A lemon garlic steak marinade that’s perfect for tougher cuts of meat and only takes a few minutes to put together. Spicy and flavorful, this marinade is definitely a keeper. In fact, it’s delucious.

I would never, ever, ever tell you to marinate an expensive cut of meat such as ribeye or filet mignon. Ever. Those cuts only require a sprinkle of salt and pepper to bring out the flavor of the meat. Now, as for less expensive and/or tougher cuts of meat? Those are the ones that marinades were invented for. This marinade not only adds flavor, but tenderizes the meat as it soaks.

You basically need at least a few hours to overnight to marinate. Soaking longer does adds more flavor, but longer doesn’t necessarily mean better. Since there’s acid in this lemon garlic marinade, the acid breaks down the fibers of the meat. That’s great to a point. If the fibers continue to break down because of longer soaking, the meat starts to become mushy. We don’t like mushy meat so try to keep it no longer than 8 for large steaks or less if your meat is cut into chunks.

Using granulated garlic delivers better flavor than fresh here. As an added plus, there's no chopping or mincing involved. The soy sauce has just enough saltiness eliminating the need to add more. The crushed red pepper and Dijon mustard add heat.

This lemon garlic steak marinade is super easy to throw together and it’s perfect for flank, skirt, hanger, tri-tip, and sirloin tips or steak. A good rule of thumb is ½ cup of marinade per pound of meat. There you have it. An incredibly simple and delicious marinade from me to you.

If you love some more flavorful dishes enhanced with delicious sauces and vinaigrettes, try:

Best lemon herb vinaigrette
Horseradish sauce
Balsamic vinaigrette
Salsa criolla - red onion dressing
Pico de gallo
Italian dressing

Life is too short for mediocre food.

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Lemon Garlic Steak Marinade

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This makes approx. 1 ½ cups marinade which is enough for 2 - 3 pounds of meat.

Prep Time: 5

Author: Natalie Gregory

Ingredients

½ cup olive oil or neutral oil*
½ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

Whisk together all the ingredients in a 2 cup measure or small bowl. Place meat in a zip top bag and pour the marinade into the bag. If you want some to pour over the cooked meat, reserve a little and set aside for later.
Squish around the meat in the bag to ensure it’s all covered. Remove all the air from the bag and seal. I do this by holding the top of the bag while the bottom is on the counter then I slowly roll the bag to remove the air. Be careful, as this pushes the marinade upward. You don’t want it to spill out. Once it gets close to the top, carefully remove remaining air and seal the bag. If done correctly, it should look like it has been vacuum sealed.
Marinate for at least a few hours to overnight, depending on your cut of meat.
When ready to cook, remove meat from marinade and either broil or grill. Discard remaining marinade. When I broil the meat on a baking sheet, the juices that form in the pan make an excellent sauce.

Notes

*I use a less expensive olive oil for this and sometimes I use half olive oil and half neutral oil. You can make this using all neutral oil as well. The oil is used for transferring the flavor of the marinade so don’t use an expensive oil.

Did you make this recipe? Tag @thegeneticchef and use #thegeneticchef and tell me all about it!