Tenderizing Ribeye Steak | Salt Brine Vs Soy Sauce - Kosmo's Q

Due to popular demand, we’re investigating the best method for tenderizing steak - is it salt brining? Or is it marinating in soy sauce? Well, we did the testing so you don’t have to, and grilled two amazing ribeye steaks in the process.

You will need

• 2 Prime Rib Steaks
• Sea Salt
• Soy Sauce
• A fork
• Kosmo’s Q Cow Cover Rub
• Kosmo’s Q Texas Beef Rub

Tenderizing The Steak

We went out and got two USDA Prime hand-cut ribeye steaks for this test. One will be tenderized with a good ol’ salt brine. For the other, we’re going waaay back, and we’re trying a fork & soy sauce combo to get the steak nice and tender.

To salt brine a steak, lay down a healthy bed of salt the size of your steak on your kitchen surface or cutting board. Place the steak on top, and completely cover the steak with more salt. You just want a thick-ish layer to cover the meat completely. Let the salt work on the meat for 20 minutes ( NEVER go longer than 20 minutes).

For the other steak, grab your fork, and go over the entire steak, puncturing holes all over. Then flip and repeat. Now pour soy sauce all over one side, and let it sit for 10 minutes. Then flip, and pour more soy on this side as well.

After 20 minutes, both steaks should be ready. Rinse the salt brined one thoroughly - nobody wants their meat that salty.

Cooking the steaks

Now that both steaks are tenderized, it’s time to season & cook. Give both a nice coat of Cow Cover followed by Texas Beef.

Time to fire up the grill! Cook the steaks over indirect heat, flipping them a couple of times, until core temperature hits 105º (40.5ºC). Then move them over to direct heat, for a quick sear on both sides, until core temp reaches 127ºF (53ºC). 

Once done, pull the steaks off the heat, place them on a cutting board, and lightly tent with aluminum foil. Give them about 15 minutes before serving.

The Verdict

We’ve got two amazing cuts of beef - time to judge which is the superior method for tenderizing ribeye steak, as well as how each did in the flavor department.

Here are the results: Both steaks were indeed tenderized - the one that went in the salt is, as in our previous test, the winner. But the soy sauce one was close, and the soy gave it a deeper, richer flavor.

How do you tenderize your steaks? Have you ever tried either of those methods? Let us know!

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Tenderizing Ribeye Steak | Salt Brine Vs Soy Sauce

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Guides / Tenderizing Steak

Due to popular demand, we’re investigating the best method for tenderizing steak - is it salt brining? Or is it marinating in soy sauce? Well, we did the testing so you don’t have to, and grilled two amazing ribeye steaks in the process.

Author:

Kosmos Q

Ingredients

• 2 Prime Rib Steaks

• Sea Salt

• Soy Sauce

• A fork

• Kosmo’s Q Cow Cover Rub

  Shaker ∙ $10.95 1 Lb Bag ∙ $11.95 2 Lb Bag ∙ $19.90 4 Lb Bag ∙ $37.80 Add To Cart

• Kosmo’s Q Texas Beef Rub

  Shaker ∙ $10.95 1 Lb Bag ∙ $11.95 2 Lb Bag ∙ $19.90 4 Lb Bag ∙ $37.80 Add To Cart

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Directions

To salt brine a steak:

1. Lay down a healthy bed of salt the size of your steak on your kitchen surface or cutting board.

2. Place the steak on top, and completely cover it with more salt. Let the salt work on the meat for 20 minutes (NEVER longer!).

3. Rinse the steak thorougly.

To soy brine a steak:

1. Grab your fork, and go over the entire steak, puncturing holes all over. Then flip and repeat.

2. Pour soy sauce all over one side, and let it sit for 10 minutes. Then flip, and pour more soy on this side as well.

Cooking the steaks

1. Give both a nice coat of Cow Cover followed by Texas Beef.

2. Cook the steaks over indirect heat, flipping them a couple of times, until core temperature hits 105ºF (40.5ºC).

3. Then move them over to direct heat, for a quick sear on both sides, until core temp reaches 127ºF (53ºC).

4. Pull the steaks off the heat, place them on a cutting board, and lightly tent with aluminum foil. Give them about 15 minutes before serving.

Recipe Video