"Seriously Savory Steak" Recipe

You would think that living in cattle country would make beef an easily affordable meal option. As it turns out, that is not necessarily true! We live in a TEENY tiny little town, Paisley to be exact, in the Oregon outback. Really, there is NEARLY nothing here or even NEAR here. One of the few things that IS here is the ZX Ranch. The ZX is owned by Simplot and is rumored to be the largest cattle ranch in the US. It is also listed as one of the top 10 beef producers. You can read more about this miraculous steak and cheeseburger creating paradise here. I would love to tell you more but there are hungry folks here!!! Back to the topic at hand; Even here in the land of meaty goodness, beef (and especially steak) is very spendy.

 1. Now really the beginning of the journey is a matter of choice. We COULD get the cheapest cuts available but we try to go a little higher if we can. In my opinion, if you are buying 2lb of steak, that extra $3 per pound is only going to cost you an extra $6. Life is too short to eat "bad" steak. However, we do sometimes get even the VERY cheapest cuts. No matter what you pick, step #2 will change your life ;)

 2. Save some pennies and make your own marinade. THIS marinade to be exact. We first used it on top sirloin but have since tried it on every single cut imaginable. The kids loved it, the teen licked his plate...twice, and my hubbster "G" immediately stated that it was unequivocally the "most seriously savory steak EVER".

P.S. If you are gluten free like we are you can use Bragg Liquid Aminos instead of the soy sauce. We get it super fast and at a great price on Amazon!

Seriously Savory Steak Marinade 
Ingredients (makes approx 2 cups) 
2/3 cup soy sauce 
1/2 cup olive oil 
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce 
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder or 3 tablespoons minced garlic 
3 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning (Or basil, oregano, rosemary, and thyme to taste) 
1 teaspoon ground pepper

 Mix all of the ingredients together in a glass bowl -OR- If you like your marinades thick or are simply an overachiever, mix the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Next I poke the meat several times on each side with a fork to help the marinade get down in there! Place steaks and marinade together in a gallon sized ziplock bag and place in the fridge. I usually shake them about in the bag or flip them over every hour or so. You can marinate for as little as 2 hours or as long as 24! The longer you marinate the more flavorful and tender your meat will be!

 3. Remove the steaks from the fridge about a half hour before you will cook them, some say even an hour! The key is to knock the chill off of them before cooking so the fibers don't seize up and make the meat tougher.

 4. Turn oven on and preheat to 375F. While the oven is heating, grab a heavy bottomed pan (Cast iron is perfect!) and place on the stovetop. You are going to turn it to high. Remove steaks from the marinade and wipe them off real quick. You can skip this step if you like, but we like a nice brown crust! Once the excess marinade has been wiped away I season them with a little salt and pepper. As soon as your pan starts to smoke a little you will want to add a couple tablespoons of oil, you want just enough to wet the bottom of the pan.

 5. Place the steaks (Seasoned side down) into your hot pan. DO NOT move them for about 3 minutes. The neighbors may be tempted to call the fire department if you are doing it right. It is OK, it is a necessary step! You want to form a nice brown crust on them. After about 3 minutes you will want to flip them over and repeat the browning process on the other side.


 6. As soon as both sides are well browned, quickly transfer the VERY hot pan to the oven. The steaks will stay there until they reach your desired level of doneness. The thinner the steak is the faster this will happen. I find a meat thermometer to be very helpful during this phase.

 7. Remove steaks to a plate and allow them to rest for approximately 5 minutes. I usually use this time to make some gravy in that very same pan. can you say TAAAAAAASTY?!?

 I hope you like this recipe as much as my family did. I apologize for the lack of  step by step photos, I promise to add some when I can. Something tells me though that this may happen somewhere between "someday" and "never". My duties as mom & wife to the Cool clan and owner of a thriving etsy shop keep me too plenty busy so I make no promises. I am an optimist though, lets shoot for someday!