Tips for marinating steak tips

Steak tips are a clever marketing term to create a way to charge a higher price for a cheap cut of meat. Technically speaking, steak tips are cut from the sirloin area from a piece called the sirloin flap. The challenge around here is finding it. If you can find it, buy it whole. It comes as about a 2-pound chunk of meat. If it’s already cut up, do you know for sure what you are getting?

There are a few different ways of preparing it. One popular way is to cut it into thin strips across the grain, then cut into bite size pieces. Then they are placed in a marinade for a time before cooking. The looseness of the grain of meat allows the marinade to get caught in the nooks and crannies, allowing some of the flavor to stick easily. Another way is to cook the full sized piece to desired doneness, then cut before serving.

I did come across one book that spoke of tips being cut from the tenderloin. While they would have superior tenderness, it’s pretty expensive for a dish like this.

I went ahead and got a piece of top sirloin and cut it into smaller pieces. I chose to not marinade half of the meat, thinking that I could knock this out as a 10-minute meal, instead of waiting at least an hour for the marinade to do its thing.

I chopped up half of an onion and half of a red pepper and lightly browned them in butter over high heat. I prepared the meat and then moved the vegetables aside in the pan and dumped the meat in, spreading it out into a single layer. I didn’t touch the meat until it had a good char on one side. I then flipped the pan to put the still partially raw side to the heat. While it was cooking on this side, I poured a half-batch of marinade over it. The hot pan quickly reduced the liquid to a nice glaze for the meat.

EASY MARINADE

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons sea salt

4 tablespoons brown sugar

1 pound beef sirloin, cut across grain and into bite-sized pieces

Combine all in a large zip-top bag. Place in prepared meat and shake to coat. Let sit in refrigerator for one hour before cooking meat. Preheat frying pan over high heat. Drain meat from marinade and place in hot pan. Allow to brown well before stirring. Cook to desired doneness. Cooking time will depend on how big the pieces of meat are cut.

BARBECUE MARINADE

1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 cup Italian-style salad dressing

2 teaspoons garlic pepper seasoning

1 cup barbecue sauce

1 pound beef sirloin, cut across grain and into bite-sized pieces

Combine all in a large zip-top bag. Place in prepared meat and shake to coat. Let sit in refrigerator for one hour before cooking meat. Preheat frying pan over high heat. Drain meat from marinade and place in hot pan. Allow to brown well before stirring. Cook to desired doneness. Cooking time will depend on how big the pieces of meat are cut.

LEMON ROSEMARY MARINADE

Juice of 2 lemons, or equivalent

2 tablespoons dried rosemary

1/4 cup olive oil

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1 pound beef sirloin, cut across grain and into bite-sized pieces

Combine all in a large zip-top bag. Place in prepared meat and shake to coat. Let sit in refrigerator for one hour before cooking meat. Preheat frying pan over high heat. Drain meat from marinade and place in hot pan. Allow to brown well before stirring. Cook to desired doneness. Cooking time will depend on how big the pieces of meat are cut.

CARIBBEAN MARINADE

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup green onion, finely chopped

1 hot pepper, finely chopped

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon white vinegar

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Dash hot sauce

1 pound beef sirloin, cut across grain and into bite-sized pieces

Combine all ingredients except beef in a blender and blend until smooth. Place liquid and beef in a large zip-top bag and shake to coat. Let sit in refrigerator for one hour before cooking meat. Preheat frying pan over high heat. Drain meat from marinade and place in hot pan. Allow to brown well before stirring. Cook to desired doneness. Cooking time will depend on how big the pieces of meat are cut.

SOUTHWEST MARINADE

1/3 cup white vinegar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup water

3 cloves garlic, minced

Juice of 1 lime

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon sea salt

2 teaspoons mild chili powder

2 teaspoons black pepper

1 teaspoon ancho chili powder

1 pound beef sirloin, cut across grain and into bite-sized pieces

Combine all in a large zip-top bag. Place in prepared meat and shake to coat. Let sit in refrigerator for one hour before cooking meat. Preheat frying pan over high heat. Drain meat from marinade and place in hot pan. Allow to brown well before stirring. Cook to desired doneness. Cooking time will depend on how big the pieces of meat are cut.