My family roll their eyes and laugh at me a lot. Nearly every time we get together, no matter what I’m cooking, I start off with Strip steak, “I want to try something a little different today.”

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It probably drives them nuts because they never get the same meal twice from me, but I can’t help it – I like to experiment. Today’s experiment was using a delicious red wine marinade to tenderize and add flavor to a massive New York Strip steak and the experiment turned out extraordinarily amazing!

Should You Marinate NY Strip Steak?

There are two reasons why you should consider marinating a NY Strip; Flavor and Tenderness.

Marinate for Flavor

I get a little bored with the same old grilled steaks. I’ve done enough that, at this point, I can pretty much nail it every time. But what’s the fun of doing the same thing over and over again?

Don’t get me wrong, basic salt/pepper/garlic/onion grilled steaks have their place and enjoyment…but why not try mixing it up a bit?

Marinate for Tenderness

A New York Strip is not as tender as a Ribeye and the salt in this marinade can help with that.

Most of the flavor components in this marinade are just going to sit on the surface of the steak. The salt, however, is going to penetrate deep into the meat and will help the proteins both relax and retain more moisture.

How to Cook the Steak

For this massive strip steak, I went outside my usual routine and did a marinade. Nothing too crazy – Red wine, Worcester, Balsamic Vinegar, salt, onion, garlic, some sugar…you can see the full recipe below – but in my opinion this marinade took an ordinary strip steak to an extraordinary level of taste explosion.

When you marinate it is important to let the steak soak for at least an hour to give the salt time to penetrate into the meat and work its magic. If you have the time, a four hour soak is even better.

Grill Over High Heat

In my opinion, you just can’t beat the flavor of a steak that has been seared directly over blazing hot charcoal.

Fill a charcoal chimney full of briquettes, get them lit and dump them into the center of your Weber kettle. Get that grill of yours up over 500 degrees – use Kingsford Competition Briquettes or Lump Charcoal if you have to – and have some fun.

There are two ways you can grill the steak over high heat.

Single Flip Method: Place the steak directly over the charcoal, close the lid and let the steak grill for four minutes. Open the lid, flip the steak and let it cook another 4-5 minutes until done.

This method provides the best grill marks and surface sear.

Multiple Flip Method: Place the steak directly over the charcoal, let it grill for one minutes and then flip the steak. Repeat the process for 10-12 minutes until the steak is done.

This method provides the most even cooking of the steak and minimizes the amount of overcooked grey meat on the surface.

Either Method: The steak is DONE when it reaches Medium which is when it hits an internal temperature of 135-140F.

You’ll also see in the pictures that I left the red onions from the marinade on while grilling. These were a yummy touch. A crispy and delicious treat with every bite. Again, try it. And yes, it’s safe to use a little of what was in a beef marinade while cooking.