Garlic Balsamic Brown Sugar Steaks
Knock your socks off grilled steaks cooked to perfection with the incredible umami flavors of sweet, salty, tangy and...oh. Heck. Just MAKE these. You can thank me later!
Though my hubby is a steak purist, a salt and pepper ONLY man, I happen to love a steak bathed in a fun marinade!
Oh, I, too, do very much enjoy a steak with lots of kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper, also, don't get me wrong.
But, there are also times when I'd just like a little more extra flavor, too! A little extra pizzaz, ya know?!
And since we love our steaks still "mooing" inside, I decided to try my hand at a dark brown sugar marinade, and my Garlic Balsamic Brown Sugar Steaks were not sharing a single bite good!!
But ok, as I always do, I did let him try one teensy bite. He liked it, but the purist stood his ground. (Almost as stubborn as me!)
But *I* on the other hand - - loved, loved LOVED it!
A little sweet, a nice tangy amount of balsamic, and just a little spark of heat in the back! OMG was the flavor ever good!
And you could, of course, as that's the whole point of eating a steak to begin with, still taste the beef!! I was thrilled!
And, as we all know, New York Strips aren't exactly the "friendliest" as fas a tender goes. So, I figured that these would make for the perfect guinea pig to experiment on! And I'm so very glad that I did!!
First, to get this out of the way, I always use dark brown sugar. And frankly, haven't bought regular, light brown sugar in probably more than 25 years! I switched to the dark brown for several reasons.
One - - I LOVE molasses! And molasses is what makes "brown sugar" brown! So if there was an option of more? Heck yea! I was all for it!!
Two - - I instantly learned that it didn't turn into a petrified BRICK once you open the bag!! There's enough molasses in it that it stays soft! And I never once noticed a difference in my baking as far as the science goes. (No flat cookies or collapsed cakes, etc.!)
I did, however, see that everything I made with it seemed to be even better, though! And it quickly became my "secret ingredient"!! So dark brown sugar #FTW!!!! 😀
Steaks almost done!!! Getting VERY close!!!
So along with dark brown sugar, I knew that I definitely wanted a bit of a tang to balance the sweetness, and balsamic vinegar is my go-to vinegar for steak and beef!
It's rich-tasting, aged, and it's just plain wonderful! And of course, pairs VERY well with sugar and molasses!
The rest was just simply butter and oil to sauté a little fresh-minced garlic in, salt and pepper, the always beef-friendly, steak-loving worcestershire sauce, and just a little bit of heat in the back created by a few dashes and pinches of sriracha, Slap Ya Mama cajun seasoning and cayenne!
Nothing over-the-top really, but wow!! What a nice flavor it created!!
It really complimented the steaks beautifully!
I was a VERY happy girl, especially since I wasn't sure how much dark brown sugar a marinade could take without turning into a bitter, charred, burned and inedible mess on the grill!
The amounts I guessed, were, luckily!!, spot on!! Whew!!!!!!
The steak-purist hubs enjoyed his steak "very much" - - but - psssssttt!!! C'mere! I KNOW mine was better!!!!!! 😀 😉 Shhhhhhh!! My secret....and now it's yours, too!!! 😉 🙂
Grill out before the summer is over!! And enjoy!! 🙂
This recipe goes really well with my Steakhouse Potatoes!!
*If you want, you can bring the leftover marinade to a simmer, and thicken until a rich syrupy sauce for dipping, and serve with the steaks on the side or drizzle over the top. REALLY good!!
Garlic Balsamic Brown Sugar Steaks
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
My husband is also a purist when it comes to his steak. I'm going to make this as a delicious sauce to put on my steak before I enjoy every delicious bite. I never use A1 sauce, thought it was too vinegary. This sounds perfect for me. Thanks for sharing. **
Mine didn't get caramelized on the outside like yours did in the picture and I followed the directions exactly
Anxious to try the recipes for balsamic steak recipes, already printed and will be tonight's dinner. Plan to try on beef, chicken, ham, salmon!
Do you have an Instagram account? I'll be definitely making this recipe look delicious. Thanks for posting.
Has anyone used this marinade for hamburgers? Such as Hamburger steaks?
I haven't, but sounds like a great idea!!!
No not yet I'm going to try the steaks first but hey that sounds great too
Awesome steaks. Cooked and tasted to perfection. Did the bake potato but since i had the grill one flipped on a couple ears of corn. Absolutely delectable dinner.
I loved this recipe! I was looking for a great balsamic flavored steak to top a creamy pasta plate. I reduced the used marinade like you suggested and drizzled it atop the dish with some feta cheese and it was marvelous! This recipe was added to my old fashioned, handwritten cook book because I don’t want to lose it. Thank you!
Looks pretty goddamn good f*** nut
...you eat with that mouth!
Is there another way?
If you can bake a ham using this glaze, why wouldn’t it be ok to do the steak in the oven turned to broil? I really want to make this, but I don’t have a grill.
You could certainly give it a try, Margo. The only thing that worries me is, that a broiler produces very high direct heat and I'm afraid that the glaze might burn since it has a high sugar content. Just be careful that it doesn't burn and scorch. Burned sugar is horrific.
Would this work on beef chuck steaks?
These look absolutely delicious!
I'm giving them a try.
Myself I like the medium brown sugar.
I have trouble with garlic, but have found that I can tolerate the black garlic.
It has a sweeter taste and doesn't give me pain.
Thank you for the garlic tip, Charlie!! Much appreciated! Garlic can give me trouble sometimes, too. (If I overdo it, it can give me a terrible stomach ache.) I'll certainly check out black garlic, as I've never heard of it! Hope you enjoy the steaks! And thanks again!
Both my husband and I loved it. I used a bit less garlic and used the frozen minced ready to use kind. Also, cut back on the "hot" ingredients just using some red pepper flakes It made the keeper recipe book!
So happy to hear, Heather! And glad that you were able to tone it down for your own personal tastes! Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by!
Can't wait to taste these, even if they Wil be cooked on charcoal.
They'll be even better on charcoal! Hope you enjoyed! 🙂
I'm going too use just regular balsamic, I could not find sweet. I will let you know how it turns out.
Yes, "regular" is what I use also. But as balsamic vinegar ages, it gets a little sweeter, so just use a nice aged balsamic. That's what I always use.
I thought this would be a little different as I also like rich flavor on my steak but I was wondering about using the extra marinade after raw meat had been in it it this a safe practice???
To use the the leftover marinade , bing to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes until it thickens. Then you an use the leftover meat marinade.
Yes, I clearly stated in my recipe (*see "Notes"), to bring it just to a simmer if using the last for a dipping sauce. Although, it really isn't necessary. We enjoy our steaks rare to medium rare... 😉
This was absolutely fabulous. I should have shared with others but...... nope! #DevouredIt!!!!
Thank you!! 😀 So glad you enjoyed! 🙂
Would this work on pork steaks ?
I sure wouldn't see why not! 🙂
3ts44y
Yum! I just saw this recipe on Pinterest and plan to save it and try later. It really looks fabulous! And I never understood the difference between light and dark brown sugar - so thank you for the explanation! I am now a convert. .
But on to my question. I don't have a gas grill; we use charcoal. I'm assuming I could cook on that, but what I'd really like to know is if I can just broil the steaks in the oven; do you think that would work?
Thanks so much!
Lynne
Hi Lynne! Glad I could help solve the "brown sugar mystery"! LOVE the dark brown, and it doesn't turn into a brick, either!
Not sure you can broil this....the only concern I have, since I've never tried it, would be that the sugar might burn under a broiler? You might want to try it on a grill pan on the stovetop, maybe? I've ONLY done these outside on the gas grill, so I honestly don't know. Sorry!! I wouldn't want to mislead you!
You can use charcoal just watch the temp and turn your steaks earlier for grill marks
Loved by my entire steak loving family. Marinated steaks overnight (used t-bones as they were on sale). This will be a recipe we use for years to come. Thanks for sharing.
Fantastic to hear, Sue! So nice that you were able to get T-bones on sale to boot! Steaks are so expensive anymore! So glad everyone enjoyed! 🙂
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OMG - this was awesome! Even my picky-pants hubby who usually gives me suggestions to improve everything pronounced that he wouldn't change a thing with this one. We had this for our new year's eve dinner and he said it was as good as anything we could have had out. SCORE!!! i did cook down the marinade and it was oh, so good. It was also really good on the asparagus with bacon & parmesan we had on the side. This is a keeper - we will be making this one again.
Oh! I'm so happy to hear, Kathleen! I've also used this sauce on pork tenderloin, wings, and meatballs, and now I can't wait to try it on veggies as you did! Hope you all have a wonderful New Year! 🙂
Do you think this recipe would be a hit if I used wild game such as elk?
this marinade would probably be good on just about anything - my husband was eating the reduced sauce with a spoon after he was done with dinner.....
I bet it would be wonderful on elk!
Absolutely wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing!
You're welcome, Lynn!
Kelly, I heated some butter and dark brown sugar as a rub for my Christmas ham (turned out great by the way). I made a bit too much and have some sugar rub left over. Do you think if I heated it up and mixed it with the rest of your ingredients that I might get the same results as your recipe?
Oh, I'm sure that it would! 🙂
Maybe you need to go back to school and actually learn something. My grammar is correct.
Mmmmmmm need this
Yes, you do! 😉 🙂 Enjoy!!
Could I cook these in the Oven in a cast iron skillet?
I was wondering the same thing. I think our grill may be closed for the winter.
I've never done it that way, so I have no idea if it work!
I don't know, Amy. Do you have a grill pan that you can get super hot on the stovetop?? That might work, but no guarantees!! I've never done it that way, so I don't really know. I wouldn't want to mislead you.
This is the most gorgeous looking steak. EVER.
Aww!!! Thanks, Kris!!! 😀