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Grilled Steak Tips With Bourbon-Brown Sugar Marinade

Image Credit:
Lee Smith/Shutterstock
Written By: The Old Farmer’s Almanac Editors The Almanac Editors and Staff
Yield
4-6 servings
Category
Meat
Course
Main Dish
Preparation Method
Grill
Sources
Yankee Magazine's Best New England Recipes

There’s nothing like juicy grilled steak tips in the summer—and the flavors in this savory brown sugar/soy/bourbon marinade are delicious! You can make this marinade ahead of time, add the meat and onion, and then freeze it all together until you’re ready to serve. Serve with grilled vegetables.

Ingredients
1/2 bourbon (to taste)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 medium-size yellow onion, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rings
2 pounds sirloin steak tips or flank steak
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Marinade
In a medium-size bowl, whisk together bourbon, brown sugar, Worcestershire, and soy sauce. Pour into a large zip-top bag; add onion and steak. Seal, squeezing to expel any air, and let meat marinate at least 2 hours, up to overnight (or freeze up to 3 months).

Steak Tips
When ready to cook, defrost steak and onions if you’ve previously frozen them; then drain and season meat with salt and pepper.

Set up your grill for direct high heat. To grill meat, sear on one side until nicely browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Turn meat and grill until it reaches desired doneness (4–6 minutes more for medium rare). Garnish as desired.

Cook onions in a grill pan, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes. Or cook onions directly on grill grates away from direct heat, carefully turning once, for 8 to 10 minutes total cooking time. Serve on the side.

About The Author
The Old Farmer’s Almanac Editors

The Old Farmer’s Almanac Editors

The Almanac Editors and Staff

Under the guiding hand of its first editor, Robert B. Thomas, the premiere issue of The Old Farmer’s Almanac was published in 1792 during George Washington’s first term as president.Today, the Almanac...
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Comments

<span>Denise T</span> Sun, 05/24/2026 - 11:46
Have the ingredients been updated since my comment 4 years ago? I reads " 1/2 bourbon or to taste ". One half what? Cup, bottle? I never wrote the recipe down and am sure that I would have noticed this error. As a side note, this recipe is very similar to a much loved steak marinade called Black Diamond. There was no liquor in the famous steaks as I recall.
<span>John</span> Sun, 05/24/2026 - 14:42
1/2 cup. It was adjusted down from 1 cup but the correction omitted "cup". See to bottom of comments below.
<span>Denise T</span> Sat, 06/18/2022 - 12:10
This sounds as if it would be a terrific marinade for making beef jerky.
<span>Vera</span> Thu, 10/12/2017 - 15:03
One cup of bourbon is way way way too much and it overpowers the other ingredients. Use 1/2 cup instead and it will be perfect.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Fri, 10/13/2017 - 15:56

Thanks for your thoughtful comment, Vera. We have adjusted the recipe. Good idea. Enjoy!

 <span>Nita</span> Sun, 05/24/2026 - 11:25
What can I sub in place of bourbon? I don’t use liquor in my cooking. Thx