Some of you already know that red meat isn't specifically my favorite. I don't hate it, but I don't gravitate toward it either, with the exception of a high quality, juicy burger.
To celebrate New Year's Eve, my mother-in-law had the very fun idea of having a surk and turf dinner, complete with lobster tails, scallops, and steak. My father was put in charge of making the steak, and took it upon himself to buy a very large, very expensive cut of steak tenderloin. At first, I thought this gigantic hunk of meat was intimidating. Then I remembered that my father is part of a champion winning professional barbecue team.
Watching my father butcher that steak was artistic. He carefully ran the knives across the silver skin, removing lots of yucky, junky fat, leaving a ruby-red tenderloin worthy of the star treatment. And my father did, in fact, give this meat the star treatment, sprinkling a spicy seasoning mixture and strongly searing over a screaming hot cast iron pan before gently roasting in the oven.
But there were leftovers. Not leftovers of the cooked meat, but leftovers of the raw meat. See, in order for my father to make the tenderloin pretty and symmetrical, he had to remove some chunks here and there. Additionally, the steak her purchased was too big for the amount of people he was serving, so he purposefully reserved just a few pounds. And with that, he gave me a tip: steak tips. I was instructed to freeze the reserved bits and bobs of steak and to one day make them into steak tips. Cut into nuggets, marinate aggressively, and sear on high heat. Not only was this excellent advice, it saved me money at the grocery store!
Of course, you don't need your father to carve a massive dinosaur tenderloin in order to make these. You can do that yourself. Or simply invest in a smaller piece, or ask your butcher to do the dirty work for you. If you're feeling intimidated by the prospect of talking to the person behind the counter, as I often am, strip steak or sirloin will work in a pinch (sirloin being the more economic choice).
So when you're craving some iron but don't want to do the work of continuously cutting your dinner, cut the steak beforehand and make some delicious, tender steak tips. And don't be afraid to get creative -- there is no right or wrong way to marinate steak tips, as most flavors tend to go with red meat. To prevent your marinade from burning and becoming acrid, I would probably avoid the use of herbs or too many spices and aim to get most of your flavor from pungent liquids ingredients, as I have done here.
With tips and tricks,
~c.j.
MARINATED STEAK TIPS
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
INACTIVE COOK TIME: 4 1/2+ hours to marinate
ACTIVE COOK TIME: 5 minutes
YIELD: 6-8 servings
INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp liquid smoke (optional)
1/8 tsp monosodium glutamate (MSG, optional)
1 1/2 - 2 lbs steak tenderloin, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1-inch chunks
DIRECTIONS
In a large freezer bag, combine soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, honey, onion powder, garlic powder, fish sauce, sesame oil, liquid smoke, and MSG. Zip closed and shake vigorously to incorporate. Open the bag and add the steak chunks. Zip closed again, trying your best to eliminate excess air in the bag. Move the bag around in your hands to ensure even distribution of marinade onto the steak. Marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours, occasionally moving the bag around again to ensure even coverage of surface area.
When getting ready to cook, remove steak from fridge and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat a large stainless steel skillet, cast iron skillet, or grill pan over high heat. Be sure to heat the pan fully until you notice wisps of smoke: you need it to be screaming hot! Remove steak from bag and place directly onto the pan -- it will get smoky! (Note: do not overcrowd the pan -- if you need to work in batches, that is okay!) Cook steak about 3 minutes until nicely charred and easily releases, then flip and cook an additional 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to sit about 5 minutes before serving.
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