Marinated Grilled Steak

Grilling a steak isn't that hard, but I often wonder how restaurants achieve such a tender, juicy cut of meat.  The trick: marinating.  Not only does marinating your meats supply a wonderful tenderness, but it also infuses your meat with an extra POW of flavor. 

Marinating requires a bit of forethought.  You want to marinate anything for an absolute minimum for 1 hour, up to 24 hours.  My fiances father even told me he sometimes marinates his steaks for 3 days!  A simple marinade is just dumping a bottle of good Italian dressing over your cuts of chicken or beef and leave it to bathe in the fridge for several hours.  Marinating with lime or lemon juice and olive oil is a good idea, too.  When marinating with citrus, be careful not to leave it for longer than an hour.  The acid in the juice actually begins to cook the meat!

This is a wonderful recipe for marinating strip steaks, or any other fine cut of grilling meat.

Marinated Strip Steaks

• 2 strip steaks (about 16 oz. each)
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 3 T olive oil
• 1 bottle of dark beer
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds & ribs removed and finely diced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup of chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

Season both sides of steaks with salt and pepper, then brush with olive oil.  Place in a dish, just large enough to fit the steaks. 

In a medium bowl, combine beer, lime juice, jalapeno, onion, garlic, and parsley or cilantro to make the marinade.  Pour over the steaks, cover, and marinate for 2-6 hours.  The longer you marinate, the more flavorful and tender your meat will be.

Heat grill to direct, high heat.  Remove steaks from marinade, pat dry with paper towels, and season with more salt and pepper.  To grill steaks to medium-rare (in my opinion, the best way to get the most flavorful steak) for 4-6 minutes per side.

Transfer plate to a platter and cover loosely with foil, let rest for 5-10 minutes.

Serve and enjoy.  No need for steak sauce here!!