Marinating Steak Know-how from CanadaBeef.ca

Today I bought a package of two Inside Round Marinating Steaks that were discounted at Walmart. I was a little nervous about cooking these guys, because I knew they would not be tender if I cooked them like a ribeye. Nevertheless, I also knew that thinly-sliced, quick-cooking, tougher cuts of beef like flank steak are successfully used in Chinese stir fries... so I decided to find out how to make these steaks tender and delicious.

I searched "inside round marinating steaks" in Google and found the CanadaBeef.ca website, which has a wealth of knowledge. The first thing I learned was that you need to pierce the marinating steak all over with a fork or the marinade cannot penetrate the meat and do its job as a tenderizer. I also read that you can simply use bottled salad dressing or cooking sauce (e.g., teriyaki) as a marinade. Easy and quick! Except that it needs to marinate for 8-12 hours. So, a bit of planning ahead needs to be done...

In the morning, pierce both sides of the steak with a fork (a two-pronged carving fork works well for this). Toss the steak into a Ziploc bag with 1/2 - 1 cup of salad dressing (amount depending on how many steaks and how big they are). Seal the bag and pop it into the fridge. The marinated steaks will be ready to cook when you get home from work.

When you're ready to get cooking, discard the marinade and pat the steak dry. Pan fry in a little oil or fat. Turn twice or more with tongs and cook until at least medium rare. When done, cover with foil and let rest for five minutes, then thinly slice against the grain (very important!).

While steak is resting throw together a quick green salad. Place sliced steak on top of salad and enjoy! Use the same kind of salad dressing that you marinated the steak in (NOT the marinating liquid; this needs to be discarded).

Here's a salad recipe that uses a homemade marinade for the steak, but you can just use bottled salad dressing (Balsamic vinegar dressing, Ranch dressing, etc.).

Here's another salad recipe. It uses candied pecans, so I would use regular pecans and "Woolwich Fig and Balsamic Goat Cheese" to add the sweetness (2 T = 5 gm carbs).

Here are some ideas for homemade marinades!

There are lots of other ways to use marinating steaks. Here are some ideas.