Spicy Steak Marinade features soy sauce, vinegar, olive oil, just the right amount of spices and a homemade chili paste made with a mixture of fiery chili peppers. If you're looking for a great steak marinade recipe with a kick, you've found it! Try my Cowboy Butter Recipe on steak!
Spicy Steak Marinade Recipe
A great steak marinade not only adds flavor to your chosen steaks, but also helps to tenderize tougher cuts of beef. You usually won't want to marinate a filet mignon or rib eye, but London Broil is an ideal choice for marinating, as is skirt steak, top sirloin, and flank steak.
Of course you can marinate any cut you'd like. The choice is yours. A good marinade will help you enjoy those tougher cuts, which are much more affordable, yet no less flavorful.
Since you're here, I assume you're like me and you want your marinade and the resulting flavors they offer to have a bit of a kick to them.
You're looking for something BOLD, something with a little BOOM to it. I hear you.
Aside from all the other ingredients, the big KEY in achieving that truly "Jacked Up" marinade you're seeking is in the homemade chili paste.
Making Chili Paste is an easy thing, and it truly adds a lot of flavor, and HEAT, to your food. Instructions are below for this, but note that you have a myriad of choices for your chili peppers.
Steak Marinade Ingredients
- Chili peppers - I am using 2 red fresnos, 1 habanero and 1 ghost pepper, but 2-3 spicy chili peppers of choice will work. Use peppers at your own preferred heat level.
- Fresh garlic - 2 cloves garlic, chopped. You can easily use more, and I often do. I LOVE fresh minced garlic. Garlic powder works as well.
- Sugar - You can use honey instead if preferred.
- The liquids - Use ½ cup soy sauce, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon white vinegar. Use a tablespoon or so of Worcestershire sauce if you'd like as well.
- Seasonings - Use 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper.
How to Make Spicy Steak Marinade - the Recipe Method
Make the chili paste - First, make your chili paste by adding chili pepper, garlic, sugar and white vinegar to a food processor. Process to form your paste.
Mix it up! Mix it together with the remaining ingredients.
Marinate the steak. Add steaks to a large bowl or zip-top bag and pour the marinade over them. Use to marinade your steak at least 6 hours, though 24 hours or overnight is better for deeper flavor and more tenderizing.
If time is an issue, you can marinate your steaks for 30 minutes or so to get at least some flavor.
Boom! Done! Easy recipe, right? Time to get those steaks marinating! This will make you enough to marinate 2 pounds of steak, or possibly a bit more. You can very easily adjust the ingredients for more cuts of steak or larger cuts.
So, what steak are you making tonight? Save some of that flavorful steak for me. Don't forget my favorite chimichurri recipe to top those grilled steaks!
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Use it for all kinds of meat! I should note that this particular marinade recipe is ideal for steak, but can be used with other cuts of meat. Try it out with chicken or pork, particularly thick pork chops.
- Make it SPICY spicy. If you're very serious about your heat, include more ghost peppers, or go with something even hotter, like scorpions, 7-Pots, or the Carolina Reaper.
- You can also tame the heat. If you'd like to tamp down the heat and not go TOO crazy, consider red cayenne peppers or ripened red serranos. You'll still get a pleasant level of heat without going overboard.
Storage
Here's the deal - this marinade is best when used right away. I don't really recommend combining any of the ingredients until you're ready to marinate your steak. Once the steak is marinating, though, it can do so for up to 24 hours.
Try Out Some of My Popular Steak Recipes
If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you'll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don't forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I'll be sure to share! Thanks! -- Mike H.
Spicy Steak Marinade Recipe
Ingredients
- 2-3 spicy chili peppers I used 2 red Fresnos, 1 habanero and 1 ghost pepper
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- First, make your chili paste by adding chili pepper, garlic, sugar and white vinegar to a food processor. Process to form your paste.
- Mix it together with the remaining ingredients.
- Use to marinade your steak at least 6 hours, though overnight is better for deeper flavor and more tenderizing.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Banks says
This worked so well with a lean cut to tenderize it. We used a habanero, a red chili, and a serrano. Spooned some chimichurri on top!
Mike H. says
Thank you for the review, Banks. Super happy to read it!
Cindi says
So happy to find this recipe! Just in time for our Father's Day Surf and Turf Dinner!!! Yayyyyy!!!! Thank you!!!
Mike Hultquist says
Perfect! Enjoy, Cindi!