Basil and garlic mixed with olive oil, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce make the perfect steak marinade for summer (and winter) grilling.
It’s week three of Barbecue Month here on Baking Mischief. After Strawberry Limeades to get us started and a side dish of Loaded Baked Potato Salad With Yogurt, we have reached the main course! Obviously, it had to be steak.
What says summer barbecue like a perfectly grilled steak? Nothing. Nothing at all.
If I could eat any steak from anywhere in the world, prepared any way I wanted, I would choose today’s recipe nine times out of ten (the tenth time I would eat a steak that cost as much as my car just for giggles).
It’s delicious. It’s life-changing. It’s my favorite. Okay, basically it’s just a good steak in really good marinade.
See Also: Carne Asada Marinade
Yup, that’s right. Today’s recipe is for grilled steaks made with my favorite marinade. Whip up this quick marinade, pour it over your favorite grilling steaks, and grill up some of the best damn steaks you’ve ever tasted.
The marinated steak is slightly tangy, garlicky, with the deep flavor of basil throughout. You don’t need to add anything to it. No salt, no steak sauce. It’s seriously a steak game-changer.
And unlike many a marinade I’ve made in my lifetime, this one is super quick to throw together. There isn’t a mile-long list of spices here, just basil and pepper. If you have dried parsley, great, throw it in. If not, you don’t have to buy any–your steaks will still taste spectacular.
Mix that with equal parts lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce. Drizzle in a bit of olive oil, crush a couple cloves of garlic and done! I make mine in a big two-cup liquid measuring cup* so you don’t even have to get a bowl and multiple cups dirty.
My preferred steak is a big, beautiful rib-eye, but they can be perilous to grill on a charcoal grill as the fat can drip down and cause flair ups. So use whatever steak you like best/feel most comfortable cooking! And if you don’t grill, I’ve also used this marinade on steaks I cook in a pan and it’s still delish!
Next week we finish up our Barbecue Month Menu with dessert and it’s such a good one. Stay tuned!
Basil and Garlic Steak Marinade
Ingredients
Steaks
- 4 of your favorite grilling steaks
Marinade
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons dried basil
- 3 large garlic cloves minced or pressed
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes*
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Combine marinade ingredients in a liquid measuring cup and pour into a large plastic bag. Give it a little shake.
- Add steaks and marinate for at least two hours, preferably overnight, up to 24 hours, flipping once halfway through so that the steak is evenly flavored.
- On your grill or using a griddle, cook steaks until they reach your preferred level of doneness.
- Allow steaks to rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Adapted From AllRecipes
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MR MARK D NEWMAN says
Made this with fresh chopped basil and fresh chopped parsley, as the fresh herbs have a more intense flavour i cut the amount by half, my sirloin steaks were fabulous, thanks for sharing.
Donna M. Peck says
I made your steak marinade sauce over Memorial Day weekend. I couldn’t believe how tender and juicy my steak was. Thank You Tracy for saving my day.
Tracy says
Thanks, Donna! My family made this over Memorial Day Weekend too. 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it!!
Jeni White says
I don’t have dried basil, as I have the aforementioned monster basil plant. How would I do this differently with fresh? And is the best way to prepare the basil for this recipe to chiffonade it?
Tracy says
Hi, Jeni, I’ve never used fresh (basil plant killer over here 😉 ), so I can’t say for sure, but I’d probably try a very loosely packed 1/2 cup of fresh basil leaves and chiffonade them as you said. I’m worried roughly chopped leaves will really stick to the meat, and I’m not sure you want that much basil on your steak. If you do try it, please let me know how it works out!
Mary says
Loved it on my steaks! Do you think you could use this marinade on chicken? Pork chops?
Tracy says
So happy you enjoyed it, Mary! I’ve never used it on chicken or pork, but it’s definitely worth a try. I might cut the basil a bit for chicken since it has a milder flavor, and marinate the chicken for no longer than 2 hours since there’s lemon juice in there and it can make the chicken mushy.
Gina says
This was REALLY good!!! We have used it so many times since I pinned it. Super easy and always have ingredients on hand.
Tracy says
Thanks! So glad you enjoy it, Gina!!
Johnnie says
Try this it was grate thinks
Tracy says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Soumyadip chatterjee says
Tasty and yummy thanks for sharing
Tracy says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Joe says
going to try it tonight tks
Tracy says
Hope you enjoy it, Joe!!
Rahul @samosastreet.com says
Marinades are one of my soft spots. This looks delicious! Definitely a must-try..
Tracy says
Thank you!
Dawn @ Girl Heart Food says
My mouth is watering over here, Tracy! I LOVE rib eyes too. The best, aren’t they? I love every single one of the ingredients in your marinade. Who would have thought to put basil in there? Obviously, you did 😉 I haven’t marinated a steak in sooo long; thinking this is the perfect opportunity to mix it up a bit. So much for Meatless Monday, lol 😀 Now, I want a bbq steak for supper! Yum!
Tracy says
Thanks, Dawn!!