Frugal Foodie: Steak Dinner for $6 per person

Recently my husband developed a serious craving for steak.  Normally when this happens, we end up visiting Ruby Tuesday where he orders either the petite sirloin steak or the rib eye.  Feeding my brood of five at Ruby Tuesday, however, is costly—we easily hit a $60 tab even trying to be frugal—so I decided to try my hand at giving him a restaurant quality steak dinner at home.

I’ll admit, I’ve ruined my share of steak in the past.  Cooking steak is tricky—it needs to be cooked quickly on high heat—and even a slight miscalculation in cooking time can result in a rubbery, hard-to-chew mess.  I’ve tried broiling, baking and pan-frying steaks before with no success, so for this meal, I decided to test out our new electric grill.

The other challenge I faced was imparting flavor. Although purists will tell you that a good cut of steak only needs salt and pepper to bring out its full flavor, I’ve never been satisfied with that. On a whim, I decided to create a marinade from one of my favorite salad dressings:  Kraft Greek Vinaigrette.  The red wine vinegar in the dressing helps to tenderize meat, while the olive oil helps to create a barrier that seals in moisture.

I was very pleased with the end result of this steak experiment. Rounded out with fresh baked potatoes and a green salad, I prepared steak dinner for the whole family at a fraction of the cost of eating out (approximately $6 per person). Most importantly, my husband’s steak craving was completely satisfied!

Grilled Petite Sirloin Steak

¼ cup Worcestershire Sauce

½ cup Kraft Greek Salad Dressing and Marinade

Salt

Pepper

Garlic

Family package of Petite Sirloin Steaks

Rinse steaks.  Use a fork to poke holes throughout each steak on both sides.

In a bowl combine approximate ¼ to ½ cup Worcestershire Sauce and ½ cup Kraft Greek Salad Dressing and Marinade.  Use a fork or whisk to mix together thoroughly.

Place steaks in a deep dish or a gallon size freezer bag.  Pour the marinade over the steaks and cover (or zip).  Place the covered steaks in the refrigerator and marinade for thirty minutes to overnight. (I let our steaks marinade for about four hours.)

Approximately thirty minutes before you plan to cook the steaks, take them out of the refrigerator and let them sit until room temperature.  Once they’ve reached room temperature, they’re ready to cook.

For best results, I suggest grilling the steaks.  I heated my grill on high (approximately 400 degrees) for two to three minutes before adding the steaks.  I removed each steak from the marinade, lightly seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic on both sides and then placed on the grill.  For medium well steaks, I grilled each side for three to four minutes.

Remove the steaks from the grill when ready and place onto a serving dish.  Cover with aluminum foil and allow the steaks to rest for at least five minutes before serving.