Marinating Beef

Tougher cuts of beef need a strong marinade and time for it to work. Tender cuts of beef may not need to be marinated for tenderness but the flavor and healthy benefits are still there (see Marinades). Plan on about 1/4 cup of marinade per pound of beef. This is a general rule and largely depends on what you are putting the beef and marinade into. I like 1 gallon Ziptop bags for marinating but larger cuts may need to be placed in a large container. Make sure that you turn the beef periodically so that the marinade works evenly.

For the sake of this chart, steaks have a thickness of 1-inch and roasts are thicker than 2-inches. If you have a cut somewhere in between, average the times.

Beef Marinating Times

Primal	Cuts	Marinating Time
Chuck (Steaks)	Chuck Arm Steak, Chuck Eye Steak, Mock Tender Steak, Chuck Shoulder Steak, Top Blade Steak	4 to 6 hours
Chuck (Roasts)	7-Bone Roast, Arm Roast, Chuck-Eye Roast, Cross Rib Roast, Shoulder Pot Roast	8 to 10 hours
Rib (Steaks)	Rib-Eye Steak, Rib Steak	30 minutes to 1 hour
Rib (Roasts)	Rib Roasts, Rib-Eye Roast	1 to 2 hours
Short Loin (Steaks)	T-Bone Steak, Tenderloin Steak, Top Loin Steak	30 minutes to 1 hour
Short Loin (Roast)	Tenderloin Roast	1 to 2 hours
Sirloin (Steak)	Sirloin Steak, Tri-Tip Steak	2 to 4 hours
Sirloin (Roast)	Tri-Tip Roast	4 to 6 hours
Round (Steak)	Round Steak, Round Tip Steak	4 to 6 hours
Round (Roast)	Bottom Round Roast, Eye Round Roast, Round Tip Roast, Rump Roast, Tip Roast	8 to 10 hours
Plate (Steak)	Hanger Steak, Skirt Steak	4 to 6 hours
Flank (Steak)	Flank Steak	4 to 6 hours
Brisket	Trimmed	10 to 12 hours
Brisket	Untrimmed	16 t0 18 hours