Grilled Marinated Ranch Steak {10 Minutes}

Grilled Marinated Ranch Steak will make you rethink this less expensive steak. Don’t hesitate buying those cheaper cuts. There is always a time and place for them. Porterhouse steaks can’t make a showing every weekend and we get that! 

I think once you bite into the ranch steak, you will be impressed by the flavors and texture of it.

🍽️ Why This Recipe Works

• Cheaper than more expensive cuts of meat.
• The flavor is mind-blowing good.
• Using the tenderizing and marinade recommendations will result in a juicy steak.
• It only takes a few minutes to throw it together, and the rest is marinating.
• It can be made for a larger group of people.

🥩 Ingredients 

Ranch steak – This is part of the chuck area of the shoulder. So, if this is starting to make you nervous, don’t let it. The shoulder area tends to lead to a tougher meat that needs to be cooked low and slow to optimize the tenderness. Since this cut of meat is less expensive, it is important to learn how to grill it nice and tender. 

For this recipe, we chose to use the mechanical tenderizing technique followed by a one-hour marinade. 

Ranch Steak is also known as Beef Shoulder Center, Chuck Steak Center Cut, Ranch Cut, Shoulder Center Steak, or an Arm Steak.

Guinness Beer – This is a rich and creamy beer that is full bodied. That is the main reason I come back to it time and time again. There is a sweet bitter taste to the Blonde Stout that we used this time but you will be happy with Guinness overall. 

🍴 Tenderizing

There are three primary ways to tenderize meat. 

Chemical Tenderizing – You will find the jarred Meat Tenderizer in the spice aisle at the grocery store.  This chemical helps break down the muscle fibers in the meat and results in a soft and tender meat. 

⚠️ Caution: If you choose to use the jarred Meat Tenderizer, there are often extra flavors and ingredients added. You may not want those in your dinner.

Marinating – The homemade marinade is my recommendation as you can always know all of the ingredients for a grilled dinner that you and your family will enjoy. 

Did you know: Adding papaya or pineapple to your marinade will help to break down muscles.

Mechanical tenderizing – Use a tenderizing butcher’s mallet to hammer the meat. It’s a blast if you have never tried it.  You can also poke the meat about 15-20 times with a fork, but seriously…Hammer Time! 

🍲 Preparation

Step One: Pierce the steak with a fork about 10-15 times each side of the meat to assist in tenderizing. You can use a mallet tenderizer, if you have it. We used a fork this time and it worked perfeclty. 

Step Two: Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and stir.

Step Three: Place all ingredients into a gallon ziploc bag with the ranch steaks and marinade for 1-2 hours.

🔥 Grilling Instructions

Step One: Preheat the grill to 375-400 degrees. 

Step Two: Grill each side of the ranch steak for about four minutes for medium rare. Test for the temperature at 130-135 for medium rare or 135-145 for medium. 

Step Three: Allow meat to rest for 5 minutes before cutting into it to allow juices to remain in the steak. Don’t skip this step or the meat will dry out. 

💡 Recipe Tips

To get the best result from this cut of meat, make sure you: 

1. Tenderize the meat. 
2. Don’t cook past MEDIUM. Higher temperatures may cause this meat to become tough. 
3. Allow the meat to rest when you take it off of the grill. 

Note: Another secret to handling a tough piece of meat is to rub a couple of teaspoons of coarse sea salt into the meat and allow it to sit for an hour. Rinse the steak off and dry well. Now season it as you normally would and grill.

👨‍🍳 Recipe FAQs

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