Perfect Soy-Grilled Steak

By Mark Bittman

Updated June 26, 2016

  • Craig Lee for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(1,945)
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

  • ¼ cup soy sauce

  • 1 teaspoon peeled and minced ginger

  • ½ teaspoon peeled and minced garlic

  • 1 tablespoon honey, molasses or hoisin sauce

  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste

  • Juice of ½ lime

  • 1 16- 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)

4 grams carbs; 88 milligrams cholesterol; 345 calories; 10 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 23 grams fat; 1 gram trans fat; 1 gram fiber; 990 milligrams sodium; 30 grams protein; 1 gram sugar

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.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
1,945 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!

Neil

great slaw - dont' skip the mango!

NancyB

My parents made a similar recipe in the 60’s: smear a thick coat of brown (Guldens) mustard on both sides of a flank steak, then sprinkle with soy sauce till it is covered. Marinate for an hour (or less) then grill or broil till a savory crust forms. I took this recipe with me to college in the early 70’s and had many converts. I’m sure the ginger, honey and lime will be an improvement over the 60’s version but thank you for the happy memor

Sharmeen

You may be tempted to add an egg. Don’t do it. I tried one batch with an egg and one without—the one without eggs won. For some reason the egg messed up the flavor of the burgers. Also, I highly recommend finely dicing the shallots before going into the food processor. Maybe it was the smaller sized food processor that I had but it was unable to chop the shallots small enough without running the risk of over-processing the salmon.

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