Try This Recipe: Steak Marinade

After trying to be a vegetarian for so long, I am just not a big fan of steak. It's not that it's bad, I just tend to prefer a well-prepared eggplant to the average hunk of red meat. (Meatballs excluded. They are a weakness of mine.) Adapting yet another recipe from SimplyRecipes.com, I finally found a marinade that makes steak so good even I like it. Poor old Dad loves this one, because it takes steak and potatoes to a very good place that isn't too weird for him.

Marinade for roughly two pounds of beef:

• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (add a little splash extra if you like apples and honey together.)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• a few grinds of black pepper, to taste

I like to pour it all straight into a two cup Pyrex measuring cup and fudge a little on the amount of honey and cider vinegar I'm putting in, because as long as you're in the ballpark it tastes great. Give it a good whisk (I'm not usually a tool snob but this little doohickey is perfect for the job) and let it sit while you lay out your steak in a pan. Whisk it up again, and pour it over top. Cover the pan and let it hang out in the fridge.

It's best if you let the steaks marinade overnight - for example, my brother is coming home tomorrow and I started marinading the steaks today - but if you have less time, keep them moving. Depending on how long you have, flip them every one to four hours, and try to hit each side twice with the marinade. (If you have less than four hours, you're too late.)

I cook steak in a broiler pan placed on the second position from the element. Depending on the thickness of your steak, each side can take 8 to 12 minutes. Wait until the fat is caramelized, flip the steaks, and then do the same for the other side. Test for doneness by cutting into the center of the steak and put them back in the oven if they are still very red; if the meat is more pink, take them out and let them rest for about ten minutes before carving. (If you can wait that long.) The same rules apply for steak on the grill. I prefer the oven because I can save the juices for gravy and feed some to my dog.

Another family favorite for steak marinades is bulgogi sauce. It is a pungent garlic and mushroom sauce usually used in Korean barbecue, and you can find it at Asian markets or the ethnic section of some mainstream markets. For vegetarians it also makes a great accompaniment for grilled vegetables.