Add This Classic Southern Drink When You Marinate Steak For Tender, Caramelized Results

Every Southern household understands having a perpetually full pitcher of sweet black tea in the fridge, but did you know you can use it to marinate steak? This classic beverage can make a steak flavorful, tender, and caramelized from the first step.

Black tea contains high amounts of tannins, which produce the bitter flavor in tea, but also work wonderfully to denature connective tissue and break down meats as they sit in a marinade, making them extra tender over time. A great marinade also often has some component that helps it caramelize during cooking, such as brown sugar or honey. Sweet tea is high in sugar — sweet is in the name, after all — which helps create a delicious crust on the steak post-marinade, however you cook it. Homemade sweet tea works great, or you can also use one of the best store-bought sweet tea brands.

For the marinade, don't just use sweet tea; a few add-ins can make flavors more complex and savory. Add lime wedges, rosemary, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and mix well before adding your steak. Marinate for two to eight hours; less than that, and your steak doesn't properly break down while any more than that can make it mushy.

The goal with marinating steaks is to enhance and tenderize, and some cuts don't need that. Flank steak or skirt steak are great for marinating. They're tough cuts of beef, and take on the flavor of marinades well. Don't use a cut such as ribeye or filet mignon; these are best with just salt, pepper, and some sort of fat.

Marinating with sweet tea gives steak a unique, sweet, slightly bitter flavor. Although it's a bit of an unconventional ingredient for a marinade, it pairs nicely with onions and garlic, and your finished steak doesn't taste like tea. It's almost similar to using a coffee rub on a steak; the bitterness pairs surprisingly well with the meat, and the acidity cuts through the rich flavor. While this tea-marinated steak is great on its own, you can also serve it over salad — for example, Ina Garten's favorite salad pairs perfectly with steak. It also pairs well with a fresh side, such as corn on the cob or cucumber and red onion salad. Such fresh sides go nicely with the slightly bitter steak, and they're relatively easy to throw together.