Add A Spicy Caribbean-Inspired Twist To Your Next Steak Dinner With This Seasoning Blend

When steak is what's for dinner, there can be a lot of discussion about the best preparation. And even the most practiced steak chef can learn a thing or two. If you're pan-searing your steak, you may be doing it all wrong — you need to get it to room temperature and pat it dry to remove excess moisture. And when making beef at home, there are some cuts of steak you might want to avoid if you're cooking it in a hot pan or on the grill. You need something with a good amount of marbling when cooked hot and fast. While a good steak may only need some salt and pepper, you can kick the flavor up with a nice Caribbean-inspired blend of spices.

We're talking jerk seasoning. And it isn't just for chicken. A Caribbean blend of hot peppers and baking spices is just what you need for a steak with a little bit of extra punch. You can buy a good store-bought jerk seasoning or make it on your own. The spicy peppers mixed with the mellow, sweet, and savory seasonings will make your taste buds stand on end. And it will all blend well with the unctuous steak flavor.

A spicy jerk seasoning starts with Scotch bonnets, but you can use habanero peppers if that's what's available at the local grocery, or even jalapeños for a little bit less heat. You can pulse the ingredients in a food processor or blender. You'll need a couple of peppers and a couple cloves of garlic, plus a dash of allspice, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and thyme. The baking spices blended against the heat of the pepper is the signature flavor of this Caribbean seasoning. For some sweetness and acid, you can add fresh-squeezed orange and lime juice, and you'll want a bit of olive oil for basting. To go full-spice, some paprika and cumin can help hit the high notes.

Once your spice mix is ready, you can use it to cover the steak in a marinade for a few hours or overnight, but don't go too long or the marinade will break down the protein, giving you a steak that cooks up soft rather than tender. For just the right amount of spice and flavor, you can give it a quick 20 to 30 minute marinade or just brush on your marinade after the steak has seared — think of it more as a spicy additive than a whole flavor note. And if steak isn't on the menu, this seasoning mix works wonderfully with chicken, shrimp, pork — heck, even roasted or grilled veggies.