Balsamic Red Wine Marinade is ideal for marinating leaner cuts of beef, such as eye of round or top round, and lamb. An overnight or longer marinating time will really allow the deep flavors of our Balsamic Red Wine Marinade to permeate and tenderize the meat. In preparing this recipe, we cut the meat into fillet steaks for one version and kabobs for the other, as pictured. Serve Balsamic Red Wine Marinade fillet steaks or kabobs as a main course, preceded by a Wilted Arugula Salad, and accompanied by a robust Old Vine Zinfandel or Cabernet Sauvignon.
Prep Time to prepare the marinade: 10 minutes, Prep Time prior to cooking: 15 minutes. Total Time: 40 minutes plus overnight marinating time. Yields Balsamic Red Wine Marinade for 1 ½ to 2 lbs. boneless beef or lamb.
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Ingredients:
- 1 Tb Dried Herb Italian Seasoning*
- ½ Tb coarsely ground Black Pepper
- ½ Tb dry Mustard powder
- ½ Tb granulated Sugar
- ½ Tb granulated Onion
- ½ Tb granulated Garlic
- 4 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar
- 3 Tbs Soy Sauce
- 1 Tb Fish Sauce*
- 2/3 cup dry Red Wine
- 3 Tbs Olive Oil
- 1 ½ – 2 lbs. Beef Eye of Round or Top Round or boneless Lamb
- If making fillet steaks: 6 Anaheim or Hatch Chilis, stemmed, seeded and cut in half lengthwise
- If making kabobs: 2 Green or Red Bell Peppers and 6 Mexican Onions, trimmed
Preparation:
- Combine the Italian seasoning, black pepper, mustard powder, sugar, granulated onion and granulated garlic in a mixing bowl.
- Add the balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, red wine and olive oil to the dry ingredients in the bowl and whisk together to make the Balsamic Red Wine Marinade.
- If using beef eye of round or top round roasts, you can slice the beef into 1-inch thick fillet steaks; four steaks such as these will weigh about 1 ½ to 2 pounds. Alternatively, you can cut 1 12/ to 2 pounds of beef into cubes not larger than 1 ½ inches thick. You can also prepare boneless lamb the same way as either fillet steaks or kabobs.
- Place either the fillet steaks or kabobs in a sealable container large enough to hold them and the marinade; pour the marinade over the meat, seal and refrigerate overnight until ready to cook. Remove from the refrigerator at least 1 hour prior to cooking.
- To prepare the fillet steaks, set your grill to a high heat and lay the fillet steaks on the grilling surface; for medium rare, 5 minutes on each side or when the inside temperature reaches between 130 F and 135 F, for medium, 6 to 7 minutes on each side or when the inside reaches between 135 F and 140 F. We do not recommend grilling beyond medium, as the steak will get very tough and tasteless. Baste the meat with the marinade while grilling. Coat the halved chilis with pinch of sea salt and a tablespoon of cooking oil and grill at the same time as the fillet steaks until the chilis begin to brown; remove from the grill to a bowl and serve with the grilled fillet steaks, as pictured.
- If making kabobs, seed and trim the bell peppers and cut them into 1 ½-inch pieces; trim the root ends and green stems from the Mexican onions, reserving the stems for other use.
- When making the kabobs, we like to alternate the beef or lamb cubes with bell pepper pieces and whole Mexican onions on the skewers. Always start and end with a piece of beef or lamb on the skewer.
- Grill on a high heat on a grilling rack to prevent sticking to the grilling surface; for medium rare, 5 minutes on each side or when the inside temperature reaches between 130 F and 135 F, for medium 6 to 7 minutes on each side or when the inside reaches between 135 F and 140 F.
*Notes:
- Dry Herb Italian Seasoning is a salt-free mix of assorted dried herbs associated with Italian cooking, usually a mix of basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, parsley and sage. It is readily available for purchase at supermarkets and the big-box stores, often it’s organic too; make sure that it is salt-free. Alternatively, you can make your own by combining those dried herbs.
- Fish Sauce is the clear, brown liquid given off by salted, fermented anchovies; it’s likely very similar to “garum” a condiment which accompanied most meals in ancient Rome. A little of it goes a long way and it makes a very convenient substitute for mashed anchovy fillets in recipes. While Fish Sauce is ubiquitous in Thai and Vietnamese cuisines, it can bring a deep umami flavor to recipes of other cuisines. We recommend Three Crabs brand; the flavor is perfectly authentic, not overly salty and it does not contain caramel or any other coloring agent.