Seriously, Try Some Vanilla In Your Next Steak Marinade

Vanilla ice cream. Vanilla pudding. Vanilla latte. There's no question in anyone's mind that vanilla has an affinity for sugar, and makes some of the most delicious sweet things in our world a whole lot better. But if you haven't considered the full range of what this flower and its powerful pod of seeds can do for your savory food, you're leaving culinary magic on the table.

There are many ways to elevate your non-dessert dishes using vanilla, but if you're not convinced, there is a super easy way to test the theory. The next time you plan to marinate your favorite cut of steak, open up your baking cupboard and reach for that bottle of vanilla extract or your preferred vanilla bean and add it to your marinade. When you pull your finished piece of perfectly cooked meat from the grill, cast iron skillet, or oven and taste the new depth of flavor, you'll wonder why you haven't done this sooner.

Vanilla itself isn't necessarily sweet. In fact, the flavors of vanilla beans vary widely across the many types you can source for culinary purposes. Mexican vanilla beans boast smoke and tobacco notes, while Tonga vanilla is reminiscent of dark fruit like figs, and floral, fruity Tahitian vanilla even brings some roasty, chocolatey character to the table. If you break down those flavors, it's easy to see how they'd provide both synergistic qualities and counterpoints to a well-cooked steak, with its caramelization, char, and umami-packed profile. 

Even in more familiar baking applications, vanilla is a powerful flavor booster, and the same is true here. You can incorporate vanilla into your marinade either by adding liquid extract or by scraping and mixing in the seeds from the vanilla pod. This allows your meat to absorb the liquid, infusing every bite with complexity, surprisingly complementary tastes, and even a creamy quality that will shine through once cooked. And when you decide to match your meat with vanilla, you can choose one bean variety or combine a few to create a customized flavor profile — or even take the time to make homemade vanilla extract with a blend of varieties.

When creating your vanilla steak marinade, you can adjust the amount of vanilla you'd like to use, depending on how powerful you'd like the flavor to be. Because extract is always concentrated flavor, you won't need more than about one tablespoon for ¼ cup of oil, or the seeds scraped from one bean.You can follow your standard rule of thumb for marinating time, with thinner cuts on the shorter side (at least an hour) all the way up to about eight hours, then cook as you normally do. 

You can also draw inspiration from this unique flavor combo for how you decide to serve your steak. If you've ever wondered what compound butter is, and what can you use it for, this is a great answer to that question. Lean into the flavor notes of your chosen vanilla type with a fig compound butter and allow it to melt over your meat. You can also embrace our newest food obsession, smoked salt, which will also play to the strengths of this dish — especially with that smoke-tinged Mexican vanilla. If you want to double down on the sweet-salty theme, whip up a soy caramel sauce or balsamic vanilla glaze. Once you've had a chance to experiment with vanilla in your steak marinade, you're sure to see a whole world of savory opportunities.