Simple Asian Steak Marinade Recipe

Homemade simple Asian steak marinade is a salty sweet mixture that takes sirloin, T bone, Ribeye, flank, skirt steak and others over the top. Start with this before grilling or cooking air fryer flank steak.

Best Steak Marinade

We made the best fajita marinade a while back and that was amazing. That was more of a dry rub with some olive oil that remained on the beef when cooking. This soy sauce marinade can be used to just soak in, or thicken on the stovetop to make into a thicker sauce.

You can use it on our flank steak, smoked steak or grilled steak recipe ideas. The smaller your pieces are the more it will soak in and enhance the flavor of your dish. We buy half a cow at the beginning of each year so we have a lot of cuts available to us. Does get kinda’ boring though unless you can change up the flavors.

Beef Marinade

This is a little bit like our homemade teriyaki sauce, but specifically for steaks. I love sweetness in with the salty mixture. Makes it beyond amazing. There is no need to cook this either if you are just soaking your meat in it for a few hours or overnight.

If you do want to make this into a sauce you would want to heat on the stovetop. Thickening with a little bit of cornstarch will transition it from a soak to a thick sauce to coat your meat. Both are great but we are talking about adding flavor before cooking your beef here. This is what you’re going to need:

1. Soy sauce, I would use regular and not low sodium
2. Brown sugar
3. Sesame oil
4. Minced garlic
5. Ginger powder, or ginger paste

Other add ins you could try depending on your tastebuds could be garlic powder, crushed ginger, hoisin sauce or maybe some cayenne pepper for heat. We use this on our Ninja Foodi steak and it’s amazing.

Can you marinate frozen steak?

No, I mean that doesn’t work well if you are cooking frozen steak for obvious reasons but you can use it after it’s tender and cooked as directed above as a sauce on top that way instead. Reason you shouldn’t is it won’t absorb and when thawing will just thin it out so you won’t get the full flavor.

Homemade Steak Marinade

• In a bowl whisk together all the ingredients listed. Put 1-2 lbs. of steak in a large freezer bag. Pour sauce on top. Eliminate air in bag and seal shut.
• Rotate meat so it is coated. Lay flat in fridge for at least 2 hours, or longer.
  • flip over halfway thru ideally to soak in on all sides.
• Remove, discard marinade in bag and cook steaks as desired.
• If you wanted to make this into a sauce too you could make a second batch and cook on the stovetop. When bubbling whisk in 1 tbsp pf cornstarch into a small dish with some of your liquid until smooth. Whisk into saucepan to thicken, then allow to cool.

Use your method of choice to cook the perfect medium rare marinated steak and enjoy. Refer to our steak temperature chart and a meat thermometer to get the inside of your t-bone or filet mignon just tender and juicy.

No matter what cut of steak you use this will work so great to tenderize the meat. You could leave it in the bag with your sauce for up to 24 hours but I wouldn’t go longer than that. 2-6 hours is ideal.

Asian Steak Marinade for Grilling

Different cuts of beef you might like to try with this:

• Porterhouse
• Ribeye
• Great on Flank steak
• Strip steak
• Skirt
• Even give it a whirl with our ribs if you like

How long do you let beef marinate per pound?

Use 1/2 cup marinade for Asian beef per pound of meat, which is best for up to 24 hours and a minimum of 2 hours. Some like to add some lime juice into the mix because they feel it makes a very tender steak. Citrus does break down the fibers but will add a bit of sourness to the mix. Try it both ways (with a fresh squeeze of half of a lime) and see which you like best.

After this you could try our lemon pepper marinade and/or Asian chicken wing sauce too. Typically we use this for chicken thighs and breasts but really could be used for anything. Another easy way to add lots of flavor is to just pour a bottle of Italian seasoning dressing into a bag and soak together.

Nutritional information below is only for the sauce. You’d have to refer to the packaging of your meat to calculate the overall saturated fat, calories, protein, etc. Every piece of meat is very different. More expensive cuts have less fat than others for sure. Choose your favorite piece(s), soak, and make Ninja Foodi steak with it (our fave) or explore other Asian steak recipes for even more delicious options.

What is the best marinade for flank steak?

If you are making more than 2 pieces of slow cooker flank steak or other cuts you’ll likely want to double this. The bag doesn’t have to be full but when the meat is sealed and laying flat in it you want at least one side to be submerged. Then if you go in after about an hour and rotate it to the other side you can make sure it really gets soaked in all over.

Is it safe to use the left marinade you used for meat into a pan and reduce it into a sauce?

For chicken do NOT use the marinade in the bag to then make a thick sauce with it afterward. You’ll want to make a fresh batch to heat over the stovetop and add a bit of cornstarch into to do that. If the first had raw poultry it isn’t safe. With beef you can but want to bring it to a rolling boil over medium-high heat to boil for at least 5 minutes to kill any bacteria.