Best New York Strip Steak Marinade

New York Strip steak is delicious on the grill and the perfect marinade can make it amazing. This is one of those marinade recipes you will keep forever and use again and again.

The recipe below is from a book that came with a newly purchased grill about 15 years ago. The book was called Barbeque Genius and inside this book was a recipe for a steak marinade created by Ted Witzel.

The marinade was developed specifically for the New York Steak. It is an excellent marinade that is easy to put together with simple ingredients that are often staples in the kitchen. It adds just the right flavor to a succulent grilled strip steak.

When buying a steak cheaper is never better and the more expensive cuts are the most appetizing and tender. The tenderness of your grilled steak depends on the cut of meat more than anything else. It is best to spend a little extra money to get a good cut of beef that will turn out juicy and tender on the grill. Here are the top five cuts:

1. Porterhouse steak - this is the top of the line cut of steak with a price tag to match! It is cut from the short loin and has the familiar T-bone shape with meat on both sides.
2. T-Bone - this is a smaller version of the Porterhouse; still a t-bone shape and cut from the short loin.
3. New York Strip - this is a very popular cut that is not as expensive but still tender. It is also cut from the short loin. It can be substituted for recipes that call for the Porterhouse or T-bone.
4. Filet Mignon - a smaller cut of beef taken from the tenderloin.
5. Rib steak or Rib Eye - just as the name implies this cut of beef is from the rib area.

So, as you can see for this list, the New York strip is in the middle of the more expensive cuts of beef and probably the best value for your money.

Flavor! The main reason to marinate your steaks before grilling is to enhance the flavor of the meat.

Contrary to popular belief, soaking your meat in acidic liquids does not tenderize the meat to any great degree. This is why it is best to purchase a good cut that is known to be tender and will not require any preparation to ensure tenderness. Instead of tenderizing; the acid ingredient in typical marinades tends to dry out the meat and should be balanced out by another liquid.

Additionally, marinades can only be absorbed by the meat to a certain extent and often do not penetrate through the entire cut.

If you are looking for liquids to help with tenderizing your meat think dairy! Milk, buttermilk and yogurt have historically been used to tenderize game.

If you are not looking to enhance the flavor of your meat and prefer it just the way it is then a marinade is not required.

You must always use caution when working with raw meats. Clean up with hot soapy water any areas where the meat has made contact and ensure it is scrubbed well. It is also wise to wash your hands frequently when handling raw meats.

When using a marinade follow these safe food handling guidelines:

• Use a glass bowl; not plastic or metal. The acid ingredient can interact with metal and any bacteria from the raw meat can be absorbed by the plastic.
• It is safer to marinate your meats in the refrigerator. If you are leaving it on the counter the maximum time to be out at room temperature is one hour.
• Do not keep the marinade to reuse after the raw meat has been immersed in it. It is best to keep some aside when it is freshly made if you want to use it as a sauce or bring it to a full boil for a full five minutes.

Remember, food poisoning is a serious illness that can be deadly for some. Take the time to prepare your raw meats properly and clean up as you go along.

The best marinades for red meat are a combination an acid ingredient, an oil and another balancing liquid. If the ingredients only contain an acid and an oil; it may be too drying.

Typical acidic ingredients include:

• wines
• vinegars (i.e. balsamic or malt)
• citrus juices (i.e. lemon or orange)

Now for the oil - You can use any type of oil. An expensive olive oil is not going to make much difference to the quality of your marinade so any vegetable oil will do.

Additional balancing liquids include liquids such as soy sauce, beer, and/or Worcestershire.

More often than not you can find a combination of these ingredients in the pantry. It's easy to make up a quick marinade if you are pressed for time however you will need the time for the meat to soak in it unless you use an injector.

1. Trim excess fat from the steak or slash with a knife to prevent curling.
2. Rinse the steaks and pat dry with paper towels.
3. Combine the above marinade ingredients in a glass dish.
4. Marinate the steaks in a glass dish for one hour or overnight in the refrigerator.
5. If the steaks have been marinated in the fridge overnight be sure to bring them to room temperature before grilling.

For a hearty meal, just add potatoes to the grill!

1. Wrap potatoes in foil
2. Place on the grill
3. Close lid and bake 30 minutes.
4. Add some sour cream or butter when served.

A nice green vegetable to add is asparagus. You can grill asparagus too!

1. Snap the tough ends off
2. Drizzle with olive oil
3. Shake some sea salt over them.
4. Put on the grill and cover for about 3 - 4 minutes.
5. Turn over and grill the other side another 3 or 4 minutes.