The Best Steak Marinade

Make the most delicious steak with this Best Steak Marinade and Steakhouse Butter. Make a restaurant style meal at home! Plus, learn how to grill a perfect steak!

A FLAVORFUL MARINADE FOR GRILLED STEAK

Sometimes steaks need a little extra love. Just a small boost of flavor. Sometimes it’s because it’s a cheaper cut of meat, sometimes it’s because there isn’t a whole lot of fat on them (and fat = flavor!) and sometimes it’s because you love that additional seasoning! So, when that is the case, I break out my special marinade.

MARINADE INGREDIENTS: (FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE DOWN BELOW)

• extra virgin olive oil – you can use your favorite oil here – avocado oil and vegetable oil both work fine as well.
• red wine vinegar – this adds great flavor and is much more mild that regular white vinegar but you can use white vinegar in a pinch.
• steak seasoning – As you can see below, I used the Trader Joes 21 Seasoning Salute – but go with your favorite.
• minced garlic – I just used the squeeze garlic here but if you have fresh garlic on hand, that will always be best. Couldn’t find any nice looking garlic at my grocery store on the day I photographed this recipe.
• kosher salt and pepper
• bone-in (or boneless) NY strip steaks – now you can use this marinade for any cut of steak. I am just using NY Strips steaks here.

HOW TO MAKE STEAK MARINADE:

Measure all the ingredients into the ziploc bag. Seal the bag and squish all the ingredients around until combine.

Place both steaks into the bag and smooth it down to get most of the air out. Squish the steaks around in the marinade to make sure they are both fully coated. Pop the sealed bag into the fridge to marinade overnight or for at least an hour. Scroll down below to see how to grill them.

STEAKHOUSE GARLIC HERB BUTTER:

This is just a bonus recipe on this post. I think steaks topped with a pat of this garlic herb butter after cooking adds incredible flavor so make it if you have time! It is full of fresh herbs and garlic. It not only works great on grilled steaks but it’s perfect for grilled chicken too! Just slice and put on top of a warm steak and it melts and then you can scoop up the flavor with each slice. So, so yummy!

STEAKHOUSE BUTTER INGREDIENTS: (FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE DOWN BELOW)

• salted butter – you need this softened to room temperature so that it’s easier to mix in the other ingredients.
• minced garlic – used the jarred garlic again here.
• fresh chives – I think the fresh herbs work best here. You could certainly use dried but you need less since the dried herbs are a bit stronger than their fresh counterpart. In this recipe you would use 2 teaspoons of dried chives.
• fresh rosemary (or thyme) – If using dried rosemary or thyme, you would use one teaspoon for this recipe.
• lemon juice – if you don’t have lemon juice on hand – just skip it.
• kosher salt and pepper

HOW TO MAKE STEAKHOUSE BUTTER:

Chop up the thyme leaves (not the stem part) and the chives. (I recently planted some herbs and have them in pots just outside my kitchen. This is one of the many things I love about spring and summer – fresh herbs!) You want them diced finely. Mix together the softened butter with the fresh herbs.

Add in minced garlic, lemon juice, salt & pepper. Stir really well.

Add butter mixture (the professionals call this a compound butter) onto some plastic wrap.

Wrap it up into a log. Then pop it into the fridge.

HOW TO GRILL STEAK:

First, I put about 100 charcoal briquets (I like Kingsford brand) into a chimney starter. You don’t need any lighter fluid and it takes about 10-15 minutes for the coals to get ready.

Put a balled up piece of newspaper into the bottom of the chimney and then light the newspaper in several spots. The chimney and coals will do the rest. I have a half propane/half charcoal grill. So I use the gas side to light up my chimney. Once the fire reaches the top of the briquets, they are ready! This is a good time to prep your steaks. Take them out of the fridge and let them come to room temperature.

Carefully pour the coals onto one side of the grill (this will create two zones: one for direct cooking and one for indirect cooking.)

This two zone heating is perfect for any flareups (you can just move the meat over to get it off the high heat) but it also helps create those pretty grill marks!

Time to put the steaks on! Grill each side for about 2-3 minutes each. Then place them onto the opposite side of the grill where you didn’t place any coals.

At this point, I take the temperature of the steaks. 145F degrees is a medium-cooked steak. If you like them more well-done, then allow them to cook over the indirect heat for a few more minutes until the desired temperature is reached.

Take the steaks off the grill and allow them to rest for about 5 minutes. Pop a slice of your homemade steak butter on top and allow it to melt as the steak rests. Then serve it up with my favorite Potato Packets and a Caesar Salad.

CRAVING MORE RECIPES?

• Steakhouse Baked Sweet Potatoes
• Best Grilled Ribs
• Cowboy Butter Potatoes
• Grilled Balsamic Pork Chops
• Outback Steakhouse Baked Potatoes
• Slow Cooker Garlic Butter Steak Bites
• Hibachi Steak
• Steak Tips With Peppers
• The Best Grilled Chicken Marinade
• Crock Pot Baked Beans
• The Best Potato Salad

Originally published: May 2016
Updated & republished: May 2025