The Best Way To Marinate A Denver Cut Steak To Make Its Flavors Shine

The Denver cut steak was introduced in 2008 by the Beef Checkoff, a beef-producer supported program for the promotion of beef to the public. The cut comes from the cow's shoulder area (the chuck) underneath the blade bone, and since it's not an over-worked muscle, the Denver steak can be quite tender. Well-marbled, the Denver steak is similar in big-beef flavor to a New York strip or a ribeye, but it's much less expensive. The Denver steak is boneless, of uniform thickness, and is best suited for grilling, pan-searing, or broiling. Because it has such a bold flavor, you'll need a marinade that bolsters the cut's beefiness and also tenderizes it. 

We consulted with chef K.C. Gulbro, owner of FoxFire and Copper Fox and Chef Ambassador for Certified Angus Beef, about what type of marinade would be best for a Denver steak. "With the high marbling of this steak, simple seasonings and resting will bring out its flavor," Gulbro explained. His recommended marinade consists of olive oil, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, red onion, fresh rosemary, and garlic. Each ingredient of Gulbro's easy marinade serves a specific purpose for tenderizing and infusing a Denver steak with a piquant wallop.

Let's take a closer look at chef Gulbro's marinade and why it works so well for Denver steak. His recipe calls for ½ cup of olive oil, and its role in the marinade is two-fold. First, the oil holds the ingredients together so that the marinade clings to the steak. Second, it prevents the steak from sticking to the grill or skillet. Use regular olive oil instead of extra virgin olive oil because it has a higher smoke point. Gulbro's marinade has equal parts soy sauce, red wine vinegar (which often finds its way in a red-meat marinade), and Worcestershire sauce, and the acidic nature of all three increase the umami quotient while also tenderizing the beef.

Although the ¼ cup of chopped red onion in the marinade may seem like overkill, due to its much sharper bite than yellow onions, you could soak them in water first to mellow them out, but the red wine vinegar will do the job just as well. The two cloves of garlic and two sprigs of fresh rosemary add flavor and aroma, but rosemary purportedly also reduces the carcinogenic toxins released when grilling meat. Gulbro recommends marinating the Denver steak for two to four hours (longer than that can turn the meat's exterior to mush). Once cooked, let the steak rest before slicing it against the grain. For a final flavor flourish, Gulbro suggests serving the steak with pesto.