Tenderize Beef And Add Flavor With One Salad Dressing

Marinating meat is a simple yet effective way to enhance both texture and flavor. The essential elements in a basic marinade are fat (oil), acid (vinegar or lemon juice), and salt or other seasonings. And guess what has all these components in just the right proportions? That bottle of salad dressing in your fridge. It's a quick and tasty way to marinate meat with zero fuss. You don't even need to weigh, measure, or mix any ingredients: Simply pour the dressing over the beef, refrigerate it in a resealable plastic bag, and let it work its magic.

Any kind of dressing can work, as long as it has enough vinegar or citrus to help tenderize the meat. While too much acid can ruin a marinade and turn the protein mushy, you do need enough to break down the fibers and connective tissue in tougher cuts of beef. A good ratio to keep in mind is three parts oil to one part acid. If your store-bought dressing contains very different proportions, just add a little extra vinegar or olive oil as necessary.

Italian dressing is ideal for marinating beef, as well as other proteins such as pork, chicken, or seafood. It has a good balance of oil and vinegar, is full of flavor thanks to its herbs and spices, and is often low in sugar, meaning your steak is less likely to burn on the grill.

Italian dressing does a great job of tenderizing tough steaks like flank, but it works well on cuts like strip steaks too, making the beef extra flavorsome. You'll need one standard 16-ounce bottle of dressing to marinate each pound of meat. If you find store-bought dressings a bit lackluster, it's easy to enhance them with a few add-ins — just incorporate some garlic or garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, herbs, or spices.

Alternatively, you can make your own Italian-style dressing, giving you control over the ingredients and proportions. Start with a base of olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, and salt, and add other flavorings to taste. Garlic, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, and herbs like thyme, oregano, basil, and bay leaves work well. A teaspoon of sugar will round out the flavor, or try miso paste for more umami richness. Depending on the ingredients, this dressing can keep for up to a few weeks in the fridge.

For a different flavor profile, try combining ingredients like sesame and ginger, honey and mustard, or sherry vinegar and shallots. As for how long to marinate steak, that will depend on the cut and size of the beef. Generally speaking, marinating the meat in the morning and cooking it in the evening is ample time — and if the marinade is already in your fridge, it's quick and easy even on busy mornings.