A Milk Bath Is Your Secret To The Tenderest Steak

When it comes to preparing steak, marinating the meat before grilling yields a flavorful, tender result. Steak marinades are usually made from ingredients like soy sauce, lemon juice, olive oil, or Worcestershire sauce, but the best marinade you've (probably) never heard of is milk! While milk has a number of nutritional benefits, a lesser-known milk superpower is its ability to tenderize meat when soaked in a milk bath. 

Milk — and other dairy products like buttermilk and yogurt — contains both lactic acid and calcium, which act as tenderizing agents. Lactic acid is a more mild acid than the traditional citric acid found in many marinades, while calcium helps break down proteins, similar to the dry or wet aging process. For juicy, tender steaks, be sure to let the meat marinate in milk for 4-12 hours. Relying on milder lactic acid allows you to marinate the meat for longer without making the final product mushy or tough — just amazingly tender. Be sure to add your favorite spices and seasonings for an extra punch of flavor. 

With grocery costs continuing to rise, families around the country are looking for ways to slash their food budgets. Tougher, leaner, budget-friendly cuts of beef like skirt steak, eye of round, sirloin, and flank steak benefit the most from marinating in milk; this tenderizing tip makes it easier to buy your steak and eat it, too. Cuts that are naturally fattier or more tender, such as filet mignon and ribeye, don't need the help of a milk marinade and are best simply seasoned with some salt and pepper. 

The thinner the beef cut, the less time it will need to spend marinating. No matter what cut you choose, be sure to pat the meat dry before cooking. If you don't, the Maillard reaction, which is responsible for that drool-worthy seared crust, may not occur. Finally, once the meat is perfectly cooked, be sure to slice against the grain for the most succulent steak ever.

Steak isn't the only food that benefits from a milk bath, and milk isn't the only dairy that tenderizes. Due to its higher acidity, buttermilk has a long history of being used to tenderize meat, especially in the South. Chicken benefits from a good soak in buttermilk before frying, yielding an incredibly juicy result. 

Buttermilk also tenderizes venison and helps counteract the off-putting "gamey" taste that frequently overwhelms deer meat. Marinating venison in buttermilk prevents the meat from drying out. Like beef, thinner cuts of venison benefit more from a milk bath, as opposed to thicker cuts like backstraps and roasts. 

Yogurt also makes for a good marinade, especially when cooking chicken or lamb. If you decide to marinate in yogurt, be sure to reach for a plain, unflavored variety. While protein-packed, Greek yogurt is too thick to effectively coat and tenderize the meat, and will need to be thinned with water or milk prior to adding the meat.