Perfect Soy-Grilled Steak

By Mark Bittman

Perfect Soy-Grilled Steak
Craig Lee for The New York Times
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(1,772)
Comments
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You may think you don't have the time to marinate meat before grilling it, but it's time-consuming only if you think a marinade has to tenderize. As far as I'm concerned, there are only two goals in marinating: to add flavor and to promote browning and crispness. Neither of these requires long soaking, although dunking the meat while the grill heats contributes to a slightly greater penetration of flavor. This marinade of soy sauce, ginger, garlic, honey and lime is ideal for steak, but it works beautifully with any tender meats like burgers, boneless chicken, tuna and swordfish, all of which can be turned in the sauce before putting them on the grill. Longer-cooking meats, like bone-in chicken, should be cooked within 10 minutes of doneness before basting with the sauce.

Featured in: THE MINIMALIST; Magic With Quick Marinades

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • ¼cup soy sauce
  • 1teaspoon peeled and minced ginger
  • ½teaspoon peeled and minced garlic
  • 1tablespoon honey, molasses or hoisin sauce
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • Juice of ½ lime
  • 116- to 24-ounce boneless steak (rib-eye, skirt or strip), or one 24- to 32-ounce bone-in steak (rib-eye or T-bone)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

345 calories; 23 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 30 grams protein; 990 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Start a charcoal or wood fire or heat a gas grill; the fire should be hot and the rack no more than 4 inches from the heat source. Mix together the first 6 ingredients; taste and add more of anything you like. Turn the steak in the sauce once or twice, then let sit in the sauce until the grill is hot.

  2. Step 2

    Turn the steak one more time, then place on the grill; spoon any remaining sauce over it. For rare meat, grill about 3 minutes a side for steaks less than an inch thick. For larger or more done steak, increase the time slightly.

Ratings

5 out of 5
1,772 user ratings
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Comments

Genny

Used this on July 4, 2016 for a rained out cookout using two 2 lbs flank steaks. I used the given soy volume but doubled everything else (using honey) and marinated for 8 hours. Because of the rain, I oven cooked the steaks at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, finished them off under the broiler for 2 minutes, and rested for 5 minutes. Came out medium rare and very delicious.

Stu

I usually use a flank steak which I marinate for at least a few hours instead of the few minutes it takes to start a fire. Ideally, I like to warm the meat in a 225° to 250°F oven to an internal temp of about 110-115°F and then put it over a screaching hot fire for about 1 minute per side. Remove from heat, cover with foil, and let rest on a warm plate for at least 10 but no longer than 20 minutes. My theory is that internal temperature is much more accurate than cooking time.

paul

If you wish to go a bit Mediterranean, try olive oil, soy, red balsamic vinegar, dijon, fresh garlic or garlic salt, and herbs of your choosing. works well on beef,veal, pork(use white balsamic) and poultry. For fish substitute fresh lemon juice for the vinegar and omit the garlic and mustard. happy cooking!

Dennis

Really fast and easy marinade I use vac seal bags to store frozen meat. There’s enough to cut the bag open add marinade reseal and store. Great taste goes as a keeper

Pat B

If you don't want to grill, you can still do this under the broiler. Works just as well.

Ann M

For an even more minimalist version, you can season thinner steaks with tamari and garlic powder and let them sit for 20 minutes and then pan fry or broil them. This works well on inexpensive cuts like boneless chuck eye or a blade steak

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