# Your best steak seasoning methods (no time to marinade!) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 7, 2006, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-steak-seasoning-methods-no-time-to-marinade/367755 "2006-08-07T20:28:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2006, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-steak-seasoning-methods-no-time-to-marinade/367755/41 "2006-08-09T23:24:48Z")
Moved from IMHO to CS. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-steak-seasoning-methods-no-time-to-marinade/367755/42 "2006-08-10T01:37:25Z")
[QUOTE=Cuckoorex] Tonight I’m getting together with some of the guys to grill some steaks. We don’t actually _have_ said steaks yet, and we’re not going to have hours to marinade them properly. Usually when I grill steaks, I use some combination of store-bought “steak seasoning”, Worcestshire sauce, maybe some soy sauce, that sort of thing. What’s _your_ favorite combination of sauces/seasonings for steak? [/QUOTE] My wife suprised us both by simply sprinkling some salt and pepper on a cheap steak as she seared it in a pan, and having it turn out really pretty tasty! Other than that, we just use the generic McAdams (or is it McCormicks? I don’t care enough to remember) steak seasoning mix that you sprinkle on from a little spice canister. -Kris ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-steak-seasoning-methods-no-time-to-marinade/367755/43 "2006-08-10T01:38:51Z")
[QUOTE=CookingWithGas] It’s hard to get prime beef at the supermarket, but I think some places are starting to market it to build a specialty reputation. [/QUOTE] So this is something I’ve always wondered. What counts as “prime beef”? How can I tell the difference? (I mean prior to actually cooking and eating the thing.) Do I just have to trust the price tags? -Kris ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-steak-seasoning-methods-no-time-to-marinade/367755/44 "2006-08-10T01:41:49Z")
[QUOTE=Frylock] My wife suprised us both by simply sprinkling some salt and pepper on a cheap steak as she seared it in a pan, and having it turn out really pretty tasty! -Kris [/QUOTE] Oops, I see others have already opined on the “only salt and pepper” issue. Wife and I had never heard of the idea that a steak literally _should_ only have salt and pepper on it. We just tried it on a whim, and ended up liking it. Like I said, though, it was a cheap steak, so perhaps our taste judgment is not to be trusted, since, apparenlty, one is not supposed to enjoy the taste of a cheap steak. -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-steak-seasoning-methods-no-time-to-marinade/367755/45 "2006-08-10T13:43:32Z")
Paul Prudhomme’s Blackened Steak Magic - pretty damn good seasoning, and fresh ground pepper. Don’t grill until steaks are room temp, and remember to let the meat rest a couple of minutes before cutting, so it reabsorbs its juices. Salt at the table so the meat stays juicy. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-steak-seasoning-methods-no-time-to-marinade/367755/46 "2006-08-10T14:33:17Z")
The best seasoning for steak is simply to make certain that your steak is as fresh as possible. Period. No freezer time, buy it/cook it the day it is butchered, if possible. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-steak-seasoning-methods-no-time-to-marinade/367755/47 "2006-08-10T15:01:48Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] No freezer time, buy it/cook it the day it is butchered, if possible. [/QUOTE] The best steakhouses, my butcher, and Alton Brown all ‘dry-age’ their steaks. I will concur on no freezer time, but a nearly-ice cold, dry meat locker is great. ---
**Author:** ![Eric\_Cartman\_s\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e9a140/32.png) [@Eric\_Cartman\_s\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eric_Cartman_s_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-steak-seasoning-methods-no-time-to-marinade/367755/48 "2006-08-10T15:26:57Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] No freezer time, buy it/cook it the day it is butchered, if possible. [/QUOTE] So, you’re not into the whole “dry aged beef” concept? ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-steak-seasoning-methods-no-time-to-marinade/367755/49 "2006-08-10T15:35:48Z")
Do my posts even appear on this board? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-steak-seasoning-methods-no-time-to-marinade/367755/50 "2006-08-10T15:57:08Z")
Don’t feel bad, many times mine don’t either. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Eric\_Cartman\_s\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e9a140/32.png) [@Eric\_Cartman\_s\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eric_Cartman_s_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-steak-seasoning-methods-no-time-to-marinade/367755/51 "2006-08-10T16:00:24Z")
[QUOTE=D\_Odds] Do my posts even appear on this board? 😃 [/QUOTE] No. In fact, I’m not even responding to this one. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-steak-seasoning-methods-no-time-to-marinade/367755/52 "2006-08-10T18:18:55Z")
I had the best steak of my life, earlier this summer. I think it was a New York Strip, and the fellow cooking it dipped it in olive oil, then in some sort of seasoning (I don’t know exactly what it was; I think it was one of those pre-mixed steak seasonings). I won’t mention how long it was cooked, as that might offend the delicate sensibilities of the steak elite, but it was juicy, flavorful, and so tender I could have eaten it without teeth. > [@](#): > > The conversion for metric to imperial buttloads is 1.5 furlongs = .325 fortnights. Funny, I get [1.5 furlongs = 8.32123287 × 10[sup]-13[/sup] fortnights](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&c2coff=1&q=1.5+furlongs%2Fc+in+fortnights&btnG=Search) ;). ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-steak-seasoning-methods-no-time-to-marinade/367755/53 "2006-08-10T18:27:01Z")
I shake on garlic powder and garlic salt, and grind on some fresh black peppercorns, to both sides, then rub it in and let it sit until the grill gets hot. No steak sauce required. ---
**Author:** ![amijane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@amijane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amijane)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-steak-seasoning-methods-no-time-to-marinade/367755/54 "2006-08-10T19:40:43Z")
[QUOTE=Trunk] Pepper [/QUOTE] on a good steak?? No no nononono. Rock salt and a smear of good olive oil on the steak only a second before it goes on the grill so the salt doesn’t draw any juices out. Pepper taints the meat’s flavour, and should _of course_ go in the mashed potatoes along with some fresh grated nutmeg and half a butter mountain. If it’s a steak tough and flavourless enough to need marinating, a. why bother? b. pressed garlic, lemon juice and sesame oil, if I must. ---
**Author:** ![Rachael\_Rage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@Rachael\_Rage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachael_Rage)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2006, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-steak-seasoning-methods-no-time-to-marinade/367755/55 "2006-08-11T04:24:50Z")
The best gol-darn steak I ever ate, let alone cooked, was made thusly: Chop a clove of garlic in half and rub on both sides of the steak. Leave garlic on plate with the steak. Let sit an hour at room temperature. Sprinkle with salt & pepper on both sides, and drizzle with olive oil. Grill steak. While hot, squeeze fresh lemon juice on the top. Devour lustily. With a garlicky fresh spinach salad and red wine? It seemed a crime to be enjoying that feast alone. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2006, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-steak-seasoning-methods-no-time-to-marinade/367755/56 "2006-08-11T19:50:58Z")
Standard Everyday Steak Seasoning: Kosher salt, black pepper, granulated garlic, a sprinkle of dried oregano. (The oregano really makes it.) Serving the Steak as part of a More-or-Less Italian-style Meal: Rub with good olive oil; kosher salt and black pepper. Really Fuckin Tasty Method I Haven’t Used for a While: Mince garlic, mash with a few anchovies in olive oil and black pepper. Rub resultant goop onto steak. (This is particularly nice if you have a SPECIAL steak to grill, like a 3-inch-thick Porterhouse.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-steak-seasoning-methods-no-time-to-marinade/367755.md?page=2)