I would never put ketchup on a steak but I do like it cooked in a frying pan, in fact I like it best. I'm not embarrassed about seasoning it up either. Try some Montreal Steak seasoning. McCormick makes it. It's not a marinade but you can sprinkle it on and let it sit while it comes to room temp and I think it does the same thing. I found a guy with a blog that does it the same way I do. You can check it out if you like.

Here is a link that might be useful: Whats Cooking

i'm real simple about what i do "to" the steak. i salt and pepper both sides, let it come to room temp and then fry it 4 minutes each side in a very hot pan with a little bit of OO. a top chef taught me this many moons ago and i've never waivered and never been disappointed.

maryanne

Bobby, you don't need a grill to cook a great steak. A cast iron pan works fine. I never marinate good steaks. Just rub with a little fresh garlic, a little salt and lots of fresh ground pepper. We like our steaks rare so they aren't in the pan long.

I don't even have ketchup in the house so you would be out of luck if you asked for it here. LOL!

Ann

Ann, I don't think anyone would even consider putting ketchup on anything you made! I know they wouldn't!

I don't know if Ruth's Chris even has ketchup since I didn't ask for it, but now I'm curious... I should call and ask. They'll probably slam the phone down on me!

I grew up with an aunt who was the worst cook in the entire world... I learned to cover bland dry food with ketchup at an early age. When I eat steak as such, (especially if it has been marinated) I don't use ketchup... but sometimes I get a craving for a steak sandwhich and that reqiures a hunk of cheap bland steak, lots of ketchup, several shakes of lemon pepper, and two pieces of white bread. There's nothing like it!

BTW, Ann... how do you make meatloaf without a ketchup topping? :o)

Bobby, try using a rub.

I usually have a jar of premixed rub that I use for chicken, beef and pork.

Start with 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup kosher salt, and then add other dry spices that you'd like, by the tablespoon, until you get a spice blend you like,

Use things like cumin seed, celery salt, black pepper, chili powder, cayenne pepper, ground mustard seeds or dillseed.

I rub a generous amount onto both sides of the meat and then let it sit for a few minutes before tossing it on the grill.

Bobby, I also have a cast iron grill pan that I use under the broiler, to "grill" indoors. It works fabulous for everything, steak, chicken, fish, and pork tenderloin.

Below is a link to a picture of a pan similar to the one I use. I put it under the broiler, get it smoking hot, and then spray on some no-stick before putting the meat on the hot pan.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cast Iron Grill Pan

I have two square cast iron grill pans - one with wide ridges (for fish & meat) and one with narrow ridges for vegetables. I haven't grilled a steak in years, but if I did want to season it, I would sprinkle it with my Cajun seasoning, or I would do Japanese style, with soy sauce, ginger, and garlic. I buy ginger paste in a jar (from an Indian market), which makes using ginger a lot easier, but I also have ginger in a tube from the Japanese market. Some people like to use Worcestershire sauce as a meat marinade, but you would have to thin it with soy sauce, I think. Otherwise, you could put just a few drops on.

I don't have ketchup in my house either - too sweet for my taste. I use chili sauce (which I make myself) in place of ketchup where most people would use it, and sometimes I add a bit of tomato paste to the chili sauce, which makes it more like ketchup, but without the sweetness.

If you like sweet, you might try barbeque sauce in place of ketchup at the table.

Lars

Vacuumfreak, When my kids were 10 & 13 we took them to Ruths Chris, and one asked for ketchup. The waiter acted like he was scared to death to go into the kitchen and ask the chef for ketchup. After a minute out comes this huge guy in a chef coat with two large knives, and he stands at our table sharping them together while he says in a very intimidating voice "Who... wants... the.... ketchup"? We had a great time with that one. So yes, they do have ketchup. LoL

This isn't a marinade, but it sounds good. It's a home made steak sauce. Scroll down from the video to get the recipe. And yes, it does contain ketchup!!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Chef John's homemade steak sauce

A dry rub works well to add flavor especially when you don't have time to marinade. When I'm not in the mood to concoct my own, I have had good results with some of the Penzy's spice mixes - Singapore Seasoning or Barbecue Seasoning.

Bobby - I generally don't marinate steaks - we just do the S&P, light garlic and grill to medium-rare. Or pan fry.

However, my idiot brother thinks that steaks MUST be marinated. So, when he's here, this is what I use:

BLACK DIAMOND STEAK MARINADE

2 Tblsp. oil
1/4 cup lite soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
2 Tblsp. brown sugar
2 Tblsp. vinegar
1-1/2 tsp. ground ginger
Pinch of garlic powder

Mix. Score steak on both sides. Marinate in above mixture 8 to 10 hours. Grill 6 to 8 minutes per side.

I never marinate steak. I do use Montreal Steak Seasoning too - I love it on steak and on lamb chops. There's nothing like a good steak with good french fries, one of my favorite meals.

You can also make a reduction sauce, or peppercorm sauce if you are feeling the need for a condiment.

If you pan-cook a steak, get the pan nice and hot and sear the steak on both sides - then turn down the heat or put the pan in the oven to finish cooking. Remove the steak to a plate.

Now in the pan is some lovely "fond" - the tasty bits and juices. On the stovetop, heat the pan to medium, add a bit of olive oil. Add some chopped shallots and cook them quickly. Then add wine to "deglaze" the bits - scraping them off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Next comes a dash of butter or a dose of cream - whisk it into the sauce and turn down the heat. Let simmer while stirring, until the sauce is reduced. Pour over your steak, or slice the steak then pour the tasty sauce over. No more ketchup needed!

Loved your story, heaven! I'm sure your guys got a huge kick out of that. :)

Here's a good basic marinade that you can fiddle with in a lot of different ways.

STEAK MARINADE

1 T. oil
1 T. worcestershire sauce
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. balsamic vinegar (or you can change it up by using different types)
1 tsp. mustard (yellow, dijon, whatever you prefer)
minced garlic (I add 1 clove, but we're not garlic fiends)
salt, to taste (we think it's plenty salty enough because of the soy sauce so I don't add extra)
freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

If you're rushed for time or just feeling lazy, you can substitute a commercial garlic pepper blend for the fresh garlic and pepper. Or, as someone else mentioned, use the Montreal Steak Seasoning. Very good stuff.

About cooking in the marinade... Most of them aren't suitable for that and are meant to be discarded once you're ready to pan-fry or broil the meat. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong about this, but unless there are specific instructions in the recipe to baste with the marinade as it cooks or for making a sauce of it, you need to pour it down the drain instead of into the skillet. :)

sm

I agree that a little salt, pepper, and some garlic do a steak good...on the grill or in a hot cast iron pan. Having said that I do marinate every now and then and I'll say Pat's Black Diamond is a good one. She shared that with me a couple of years ago. Montreal is another winner in my books too. I like lots of garlic and some Teriyaki too.

Broiling is a great option from the pan or grill, your just cooking from the top down instead of the other way. I remember Alton Brown had a show on that a few years ago. If you have a gas stove even better, I've heard/read that broiling with gas is better than electric.

I just hope your not forced to cook the steak well done....it kills me to do that to a good steak but I have some in my family that like it like that.....they are the ones that use ketchup and steak sauce...LOL!

David

Yum Gina, Peppercorn sauce is one of my favourites. I usually use green peppercorns.

David, I never serve steak or a good cut of beef if I know I will have to over cook it. No sense ruing a good piece of meat when there are other options.

Ann

Most of our steaks go on the grill with just a light dusting of a dry seasoning (lakeguy's Head Country seasoning or John Henry's Nedra D's Hickory Rub (may be out of production, not on their web page boo hoo).

For a wet marinade (only for certain cuts of meat, not steaks that are great on their own!), we've been going Korean lately by whim, using this recipe from Derrick Riches on About.com.

Bulgogi marinade
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons sake (or rice wine or sherry)
2 tablespoons sesame oil
8 cloves garlic, minced
4 scallions (green onions), minced
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

PREPARATION:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix until the sugar has dissolved. Slightly heating the marinade may help it mix better.

I made a great steak dinner a few weeks ago. I bought a piece of London broil, pierced it all over with a sharp fork,put it in a plastic bag, then poured in a whole bottle of Red Wine Italian Salad Dressing, let it marinate in the fridge about four hours, then removed, discard the marinade, and broiled it in the oven five minutes on one side, then flipped it over and broiled two more minutes on the other side. Remove, let it sit about ten minutes,then slice on the diagonal in thin slices. It was pink inside and very juice. My husband, normally very picky, loved it!

Ann, I agree....these well done peeps showed up because of marriage and they think steak is good well done. I will say with years of razzing we have them down to medium...no pink but still a LITTLE juice left in it. I've been lucky enough that the Prime Rib end pieces have worked for the most part over the last several years...even though I've had to cook them a little more once sliced a couple of times...DM always comments that her Dad is turning over in the grave with all of this well done beef...LOL. It's family and sometimes ya have to do what ya have to do.

Jessy, saving that one for sure, sounds good to me and I forgot about the HC. I generally use that for a rub on ribs or a pork butt but I do use a little sprinkle on burgers and sometimes wings on the grill. SM and jannie, I've saved those too....love trying new to me recipes.

David