Pineapple Steak Marinade

 Who Knew? Pineapple can make your steak tender.

Wanna know a secret? My secret for making the most tender steaks you'll find anywhere? Come a little closer....

The secret is Pineapple juice. Pineapples contain Bromelain, a natural and powerful tenderizer that breaks down collagen in steak or any other meat, leaving it fork tender. There's nothing better...don't waste your money on those expensive meat tenderizers. 

Get a can of Pineapple juice. You don't want the sugary stuff. You want 100% pineapple juice....or better yet, cut up a fresh pineapple and throw it in the food processor or juicer and process it until you make your own juice. Put the steak or other meat you want to tenderize in a shallow pan and pour the juice over the meat. Refrigerate it until you are ready to cook. Since the acids in pineapple are so strong, do not marinate the meat more than 8 hours, or the acids themselves will start to cook the meat. I sometimes use just the pineapple juice but more often I make up a marinade....Like this one for steak....it is delicious!

Pineapple Steak Marinade

1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons onion powder
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon natural mesquite flavor liquid smoke
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 cup honey, to coat steaks
sea salt and pepper

Whisk together the ketchup, cider vinegar, garlic, onion powder, pineapple juice, crushed red pepper, liquid smoke, cumin and oregano in a shallow baking dish. Put a layer of honey on both sides of the steaks and place the steaks in the marinade, tossing to cover both sides. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours. Remove steaks from marinade and pat dry with paper towels to soak up most of the marinate off the steaks. Season with salt and pepper and grill to desired doneness.