A tenderloin or sirloin steak tastes best when it’s simply prepared: a grind of salt and pepper and a little rub of garlic is all you need. Simple and easy. If it’s cooked right, you can totally taste the terroir of the meat. Last year, my husband and I picked up 120# of pastured meat (in two trips) from The Farm Institute and we (and our family) could taste the salty Martha’s Vineyard pasture. My sister-in-law’s boyfriend and restauranteur raved about the meat on more than a few occasions. Terroir is what makes a wine so special: the qualities of the soil, the air, the environment of a region that affects character and personality. Meat is the same. If it’s pasture raised you can taste the terroir. That said, if you happen to have steak tip meat (aka flap steak or bavette d’aloyau in France) like I did this week, then you need a marinade to make it shine. Bavette can have a bit of a chew and marinating the meat tenderizes and infuses it with flavor.
I was ready. Or so I thought. I had prepped the onions for grilling, had the vegetables ready for roasting, and our Big Green Egg was standing sentinel on the patio. Then I realized that I didn’t have a marinade OR steak sauce. I threw my purse in the car and drove to my local market where I then wasted ten minutes of my life (I’ll never get back) walking aimlessly around the store trying to find the steak sauce aisle. Why is this so difficult? After giving in to being lost and annoyed with myself, I asked a roaming worker (that I had to search for and lost another 5 minutes of my time) where I would find the steak sauces. He cheerfully led me to the shelves, like a parent leads an errant child, to the array of bottles. Of course I had to read the labels. Every single bottle (no lie) had corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup as the second and/or third ingredient. Not one organic brand or one made with honey, agave, or natural sugar.
No thanks! I’ll make my own.
My steak sauce and marinade is wicked awesome. It’s easy and quick to prepare. It took me less time to make it than it did to go to the market and back. AND, it’s husband and kid (adult daughter) tested and approved.
Wicked Awesome Steak Sauce and Marinade
Make two cups
Ingredients:
- 1½C ketchup (I use Organicville® agave sweetened)
- 4oz organic tomato paste (I use Bionaturae® organic tomato paste in the jar)
- 2T Dijon mustard
- 2T honey
- 4T Worcestershire sauce
- ¼C Bragg’s® apple cider vinegar
- 12 drops Tabasco® hot sauce
- 1t garlic powder
- 1t onion powder
- ½-1t sea salt
- 1t freshly ground black pepper
In a medium sized bowl, combine all ingredients. If you feel it’s too thick, add water a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency. Use as a steak sauce or marinade.
Can be refrigerated for a month.
Family, Friends, Farms and Food 