Make a $5 Steak taste like $50

I went to the store the other day and they had an amazing sale on not so quality cuts of meat.  Granted the steak that I picked up was a rib-eye, it didn’t have marbling and it was cut quite thin.  However, I figured that it would be a good time to discuss how to make substandard meat extraordinary.  Through the use or rubs, marinades and sauces you can improve the flavor of steaks.  However, marinades also help tenderize a steak.  So the perfect addition to any substandard cut of meat is to use a marinade.    Below I used a Korean inspired marinade to tenderize and flavor my not-so-perfect cut of steak.

Korean Style Marinated Steak with Rice
Korean Style Marinated Steak with Rice

The spicy sweet marinade did a double feature and was reduced in a pan to create an amazing sauce for the steak and rice.

Korean Steak Marinade

  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 white wine
  • 3 tbs sugar
  • 4 cloves garlic- (Finely Diced)
  • 1 tbs red pepper flake – (optional but adds a nice back end heat)
  • 1 tbs sesame oil
  • 1/4 tsp ground pepper

Place the steaks in a zip-top bag and then add the marinade ingredients.  No need to dirty a bowl, just mix everything up so that the sugar dissolves.

Marinate the Meat
Marinate the Meat

Next allow the meat to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Pour the marinade out of the bag into a sauce pan.  Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer.  Let it simmer until it reduces by 1/3.

Reduce to make a great sauce
Reduce to make a great sauce

Preheat your grill to Medium/High.

Place the steaks directly over the heat and grill for 2-4 minutes depending on the thickness of your steaks.

Your Fired!
Your Fired!

Flip and cook for another 2-4 minutes.  Check to make sure that the steaks are done to your liking and remove from the grill.  Let the steaks rest for 3-5 minutes before serving.

MMM, grill marks
MMM, grill marks

Serve the steaks over steamed rice with the reduced sauce.

A meal fit for a king- Just don't tell him how much you spent on the steak.
A meal fit for a king- Just don't tell him how much you spent on the steak.

The steaks were perfectly tender and flavorful.

Now I would not recommend using a marinade on a nice cut of meat.  However, sometimes it is nice to get a unique flavor profile with the texture of steak.  That is where the $5 steak comes in.

Rex

Rex is an avid griller, barbecuer and bacon enthusiast. He is the Pitmaster for the Rex BBQ competition team. Rex was also featured on the TV show American Grilled. If you have any questions or wish to have Rex decode your favorite dish, click on the ASK REX link in the menu above.

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3 thoughts on “Make a $5 Steak taste like $50

  1. ok, tried it and i love the flavor!!!! i didn't reuse the marinade just cause im skeptical about reusing stuff that has all that blood but i remade it and turned it into the sauce. i also added A1 and i loved the results, though it didn't quite tenderize it very well. u have to like soy sauce to in joy this but since i do i will be making this again! thank you for the recipe!
    ps. its got bite so if u cant take the heat… don't do it!

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