly well for skirt steak, flank, hanger, flat iron, tri-tip, and top round (for beef), tenderloin or chops (for pork), and thighs, breasts, or whole legs (for chicken).

I’ve included a recipe (borrowed from my mom, who used to make this every summer) for one of the most reliable steak marinades I know. But I also wanted to give a breakdown of how to build a marinade so that you can work with what you have and customize it with flavors that you like.

As always, let me know if you have any questions!

Myles

How to Build a Meat Marinade

There are a few core components to every marinade, but there are no set ratios you have to follow.

I usually start with a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio of oil to acid. Start there, and then add additional elements, tasting as you go and adjusting as needed.

I’m personally a huge fan of umami components like soy sauce in marinades— not only do they bring a major savory note, but they also help tenderize the meat even more. I’ll often add as much soy sauce as I do vinegar.

Oil

Start your marinade with oil— this coats the meat, helps retain moisture during cooking, helps the seasonings adhere to the surface, and allows for certain fat-soluble flavors to become more pronounced. I usually use olive oil, but avocado oil can be a good high-heat, neutral alternative.

Acid