You Should Be Adding This Boozy Ingredient To Your Steak Marinade

Whipping up a quick marinade is a simple way to boost the flavor of all kinds of cuisine. Marinating ingredients like tofu and fresh veggies give somewhat bland foods a chance to shine, but it also works wonders on proteins. Steak, for instance, can be elevated with something as simple as a 3-ingredient marinade. Yet, if you really want to take your beef to new heights, consider letting it soak in beer before cooking.

Marinating steak in beer is more than just an excuse to bust out some suds while grilling on a Sunday afternoon. The sugars within most brews impart some sweetness to the meat, along with notes of caramel found in many cans. Yet, the cold ones do more than just lend extra flavor to the beef. Beer contains acids and enzymes that can help to break down the proteins in tough cuts of meat before they hit the heat, giving them extra tenderness that could lead to a melt-in-your-mouth eating experience.

However, you don't want to mask the taste of good meat with your marinade. Specific beers work better than others; for example, you may wish to avoid beers with a strong hoppy flavor that can dominate the proceedings. And while you can simply soak a steak with beer for a tender, flavorful outcome, adding other ingredients to the mix can increase complexity and better complement the dominant umami taste of the protein.

You don't need to rush out and get any premium brews for a steak marinade. In fact, you may not want to, as the strong character of some dark beers and hoppy IPAs can impart a bitter flavor. When making a steak marinade with beer, a plain old Coors will do just fine. Light beers with honey-type flavors also work well, as they will add a bit of welcome sweetness to your savory fare.

Steak can be marinated in beer with just some salt and pepper, but including other ingredients in the marinade gets you the most flavorful results. Mixing in brown sugar adds sweetness and can also help the beef gain a good, crusty sear when cooked. Herbs like rosemary and basil can bestow some aromatic zest to the dish. You can really add whatever ingredients you think will make for a tasty steak, but avoid a common seasoning mistake and taste-test the marinade often to ensure all the flavors are getting along.

One thing to bear in mind about marinating steak in suds is that you don't want to let it soak too long. An hour works, two might be better, but letting the meat sit in the refrigerator overnight would almost certainly be a mistake. The beef might come out mealy, at which point you've not only squandered time mixing together ingredients, but you have wasted beer and steak. In some circles, that is considered nothing less than sacrilege.