Marinate Steak In A Bottle Of This Classic Dressing For A More Tender Cut

When we covered offbeat steak marinade ingredients for greater tenderness and flavor, ranch dressing probably seemed like a head-scratcher. Sure, this super-hyped salad dressing might go just right over a bowl of greens served alongside beef at a BBQ, but using it to marinate the steak itself? We're here to tell you that, after seeing this hack utilized on several social media platforms, we're converts to the cause.

An effective steak marinade usually contains some form of acid to help break down tough muscle fibers and help the meat become succulent and juicy. Ranch dressing famously contains buttermilk. You've seen buttermilk used to tenderize fried chicken — and make no mistake, we love some ranch seasoning in our poultry for big flavor, too — which is what makes it an underrated, yet effective choice for beef as well. Fermented and cultured dairy typically contains lactic acid, which can slowly, gradually break down tough beef, and buttermilk is particularly acidic. Still, you need not worry about mushiness to the same degree you might with harsher acidic agents. Some folks will leave their steaks in ranch dressing for a full day or two to really let the sauce do its thing.

All you need to do is soak the steak in enough ranch dressing to cover it entirely, which will vary based on how thick your steak happens to be. Before grilling, wipe off the majority of the excess dressing clinging to the steak and season your meat with salt and pepper. You will find the resulting beef flavorful and, most importantly, deeply tender.

The simplest way to use ranch on your steak is to marinate it with the contents of a supermarket bottle. Since most of it will be washed down the drain, feel free to use a cheap variety of store-brand sauce. Keep in mind that store-bought ranch lasts a long time in the fridge, so don't worry about using up the entire bottle at once! Anecdotal evidence claims that there's no overwhelming ranch flavor left behind with this marinade, so if you want to preserve the actual savor of your favorite dressing, perhaps use some ranch seasoning to augment the salt and pepper on your steak. Of course, you could also finish your steak with a ranch drizzle.

If you'd like a bit more control over what goes on your steak, you can easily concoct your own bespoke ranch dressing. Popular recipes use multiple types of dairy like sour cream and buttermilk, as well as apple cider vinegar. With all those acidic elements to your ranch, you just know that the steak is going to be the bomb diggity.

When you understand what seasonings make up ranch dressing, you can more effectively customize your meal to go along with ranch-marinated steak. A good ranch usually features fresh herbs like chives, parsley, and dill, so herby roasted potatoes or sautéed veggies dressed with herb butter would be absolutely lovely with your steaks. Garlic and onion also make themselves known in ranch, so pan-fried Portobello mushrooms dressed with those two ingredients will really sing alongside the beef.