THE Steak Marinade

STEAK = HEAVEN.  I am a red meat lover.  And believe it or not, one of the perks of living in Durant, OK is that we have a local butcher who sells killer cuts of beef, among other wonderful things.

I learned how to marinate a steak from my uncle, Bubba, who learned from my grandfather, Dedo, both of whom are actually named Floyd.  The general rule is you put a little bit of everything in your refrigerator into the marinade that could possibly taste good on a steak...and believe me, it works every time.  Over the past few years I've become a little more consistent with my marinade.  I'll share it with you.

But first let's talk about the meat itself.

Tonight we had filets.  GORGEOUS filets from Maxwell's Meats.  Aren't they beautiful?

The first thing I do (after I open up the package and swoon a little) is tenderize the meat.  No matter what the cut is I always do this.  It just seems to make the steak that much more good.  First I lightly pound them with a meat tenderizer (or more vigorously for a tougher cut).  Then I sprinkle both sides generously with seasoned meat tenderizer and let them sit for about 10 minutes or so.

In the meantime, I make the marinade.

Ingredients:  A1, Worcestershire sauce, Dale's steak seasoning, liquid smoke, balsamic vinegar and McCormick's Montreal Steak seasoning.

First I add about 2 tablespoons or so of A1.

Then about the same amount of Worcestershire.

And about the same amount of Dale's.

Then a splash of liquid smoke (maybe a teaspoon or so).

Then a splash of balsamic vinegar, about the same as the liquid smoke.

And about a teaspoon or so of the steak seasoning.

Then I whisk it all together.

Coat the steaks in the marinade.  Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours.  Then turn the steaks over and refrigerate a couple more hours.

Then I have my wonderful husband who is the best griller EVER (taught by his father) cook them to a pink, juicy, succulent medium-rare.

And that's it ladies and gentlemen.  The best steak you've ever made in your life, I promise!  Definitely better than anything you can get at a restaurant around these parts.

I don't really have a recipe for this one.  I just kind of go for it.  If you're unsure, start with 2 tbsp. each of A1, Worcestershire and Dale's, 1 tsp. each of liquid smoke, balsamic vinegar and steak seasoning.  You can taste it and adjust the measurements from there.  There is really no wrong way to do it.

Also, if you can't find Dale's, it is basically glorified soy sauce.  I would imagine teriyaki sauce would also be a good substitute.