Grilled Ranch Steak will make you rethink this inexpensive cut of beef. Don’t hesitate to buy those cheaper cuts when you know the tips and tricks to grill them to perfection. We got the perfect texture using a combination of marinating and mechanical tenderizing and so can you!
I think once you bite into the ranch steak, you will be impressed by the flavors and texture of it. We hammered the meat and marinated it to get that perfect juicy bite!
It is stripped of all the excess fat leaving just a mean, lean cut of meat ready to put on the grill.
🍽️ Why This Recipe Works
✔️This cut is cheaper than more expensive cuts of meat. So, you can get your steak fix while not emptying the wallet.
✔️This is a lean cut of meat. It is easy to tenderize it and complement it with a robust marinade that adds a lot of flavor.
✔️It only takes a few minutes to throw it together, and the rest is marinating.
🐄What Is Ranch Steak?
Ranch steak comes from the chuck primal cut, which is the cow’s shoulder. It’s lean and perfect for grilling, pan-searing, and broiling.
Marinating ranch steaks is the best way to tenderize this lean meat, and even the simplest combination of herbs and spices will beautifully complement the intense beefy flavor of this cut.
The fine grain, lower fat, and great flavor make it perfect for grilling as a great alternative to flat iron steak or sirloin.
What Is Another Name For Ranch Steak?
Ranch Steak is also known as Beef Shoulder Center, Boneless Chuck Shoulder Center Cut Steak, Ranch Cut, Shoulder Center Steak, Chuck Steak Center Cut, or Arm Steak. Keep an eye out for any of these at your butcher.
⏲️ Equipment and Tools
- Grill – The Big Green Egg is our go-to charcoal grill and smoker. While I don’t have enough good words to say about it, you can definitely use another type of grill. Whether it is a pellet grill, gas grill, or an electric grill you can get the same excellent results.
- Ziploc Bag – I prefer to marinate inside of a Ziploc Bag. Be careful, as every now and then you’ll find one that leaks, so I place the bag in a bowl to avoid having to clean a mess in the fridge.
- Meat Thermometer – Use a good quality wireless meat thermometer to monitor the internal temperature of the ranch steak.
🥩 Ingredients
⭐Ranch steak – This is part of the chuck area of the shoulder muscle that is similar in texture to a sirloin steak with more of a beefy flavor. The shoulder area tends to be a bit tough which leads to a cut of meat that needs to be slow-cooking to optimize the tenderness. We’ll show you how to grill it nice and tender.
For this recipe, we chose to use the mechanical tenderizing technique followed by a one-hour marinade.
The little bit of fat and silver skin will most likely already be taken off from the butcher. If it’s not, take a couple of minutes to remove them for a better result of your meat. If you’ve never cut away the silver skin, we show you in detail how to do that in the smoked flank steak recipe.
⭐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.
⭐Soy Sauce – This is one of my favorite ingredients for marinades. It is rich, deep and tangy which lends itself well to lean cuts of beef. Offset it with the brown sugar.
⭐Garlic – The garlicky flavor is totally optional but highly recommended.
⭐ Salt & Black Pepper – Use your favorite salt. Kosher salt, sea salt, anything goes! The same applies to pepper with one condition: grind it right before using it for that intense peppery flavor.
🍴 How to Tenderize Steak
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 soft and tender meat.
Note: 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.
🔨 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!
🥣Marinating – The homemade marinade is my recommendation as you can adjust the ingredients and it adds a lot of flavor 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 in the ranch steak even faster.
🔥 Instructions
Ranch Steak Marinade
Step One: Pierce the steak with a fork about 10-15 times on 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 perfectly.
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 at least 1-2 hours and up to 8 hours.
Grilling the Steak
Grilling up these steaks just takes a couple of minutes and three simple steps.
Step One: Preheat the grill to a medium high heat of 375-400°F.
Step Two: Grill each side of the ranch steak for about four minutes for medium rare. Test for the temperature at 130-135°F for medium rare or 135-145°F for medium. I don’t recommend grilling it above this temperature as the dry heat dries out this lean meat.
Step Three: Transfer the meat to a cutting board or serving platter. Allow meat to rest for 5 minutes before cutting into it to allow juices to settle within the steak. Don’t skip this step or the meat will dry out.
Just a couple of quick and easy ways to put out your charcoal grill.
Other Ways To Cook Ranch Steak
As lovely as grilled ranch steak is, there are other ways to cook it. Follow our step by step instructions and it will turn out perfect!
Pan Searing (Stovetop)
Pan searing is one of the most efficient ways to cook a steak. Choose this method when you’re really hungry. It’s the fastest!
- Prepare the marinade and let the ranch steaks sit in it for at least 1-2 hours as described in the instructions above.
- Preheat a heavy skillet (preferably cast iron) over high heat.
- Add a small amount of oil to the skillet and place the steak in it once the oil is hot.
- Cook for about 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare.
- Use a meat thermometer to measure the internal temperature and remove the steaks once they reach your target temperature (130-135°F for medium rare or 135-145°F for medium).
- Rest the steak for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Reverse Searing (Oven + Stovetop)
This is another easy method to cook a steak and the most important thing you have to do is to monitor the internal temperature of the meat. Ranch steak is affordable but not very forgiving.
- Marinate the steaks according to the instructions above.
- Preheat the oven to 275°F.
- Place the ranch steaks on a baking sheet equipped with a rack.
- Let the meat roast until its internal temperature is about 10°F below your preferred doneness. For medium-rare, it will take about 20-30 minutes.
- Preheat a heavy bottom skillet on the stovetop.
- Sear the steaks 1-2 minutes per side so they get a nice crust.
💡 Recipe Tips
To get the best result from this cut of meat, make sure you:
- Tenderize the meat to break down the connective tissues.
- Let the meat come to room temperature before grilling. Remove from fridge 20-30 minutes so the meat warms up a little. It will cook more evenly.
- Don’t cook past medium doneness. Internal temperatures over 145°F may cause this meat to become tough.
- Allow the meat to rest for 5 minutes when you take it off the grill.
- Always slice against the grain. Cutting across the muscle fibers guarantees maximum tenderness.
🍱Storage & Reheating
Storage – Cooked steak can last for 3-5 days in the fridge. Let it cool to room temperature before storing but do not keep it out for more than 2 hours to avoid spoilage.
Place the leftover steak in an airtight container a ziploc bag or wrap it in aluminum foil or plastic wrap before storing in the refrigerator.
The leftovers can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Be sure to wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, press’n seal, or cling film and place it in a freezer bag or container to avoid freezer burn.
Thaw the steak in the fridge before reheating. Ranch steak is best at medium-rare to medium doneness and reheating from frozen will overcook it.
Reheating – For this lean cut, the secret is to reheat it gently and evenly. You can place the leftover steak on a wire rack over a backing sheet in an oven preheated to 250°F. Heat until the internal temperature is around 110°F (the steak is already cooked and we’re trying not to overcook it).
You can also reheat the steak on the stovetop. Place it in a skillet preheated over medium-low heat, cover it and heat for a couple of minutes on each side just until it warms up.
Note: I do not recommend the microwave as a reheating method for the ranch steak. It can easily overcook the meat. Use it if you must but make sure to reheat the leftovers covered with a damp paper towel using the reheat function or a low-power setting.
🌶️Additions and Substitutions
I highly recommend you do not skip the marinade for this particular cut. However, you have so many options to change things up.
👉Fresh herbs – Rosemary, thyme, oregano, cilantro, and other herbs can be used for the marinade to give the steak a completely different flavor profile.
👉Spices – Another way to experience this steak in new ways is to play with various spices and blends. Try seasonings like cumin, paprika, coriander, chili powder, and onion powder for a richer flavor.
👉Sweeteners – Feel free to replace the brown sugar with another sweetener. Honey, agave syrup, maple syrup, coconut sugar, and molasses are all great options!
👉Aromatics – Green onions, shallots, lemongrass, star anise, and fennel seeds offer interesting ways to flavor your marinade.
👉Soy Sauce Substitutes – You can go for another umami-rich liquid condiment such as Worcestershire sauce, tamari, and coconut aminos.
👉Beer Alternatives – To start, you can substitute beer with red wine in this recipe. To make it kid-friendly or suitable for someone who cannot consume alcohol, you can use a non-alcoholic beer but also other flavored liquids like beef or chicken broth, apple juice, and pineapple juice.
🍽️Serving Suggestions
Grilled ranch steaks can be served with so many delicious BBQ sides. Here are some of our favorite options:
⭐First things first, starchy sides are one of the classic steak pairings that won’t fail you, especially for a ranch steak cut which is on the lean side. Since you’re already firing up the grill you can use it to make some grilled sweet potatoes in foil, grilled baby potatoes, or cheesy grilled potato skins.
⭐Vegetable sides are a wonderful way to ensure you have a nutritious meal while keeping the calorie count on the low side. Grilled onions, grilled roasted root vegetables, grilled corn on the cob, grilled balsamic carrots, grilled broccolini, and grilled fennel are some of our go to sides for grilled steaks.
⭐There’s nothing like some fresh bread next to a succulent steak to clean up all those juices. Dinner rolls, soft pretzel bites, sourdough bread, baguettes, focaccia, and any other bread you love will work.
⭐Salads are excellent as a healthy side dish, especially during the warm season. Whether you go for a simple green salad, or a fancier salad like this grilled peach and arugula salad, it is the kind of dish that can elevate a steak.
You can even serve the ranch steaks in lettuce wraps like we did for this grilled sirloin steak. It sure makes for a fabulous presentation!
⭐There’s also the option of offering some sauces and toppings for the steak. I absolutely recommend you try the chimichurri sauce we did for the sirloin steak. The herby, tangy, flavors brighten up grilled meat and will complement the beefy flavor.
Aioli, blue cheese sauce, and compound butter are other excellent choices to serve with grilled ranch steak.
Toppings such as caramelized onions, bacon bits, and sauteed mushrooms will mix with the steak flavor and offer an even richer taste.
❓ Recipe FAQs
In terms of origin, flavor, texture, and price, the flat iron steak is the closest to ranch steak. Both come from the shoulder area of the cow, are affordable, can be pan-seared, grilled, or broiled, benefit from marination, and are best at a medium-rare to medium doneness.
In terms of flavor and texture, the chuck eye steak and sirloin steak are also similar to ranch steak although they come from different parts of the cow.
Sirloin steak and ranch steak come from different parts of the cow. Sirloin steak comes from the sirloin section of the cow, found between the loin and the round primal areas and there are several smaller cuts including top sirloin and bottom sirloin.
Ranch steak comes from the shoulder area of the cow, specifically the chuck primal. Both sirloin and ranch steak are lean although the sirloin has a bit more marbling and it’s more tender, especially the top sirloin.
These two cuts have an intense beefy flavor and can be grilled, broiled, or pan-seared. However, ranch steak is less tender and usually requires marination to get a softer texture.
Both are more affordable than premium cuts with the ranch steak being the cheapest.
More delicious steak recipes:
- Grilled Ribeye Cap Steak
- Grilled Ranch Steak
- Grilled Skirt Steak
- Grilled Teres Major Steak
- Grilled Marinated Steak Tips
- Grilled Porterhouse Steak With Herb Butter
- Grilled Greek Steak Bites
- Grilled Tex Mex Flank Steak With Avocado Corn Salsa
- Grilled Sirloin Steak With Chimichurri
- Herb Butter Grilled Ribeye Steak
- Grilled T Bone Steak With Bourbon Salt
- Grilled Herb Crusted Flat Iron Steaks
- Perfect Tomahawak Steak
Related Recipes
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Grilled Ranch Steak
Ingredients
- 2 Ranch Steaks ours were about 8 oz each
Guinness Marinade
- 1 bottle Beer we used Guinness
- 4 cloves Garlic minced
- ½ cup Soy Sauce
- ½ cup Brown Sugar
- ½ tsp Salt sea salt or kosher
- ½ tsp Pepper coarse grind
Instructions
Tenderize the Steaks
- Use a fork to poke the steaks 10-15 times. Alternatively, you can hammer it with a meat tenderizer mallet.
Prepare the Marinade
- Place all ingredients into a gallon Ziploc bag with the ranch steaks and marinade for 1-2 hours. Work the marinade around the meat.
Grill the Steaks
- Heat the grill to 375-400°F. Lean towards a hotter grill and I suggest waiting for it in order to get a nice outer crust and great sear marks.
- Grill each side for about four minutes.
- Check the temperature often. It is best to keep this cut of meat at 130 – 135°F for medium rare, or 135 – 145°F for medium.
- Remove from the grill and allow it to rest for five to ten minutes.
Notes
- Tenderize the meat.
- Don’t cook past MEDIUM. Higher temperatures may cause this meat to become tough.
- Allow the meat to rest when you take it off of the grill.
- Slice the steaks against the grain to help it remain tender as well.
Nutrition
Jason’s been firing up the grill for over 30 years after graduating from the US Coast Guard Academy. His love of finely-grilled steak and chicken led him to buy his first Weber grill to put on his apartment patio in 1992. Each military move led to a new grill (a mixture of gas and charcoal) until he fell in love with the Big Green Egg in 2008. Since then, he has added another 4 grills to the collection. Yes, he has a problem. Jason loves smoking in the ceramic BGE with exotic woods including olive wood from Egypt and hard to find varieties such as sassafras and orange wood. Jason takes the term “foodie” to a whole new level, jumping at the chance to take food tours and cooking classes during foreign travels. These have provided inspiration to incorporate new ideas into recipes when he gets back home. He has been featured in Fox News, Parade, Yahoo News, Kansas City Living and more. After retiring from the military and moving to southwest Florida, he has focused grilling and smoking locally sourced meats and fish (read: he likes to catch his own fish!)
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