The Sweet Beverage You Could Be Using To Marinate Steaks

If you love food that's packed with flavor, it may be argued that nothing beats a good steak. There's something so satisfying about cutting into a juicy steak and savoring the deep, rich flavors of beef that's been bathed in an overnight marinade and then cooked to perfection.

If marinading is part of your steak-cooking process and you never use the same marinade twice, you may think you've tried it all from compound butter and store-bought steak and chop marinade, to red wine and BBQ sauce. But if you're looking for another option, head to your refrigerator and pull out the sweet tea.

Sweet tea doesn't have to be just for drinking, it can also be the centerpiece of your next steak marinade. This southern staple is sweet, refreshing, and it offers a delicious spectrum of flavors that will soak right into your steak. Black tea, which is the base of any sweet tea, has flavors that have been described as smoky and earthy. Combined with sugar, hot sauce, honey, and other additions, it creates a balanced mix that's perfect for steaks.

One of the best things about any marinade is that it can be tweaked easily, so adding sweet tea to your favorite marinade is a snap. A few cups (or more if you like) of sweet tea and its mix of sweet and earthy notes will pair perfectly with garlic, onion, salt, pepper, rosemary, and other herbs/spices/veggies in your mix.

Apart from imparting loads of flavor, marinade serves a more scientific purpose for meat. The mix of acids in a marinade helps tenderize meat and retain moisture. By soaking steaks in the marinade for several hours all those sweet tea flavors will soak right in to help give you a flavorful, juicy bite when it's time to dig in.

Whether you choose your favorite store-bought tea or make your own, a sweet tea marinade can become your new go-to for family meals. While steaks are an obvious choice for grilling, the marinade can also be used for both grilled vegetables and chicken.