Sweet. Tangy. Fragrant. Flavorful.
Sheesh.
Oh, and it's ribeye. Which is, in my esteemed opinion, the choice cut. *Reader tip: find yourself a well-marbled, thick cut. 1 inch minimum or bust.
Here's a pretty true copycat of the marinade recipe, so no need to fight a City of Bethesda parking attendant to get your HHR fix. [seriously, those guys must get paid commission.]
HHR Marinade:
2 good quality, thick cut ribeye steaks
1/3 C apple cider vinegar
1 C low sodium soy sauce (do NOT use regular! it will ruin your steak!)
20 oz. can pineapple chunks
1/2 C light brown sugar
2 tsp. minced fresh ginger ( although I recommend fresh, you can use dried ginger, about 3/4 tsp.)
2 cloves garlic minced (same as above if you're using dried garlic powder)
1 tsp. Chinese Five Spice
Drain your pineapple chunks, reserving the juice (should be about 6 oz.). Combine juice, vinegar, soy, sugar, ginger, garlic, and CFSpice in a small saucepan. Heat over medium for about 5 minutes to allow the flavors to bloom and infuse. Remove from heat, and allow marinade to cool completely. In a large Ziploc bag, place your steaks and half of your pineapple chunks, then pour the marinade over top. Seal your bag and massaged the marinade into the steaks. Refrigerate the steaks for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
Meanwhile, you can choose to marinate the rest of those pineapple chunks in some coconut water or milk, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes and 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper.
Just before your cook the steaks, sautee the pineapple chunks with a little bit of their marinade until golden brown and slightly syrupy. This makes a simple and delicious pineapple relish....
When you're ready to eat, grill or pan roast these beauties, and thank me later.
