Steak Marinade

4.41 from 42 votes

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Today I am excited to share a recipe for the best Steak Marinade. It’s one that gives you tender, juicy and flavorful meat every single time. It’s a great main dish to go with those favorite summer sides: Macaroni Salad, Potato Salad or the Classic Iceberg Wedge. With one of my favorite things to make every summer on the menu, bring on the summer barbecues!

marinated steak kebobs

Easy Substitutions for Steak Marinade

All of the ingredients in this marinade are important for different reasons. Try not to skip any if possible. Don’t forget increments and specific directions are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. I’ve listed some substitutions if you’re in a pinch.

Other Beef Cuts– Other cuts of beef are totally acceptable with this marinade. Other good choices would be tri-tip, flank, skirt or sirloin. Honestly, any cut of beef that you’d grill would be a great candidate for this steak marinade.

Root Beer, Dr. Pepper or Sprite- You use soda pop in a meat marinade simply for its delicious flavor and all that liquid sugar. It is able to penetrate the meat so deliciously! If you find yourself in a pinch, you can use Root Beer, Dr. Pepper or even Sprite in place of Coca Cola. Steer clear of diet sodas- they don’t taste the same after being grilled. I’m talking about you, weird after taste.

Lime Juice or White Distilled Vinegar– You can substitute lime juice if you don’t have lemon juice on hand. You can use it as a one-to-one replacement.

Vegetable Oil- If you don’t have canola oil, vegetable oil or any light colored oil with a higher smoke point will work just as well.

Steak Marinade Ingredients

How to Make and Use this Steak Marinade Recipe

So as with most marinades, you throw some ingredients together, add meat and let it sit in the fridge. This recipe is no exception. For full recipe directions and ingredient measurements see the printable recipe card below in this post.

Whisk All Ingredients Together

Start by whisking all the marinade ingredients together. I used a 9×13 baking dish because it had a tight fitting lid, but any large ziploc bag would be fine. Just be sure to set the bag into another container incase the bag springs a leak.

Add in your meat and stir to coat. I cut my ribeye into cubes to create more surface area. More surface area means more space for the flavor of the marinade to penetrate. No need to cut up a flank or skirt steak because it already has a lot of surface area being a long and skinny piece of meat.

Steak Marinade

Marinate Up To 24 Hours

Once your meat is covered, refrigerate 24 hours. Of course, you don’t need to wait the full 24 hours, but the longer you let it sit the more delicious the meat becomes. 8-12 hours is acceptable too. Minimally, I’d suggest marinating your steak for 6 hours.

How Long Should I Marinate my Steak?

If you are short(er) on time and don’t have a full 24 hours to marinate your steak, a minimum of 6 hours would be ok. You also don’t want to marinate your steak beyond the 24-hour mark. The acid from the soda and the lemon juice starts to break down the meat and change the texture. It works similarly to how acid would ‘cook’ a ceviche if it sits too long.

Skewer and Grill

After your steak has marinated, remove from the fridge and skewer. I like skewering my meat first, then preheating the grill so my steak comes to room temperature. This helps it stay tender.

Grill or cook your meat to desired doneness. Because the meat will be discolored from sitting in the marinade for so long, it will be hard to tell by cutting into it. I would highly recommend using a meat thermometer for taking the internal temperature. (I love this instant-read one. It’s insanely accurate.)

Once the meat is finished cooking, rest 10-15 minutes covered in foil, then serve and enjoy.

Raw Steak Kabobs

Can I Use This Marinade for Chicken or Pork?

Yes, this marinade works for beef, chicken and pork! Best applications are with boneless, skinless chicken breasts (bone-in ok, but will take longer to cook) and 1/2-1-inch thick pork chops.

Be aware, they will look a little discolored after they have been marinating for several hours, but this is totally normal thanks to the soy sauce and soda. Once you get the meat on the grill, it will look more ‘normal’. Just be sure to use that meat thermometer for doneness.

What else can I use a marinade on?

Marinades are great for flavoring meat and vegetables. It can be used as a sauce, but once it comes in contact with raw meat, it is no longer safe to consume.

Storing Leftovers and Reheating

Store any leftover steak in an airtight container or ziplock bag in the fridge for 3-4 days. To reheat steak without drying it out- remember “Low and Slow”. Place the steak in a shallow baking dish and place in a preheated oven at 200-250 degrees until its warmed through….roughly 20-30 minutes.

Grilling the Steak with Marinade

What to Serve With a Grilled & Marinated Steak?

Oh, the possibilities are endless, and just about anything tastes delicious with steak 🙂 Here are some of my favorites:

Close Up of Kabobs

Other Steak Recipes You Might Like:

I hope you enjoy this marinade! I bet it’ll quickly become a favorite in your home too! Have a great day, friends! 🙂

marinated steak kebobs
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4.41 from 42 votes

Steak Marinade

A recipe for Steak Marinade giving you tender, juicy and flavorful meat every time. This is seriously the best steak marinade recipe.
servings 6 servings
Prep Time 1 day
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 1 day 6 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup soy sauce
  • 18 oz. Coca-Cola I used the mexican version made with cane sugar and would recommend to not use diet soda for this. Ever ever ever
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 3 lbs meat I used ribeye steaks that I trimmed the extra fat from and cut up into cubes; tri tips would also be great!

Instructions

  • In a large a Tupperware container, whisk together all ingredients of meat marinade. Add in the meat and stir to coat all of it in the marinade. Cover tightly with a lid and marinate 24 hours.
  • To grill, soak wooden skewers in water for 1 hour, then skewer meat onto wet sticks. Grill anywhere from 1 minute to 6 minutes per side, depending on how hot your grill is and how you like your meat cooked. Remove from the grill to a clean plate, cover with foil and rest 5-10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 487kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 52g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 2482mg | Potassium: 982mg | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 70IU | Vitamin C: 7.8mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2.2mg
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: best steak marinade, grilling steak, marinade, steak, steak marinade
4.41 from 42 votes (26 ratings without comment)

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94 Responses
  1. Zainab

    5 stars
    My family are all Bbq lovers and our summers are filled Bbq recipes! When I saw this on your blog last year, I made it instantly and it was amazingggg! The only thing I changed was I added some extra chillies! Thank you for sharing your recipes and your family blogs! Love reading!!

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  3. Jen D.

    When you say to grill it “per side” do you mean you flip it 4 times since the meat is in squares? Or just flipped twice?

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  5. Dani Rannow

    On this cold winter’s day, I am day dreaming about trying this marinade at the lake waching my toddler splashing and swimming with daddy!

  6. Crystal

    I usually don’t grill skewers because they always turn out tough. I’m going to use my meat thermometer and see if that helps. Great recipe!!

  7. Mel

    My kids and husband dubbed this “the best steak” they have EVER had!!!! They told me to hold on to this recipe—thank you, Lauren!!! love your blog and recipes!!! 🙂

  8. Janey

    This comment is for Trudie and everyone else annoyed by the ads: When you print one of Lauren’s recipes, choose PDF and save to your desktop, then add to searchable recipe files you create on your computer. When you need the recipe, open the file, copy and paste the recipe (without the ads) onto a new page and print that out. I understand the ads too, why they are necessary, but hate how they make the page jump around. I guess if you look at them while reading the page, they have served their purpose.

  9. Trudie

    Lauren, I understand and accept, although I regret your decision to grow your business, and accept corporate money in exchange for promotions and ads.
    Do you have to let them include ads in the printed version of recipes? They are totally unnecessary. They are always in color, and require so much more, and unnecessary, ink wastage.

  10. SaraLily

    Yum yum! My boyfriend and I love grilling steak in the summer time – we will definitely be trying this marinade ASAP! It sounds AWESOME!

  11. Jerri

    Sounds dellish but too salty. Do you have any suggestion to substitute for 1 cup of soy sauce? Even lower sodium soy sauce is rather high, considering that one cup is being used?

  12. Kelly

    These look so yummy!!! Do you have any suggestions on how they could be done in the oven? I don’t have a grill 🙁

    Thanks!!

    1. Barb

      I would broil them turning them once halfway through. They cook up quick. That will give them a kind of grilled effect but will not have the same smoky flavor you would get from a charcoal grill. If you want the smoky flavor you might try adding a little, (a little goes a long ways) liquid smoke to the marinade. If you have a cast iron grill pan you could do these on top of the stove. I have an indoor smokeless grill and will try this recipe on there adding the liquid smoke…

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