marlene's marinade

so remember how i was saying during a few posts that i didn't get what people meant when they said grass-raised beef had to be cooked differently? well i finally figured it out a couple weeks ago: it matters for really lean cuts of beef, like most steaks.

turns out you can't grill them up with just the usual salt and pepper (and maybe a little olive oil) rubbed in. well, i guess you CAN grill them up if you insist, but you'll wish you had just listened to me instead. ;) but seriously, grass-fed steaks are so lean, they really benefit from hanging out in a marinade, preferably for overnight.

one marinade i really like is a recipe from kevin's mom, marlene. it's especially great on beef tenderloin (which is what the marinade is actually for), but it works really well for any cut of beef. tonight we used it on a rib-eye steak. so, ok, rib-eye isn't all that lean, but it was pretty awesome anyway. recipe below.


Marlene's Marinade

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup Teriyaki sauce
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, crushed

2-lbs beef of your choice (e.g., beef tenderloin or steaks)

Mix all ingredients into a Ziploc bag. Add beef to marinade. Marinate overnight. Roast or grill as usual. Reserve marinade; place in small saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer sauce until reduced by about half; keep warm.

If you're cooking with grass-raised beef, meat will cook more quickly than conventionally-raised (grain-fed) beef. Serves 4, with sauce on side. There should be enough leftovers for tasty things like sandwiches!