For Fall-Apart Beef Tips, Crack Open A Ginger Ale
Melt-in-your-mouth beef tips are a true culinary treat. But creating the kind of craveable, restaurant-quality beef tips can feel tough, because this economical cut of meat requires a little extra love to make them tender. Believe it or not, though, the solution may be right in your fridge: a can of ginger ale.
What makes this old school soda an ideal marinade for your beef? Well, soda in general has advantages when it comes to this application. That's because it naturally contributes a key part of a marinade: acid. That's the element that helps tenderize protein, which is a fundamental function of the marinating process — and soda contains carbonic acid thanks to the CO2 that creates its fizz. Additionally, ginger ale specifically is made with citric acid, which compounds its capability in that respect.
Beyond tenderizing, marinades are meant to infuse your food with flavor. Ginger soda checks that box, too, which means you're ahead of the game when it comes to tasty ingredients. Take note of the difference between ginger beer and ginger ale, however. Commercially made versions of the latter are likely to contain nondescript flavorings rather than real ginger root (although craft versions of ginger ale do exist that contain the real deal, so you can seek them out specifically if you like). Ginger beer, on the other hand, is fermented with actual ginger and sugar. Ginger ale is sweeter, while ginger beer will be dryer, more spice-forward, but either way, you'll have a multi-purpose ingredient as a starting point for your marinade.
Flavoring and preparing your soda-spiked beef tips
Beyond acid and seasoning, a marinade requires oil. In this case, a fresh fruity or peppery extra virgin olive oil will benefit from a little ginger boost, while a flavored oil like lemon, sesame, or chili pepper can work in collaboration with the spicy root to create a super tasty experience.
The beauty of a ginger ale marinade is that it not only helps tenderize your beef tips and make them tastier, but it also goes well with so many other ingredients you might want to include in your recipe. For example, a tropical combination of pineapple and lime, along with aromatic scallions and nutty sesame seeds will sing with that zippy ginger flavor. Alternatively, you can lean into more warming, stew-like savory flavors by combining your ginger ale with cream of mushroom soup and a packet of onion soup mix.
It's not always better to marinate food for longer, but in this case, we recommend an overnight soak for the biggest impact. How you prepare your beef tips will make a difference to the texture, too. Low and slow methods like a slow cooker or Dutch oven allow a good amount of time for those proteins to break down and transform into that fall-apart texture. And while the whole process does require some time and foresight, if you plan ahead, your ginger ale-marinated beef tips will be beyond satisfying.