Sensational Smoky Steak Marinade

These three simple seasonings combine to make the tastiest steaks ever! If you enjoy highly seasoned, smoked meat, you have to try this recipe! This 3 ingredient smoky steak marinade is the secret to steaks that rival anything you would get at Longhorn, Outback, Texas Roadhouse…

Since I started making my steaks this way, we’ve given up ordering steaks out… they’re just a disappointment! Seriously, they are NEVER as good as what we make at home!

Best of all, this is so easy. I love the simplicity of grilling… it’s pretty hard to mess up and what meat isn’t better grilled?

However, you can cook them in a cast iron skillet, in the oven or on a Foreman Grill (this is my go-to if the weather prevents me from grilling).

What’s in Sensational Smoky Steak Marinade?

Soy Sauce

I use Bragg’s Liquid Amino Soy Sauce Alternative in place of soy sauce, if you’re not familiar with Bragg’s, it’s amazing! Initially I started buying it because it’s gluten free (for my daughter) but now I prefer it. Just a suggestion, regular soy sauce is fine too. I use Bragg’s in my Pepper Beef recipe too. You can find it here:

Liquid Smoke

This is what gives your steaks that extra smoked meat flavor as though they were cooked in a smoke house. Just remember, a little goes a long way use sparingly! This is the brand that I use:

Montreal Steak Seasoning

The blend of coarse salt, black pepper, red pepper, garlic and paprika is the perfect combination of flavors for beef.

About Steaks…

Steak Cuts

My favorites are Ribeye and New York Strip, they’re easy to find in your local grocery store and they are ALWAYS good.

For more information on different cuts, this is a great source: Basics of beef cuts

Ribeye

Because Ribeye has more marbling it is the more tender of the two, it’s softer and has more fat (marbling) running throughout it.

New York Strip

Sometimes called Strip Loin Steak, New York Strip is a firmer cut that has a band of fat along the edge only. It’s also delicious in a leaner sort of way (it does have less calories and fat, always a good thing).

I prefer New York Strip while my husband likes Ribeye, just remember, the better the cut, the better the results!

Both cuts are amazing, I highly recommend either one of them but if you want guaranteed tenderness go for the Ribeye.

Marinating Tips:

Gallon Ziploc Bags

2-3 hours

Room Temperature 30 minutes before cooking

Steak Cooking Tips:

Clean your grill grate (while it’s pre-heating) using a wire brush.

Sear the steaks on high heat initially (to get the grill marks). If you like your steaks medium well to well, move them to an area of medium heat to finish cooking.

Checking steaks for doneness:

1 ½ inch steaks can be checked with a meat thermometer.

Medium Rare – 135 F/ 57 C (Warm red center) 5-7 mins.

Medium – 145 F/ 63 C (Warm pink center) 6-8 mins.

Medium Well – 150 F/ 66 C (Slightly pink center) 8-10 mins.

Well – 160 F/ 71 C (Little or no pink)

Take the steak off when it’s 5 degrees BELOW your desired doneness, it will continue to cook as it “rests”.

Meat needs to rest!

To lock in the flavors and juiciness always let steaks rest (lightly covered with foil) for at least 5 minutes before cutting into them.

Great beef recipes you need to try:

Amazing Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

Crock-pot Beef Stew, Paleo Friendly

Sensational Smoky Steak Marinade

These three simple ingredients create the tastiest smoked steaks you'll ever eat! Rivals anything you would get at Longhorn, Outback, Texas Roadhouse or any other steakhouse.

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 2 hours hrs

Cook Time 8 minutes mins

Resting Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 13 minutes mins

Course Dinner, Main Course

Servings 4 Steaks

Equipment

• Gallon Size Ziploc Bag
• Meat Thermometer
• Grill

Ingredients

  

• ¼ cup Soy Sauce
• 2 squirts Liquid Smoke
• Montreal Seasoning No more than 1 Tbsp. per 1 lb.

Instructions

 

• Pour 2 squirts of liquid smoke into gallon sized Ziploc bag.
• Add ¼ cup soy sauce.
• Seal bag and shake to combine.
• Add steaks (two per bag).
• Let marinade for 2-3 hours, flip bag halfway through to ensure both sides are coated evenly.
• Transfer steaks to a plate.
• Sprinkle an even layer of Montreal Seasoning on both sides of steak.
• Let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking.

Our Grill Method

• Heat your gas grill to about 600 F.
• Place steaks on grill for amount of time according to your preference. (see cooking chart above)
• Turn when they’re brown on the outside (usually after a few minutes). Brown on the second side.
• Check for desired doneness. (I always remove the steak when it’s one level below the way I like it, example: if you like medium-well take steak off the grill when it looks medium.) Here’s why, it will continue to cook as it rests. This is important, you don’t want to skip this step! Remember, you can always throw it back on the grill and cook it more, but you can’t undo overcooked!
• Cover loosely with foil to let the meat rest, continue cooking and seal in juices.

Keyword Marinade for steaks, seasoned steaks, steak marinade, steakhouse steaks, Steaks

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Enjoy!