Red Wine Marinated Grilled Chuck Steak Recipe

Step 1

Prep. Combine all the ingredients except the steaks in a large pot and whisk them together.

Step 2

Cook. Boil hard for about 5 minutes to reduce by about 1/This will get rid of most of the alcohol, extract flavor from the herbs and spices, and concentrate the wine a bit. Alcohol, contrary to popular belief, is not great in marinades because it can dry out the meat. Cool to room temp.

Step 3

Prep again. Trim excess fat from the exterior of the steaks. With a sharp knife, score the surface of the steak about 1/8" (3.2 mm) deep by dragging the knife across it. Make these slits about 3/4" (19 mm) apart on both sides. This technique, called gashing (read about it here), will help the marinade penetrate and will hold the flavor when it is cooking. Don't worry, juices won't escape. Put the steaks in a individual zipper bags, add the marinade, and zip. You can put them all in one bag, bowl, or pan, but you want the marinade in contact with all surfaces, so you will need to flip them regularly. Put the bags in a bowl or pan to catch any leaks, and marinate in the fridge at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours, turning them occasionally to help the liquid contact all surfaces.

Step 4

Fire up. Preheat the grill for 2-zone cooking to about 325°F (163°C).

Step 5

Cook. Take the steaks out of the marinade, drain off most of the liquid but do not pat dry. Normally we pat meat dry to make sure it crisps. But when using a flavorful marinade, don't pat it dry because most of the flavor is captured in the microscopic cracks on the surface and the slits we made. Grill over the hot section of the grill until rare to medium rare or your favorite temperature. They'll take longer than normal because the surfaces are wet, perhaps 20 minutes for a 1" (25 mm) steak. As always, a good digital thermometer is essential for getting things perfectly done. The reason I call for a 2-zone setup is so that you have a safe zone if one steak cooks faster than the others and in case the hot side is too hot and the surface starts to blacken. It is ALWAYS helpful to have a safe zone.

Step 6

Serve. To make the meat a bit more tender, serve it sliced. Be sure to cut across the grain into 1/4" (6.3 mm) slices. Plate and serve immediately.