If you’ve ever returned from your local butcher with a rich, buttery ribeye cut or a juicy, delicate filet mignon, you’ve likely wondered how to marinate it to perfection. Since they’re both among the eight cuts of steak you should always buy, nailing the marinade is essential to unlocking their full flavor potential. But what happens if, after scrolling through dozens of recipes, you realize you’re missing half of the ingredients? Don’t despair just yet and take a closer look at your kitchen staples. Grab that bottle of soy sauce from the fridge and a lemon from your fruit bowl. That’s really all you need for a good marinade.
Though this combo might sound too simple to actually do the job, it’s a surprisingly simple marinade that’ll do the trick. And there’s a solid scientific reason backing up why this duo works so well together — while the citric acid found in the lemon softens the meat by denaturing its proteins, soy sauce not only aids the tenderizing process, but also enhances the cut’s natural flavor. And if that’s not enough, a 2011 study published in the journal Food Microbiology suggests that soy sauce marinades can even help slow down spoilage in raw meat by reducing harmful bacteria. Not too bad for a two-ingredient marinade that takes less than a minute to make, right?
What makes this easy marinade so effective?
What’s best about this marinade is that you’ll have it ready in no time. There’s really no rocket science when it comes to preparing it, as it only requires two basic steps. The first thing you need to do is take a large bowl and pour in some soy sauce. Then, cut a lemon in half and squeeze out all the juice before whisking everything together until it’s fully blended. If you have ginger and garlic at home, you could also throw them in for extra flavor, although that’s completely optional. Look around your cupboard to see if you have any additional oils or spices to add to your DIY meat marinade formula. What’s left is to put the meat in the bowl, coat it evenly, and let it rest in the fridge for up to eight hours.
During this time, the citric acid will break down the meat and form small pockets, thus enabling the soy sauce to penetrate the meat. Meanwhile, the soy sauce’s salt content and the acid from the lemon will help bring the moisture from the meat into the marinade, which is then soaked up by the meat through a process called osmosis. This will not only keep the meat juicy even after cooking, but it will also improve its color and texture.
So rather than dealing with a long and complicated list of ingredients, why not give this simple marinade a try next time? Who knows, it might make all the difference and end up being the key to grilling flank steak just right.
