The Chef-Approved Ingredients To Pair With Red Wine For The Best Beef Marinade

Whether it's a grilled ribeye steak or a smoked brisket, there are many things to consider when it comes to the ways to cook different cuts of beef. Be it on the grill or in the oven, the cooking technique is just one component. For an effortless dinner, you'll also want to pair the ingredients in the beef marinade with the right drink to wash it down to complement its flavors. So if red wine is your go-to pairing with beef, we've got the scoop on the best ingredients for the marinade to pull off a restaurant-worthy meal.

"Garlic, rosemary, thyme, black pepper, onions, and olive oil complement red wine well," says Chef Laurent Tourondel of L'Amico, an Italian restaurant in New York City. "[It enhances] the beef's flavor while maintaining a balanced marinade."

Garlic, onions, and shallots specifically offer an umami-rich flavor profile that helps balance dry red wines like cabernet. Meanwhile, herbs like rosemary compliment other red varieties like Shiraz. But in reality, you don't have to become a sommelier to match your go-to red with marinade — as long as you stick to Tourondel's general guidance above.

After you have secured your beef marinade recipe — like this tenderizing steak marinade recipe with black pepper and garlic — it's time to let the meat soak up the flavors to compliment the wine later. You can even pour up to ⅓ cup of red wine into the marinade to really bring the beef and booze together for the finished meal. Either way, expect to marinade the beef for up to four hours for thin cuts like skirt steak or several hours to overnight for tough cuts like sirloins. When the beef is ready to cook, remember to pat the steak dry and discard the remaining marinade since it's been in contact with raw meat.

If you want to pair your beef with the best bottle, consider the best wines to pair with steak. For example, red wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon offer an acidity to pair well with decadent cuts of steak like ribeye. Meanwhile, if a roast beef is on tonight's menu, consider a bottle of Bordeaux or Merlot, because each possess a richness that matches that of the meat. And if you prefer a glass of pinot noir, which is lighter, then cook a filet. Just make sure to add the right ingredients like black pepper and garlic to the marinade for a chef-worthy meal at home.