Marinade for Steak or Dry Rub? What’s Best?

When you’re cooking a steak, do you prefer a dry rub or marinade for steak? Both are great options, but they’re very different. Let’s discuss when to use each one and what results to expect.

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What’s the best? A dry rub or marinade for steak?

Some beef aficionados have a very adamant answer to this question. They’ll quickly say that a marinade for steak is best, while others say that a dry rub is the way to go. And then there’s another group of people that are secretly wondering, “Is there really a difference between the two?”

There is a difference between the two, but it’s important to know that both rubs and marinade for steak are good choices. Both options enhance the flavor of beef.  We usually gravitate towards rubs (we’ll explain why), but there are times that marinades are better. Here’s what you should know about marinades and rubs:

Marinade for steak:

A marinade is a way to enhance the flavor of beef. It’s a strongly-flavored liquid made of herbs and spices that beef is steeped in until it takes on some of the liquid flavors. Marinating can take as little as an hour or as long as overnight.

You may have also heard that a marinade for steak tenderizes the beef. Some chefs agree with this statement and others say marinades do very little, if anything, to help tenderize beef. From our own personal kitchen experience, we usually side with the chefs that say it does very little. Marinades can definitely make a tough cut more flavorful, but they will never turn a tough cut tender.

What ingredients are used in marinade for steak?

A quick online search will provide you with hundreds of marinade recipes from simple to complex.  Whichever one you choose, you’ll notice they often have four components:

1. Salt –Kosher salt, sea salt, or something salty like sauce or Worcestershire.
2. Oil – Because beef is naturally saturated with water, beef won’t absorb the oil in the marinade. But, you still need to use oil in a beef marinade because the herb and spice flavorings you add need oil to release their full flavor.
3. Flavoring – Spices and herbs are your friends and they’ll add a punch of flavor! Some of our favorites are oregano, thyme, cumin, garlic, onion, and white or brown sugar.
4. Acid – Depending on the desired flavor, many marinades have an acidic liquid like lemon juice or vinegar. The acid helps flavor the beef, not tenderize it.

How do you apply a marinade for steak?

First, choose and make a marinade recipe (or buy a marinade at the store). We recommend making ¼ to ½ cup of marinade for each one to two pounds of beef.

Then, place the marinade and meat in a sealed plastic bag or glass container so that the beef can “sit” in the liquid. We like to use 1 gallon Ziploc bags since it makes it easy to periodically flip the beef so that the marinade works in evenly. We don’t recommend using a metal container since the acidic ingredients can react with metal.

Lastly, make sure to place the container in the refrigerator as the beef marinates. Never marinate beef at room temperature.

As a side note, contrary to popular believe, beef doesn’t absorb the marinade flavor throughout the cut of beef. Rather, the flavor stays on the surface of the meat and that’s the punch of flavor that you taste with your tongue. 

How long do you marinade?

Less tender cuts should be marinated for at least 6 hours, but no more than 24 hours.  Tender cuts of beef, like a tenderloin, only need to be marinated for 15 minutes to 1 hour for flavor.

Can you over-marinate a steak?

Yes!

Many marinades have an acidic base, which can toughen beef if it soaks for too long. Never go over 24-hours with a steak marinade. This is especially true if you’re using a fruit marinade like kiwi since marinade too long will make your beef have a mushy texture.

Do steak marinade recipes tenderize beef?

Some famous chefs say steak marinades tenderize beef, but others say they do very little, if anything.  Based on our personal experience, we think marinades make a tough cut more flavorful, but they won’t turn a tough cut tender.The reason for this is because marinades are based on acids, which can actually toughen the beef if the beef “soaks” for too long. In addition, marinades only penetrate the outer layer of the beef, not the middle of it.

What cuts of beef should you use with marinades?

Marinades really shine on thin cuts of beef. They also do great with cuts of beef that are tougher and need a little extra help to soften up. As we’ve talked about before, the toughest cuts of meat are those at the steer’s leg and neck, since those muscles do most of the work. Examples of these cuts are skirt, and flank steak.

What to do with leftover marinade?

If you have leftover marinade, you can use it to baste the meat while cooking. However, don’t use it as a sauce while serving the meal. Remember, raw meat just sat in that liquid for several hours so it’s not safe to use as a sauce.

Easy steak marinade recipe

If you’re new to marinade for steak and want something easy to start with, here’s a good Ginger-Soy marinade that we like: 1/3 cup soy sauce, 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 2 Tablespoons honey, 1 Tablespoon minced garlic, 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger, 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon peel.

Want something even easier to try? Get a bottle of your favorite vinegar salad dressing, add ½ teaspoon salt, and dilute it with a little water. Marinate your meat and then put it on the grill. You’ll be impressed!

Best Steak Marinade

If you’re looking for additional ideas on steak marinades, you can check out 8 of our favorite easy steak marinade recipes. Or, if you want to see a few of them now, keep scrolling.

Rubs:

Now that we’ve talked a lot about marinades, let’s compare it to a rub. A rub is a dry mixture of spices and seasonings that’s literally rubbed onto the surface of raw meat. Rubs are designed to flavor meat. That’s it.

We like marinades a lot, but when we’re forced to pick between marinade and rub, we usually go with rub.

One of the main reasons we like rubs is because it creates a savory crust on the meat, which marinades don’t do.  Plus, rubs help seal in the meat’s juiciness.

Another huge bonus of rubs is that they can be applied just before cooking.

If you have more time and want more pronounced flavor, you can rub your rub directly on the beef and then let it sit in your refrigerator. When you do this, the rub (especially Sea Salt or Kosher Salt) is able to work its way into the meat. The salt breaks down the protein and literally improves the steak’s texture.

What cuts of beef should you use with rubs?

We like rubs on roasts, steaks, ground beef, brisket, and ribs, just to name a few.  Rubs are especially useful with large cuts of meat like brisket, but we use rubs on our steaks too.

How to apply a beef rub?

The application of rubs is very easy.

Simply mix the ingredients, pat beef dry, and then rub all over your favorite piece of beef. Use two tablespoons of rub for every pound of beef. Then, let the beef soak up the flavors.

You can either put the beef in a Ziploc bag, or wrap it in plastic and place it in the refrigerator.

The longer you let the beef soak, the more flavors you will notice when you eat it. We’re not very scientific on timing it, but usually, we try and put on rubs anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours before we cook the beef.

How to store beef rubs

Another plus on all of these recipes is you can make them ahead and store them for quick-use in the future.

You can store a dry beef rub in an airtight container for up to 4 months. We love these small mason jars, but any airtight container will do. Beef rubs can also make a great edible gift to share with friends and family.

Best Steak Rub Recipes

We’ve done lots of posts on rub recipes, such as our 10 Best Beef Rubs and a DIY rub recipe. We love them all.

Just to wet your appetite, here are three very simple rubs to try:

• The Dalmatian (Salt & Pepper)  – This is a classic. It will tenderize the meat and bring out its natural flavor. We like using kosher salt (a small amount will do) and freshly ground black pepper.

• DIY 8:3:1:1 –  We’ve talked about this 8:3:1:1 rub before.  It is one of our favorites because you can use almost any ingredient in your spice cabinet and your meat will turn out great. One of our favorite combinations is 8 Tbsp light brown sugar, 3 Tbsp kosher salt, 1 Tbsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp thyme and 1/2 tsp onion powder.

• All-purpose Dry Rub – Mix 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp oregano, 2 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp onion powder, 1 Tbsp chili powder, 1 Tbsp salt, 1 Tbsp paprika, ¼ cup brown sugar.

I’m still confused on which is best – marinade or rub for steak.

If you need a little more help deciding which is right for you, here’s an easy way to decide based on how much time you have.

One more thing!

Do you want to learn more about beef? Here are a few other beef posts and recipes you may like. Plus, we have an entire ebook about beef that goes through purchasing and preparing beef from a farmers perspective.

• 8 Easy Steak Marinade Recipes
• Carne Asada Marinade
• Beef Kabobs & Marinade
• What Everybody Ought to Know About Beef Cuts
• 10 Best Beef Rub Recipes
• 3 Touch Tests for Steak Doneness
• How to Cook Skirt Steak

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Are you looking for other tips & tricks on cooking beef? Don’t miss our ebook — An Essential Guide to Beef: A Cattle Farm Shares How to Purchase & Prepare Beef.

We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. See our disclosure policy for more details.