Steak with a beer and brown sugar marinade: Oh how I love cooking with beer

If you haven't figured it out yet, I have not tapped the Betty Crocker cookbook in awhile. I wasn't satisfied with the first few recipes I tried, and so I've decided to use it for comfort food and baked goods, and to use the goodness of the web for everything else. In fact I am using the Betty Crocker chili recipe as a base for a pot that I have cooking right now.

Last Thursday night, I decided to take my friend's advice and make steak to supplement my iron levels for giving blood the following day. Really I love any excuse to make steak, and I feel like I am steadily improving my steak-grilling skills. I have not overcooked a steak in awhile.

Thursday I found a simple marinade: Beer and Brown Sugar Marinade.

It required: beer, teriyaki sauce, brown sugar, salt, pepper and garlic powder. It actually calls for dark beer. I used a leftover bottle in my refrigerator from a party a couple of months back.

 

I wasn't going to use the following picture, but then I saw my dog in the background. It's kind of like Where's Waldo. For this recipe, the meat does not have to marinate long, which was attractive to me. I think mine marinated for 45 minutes or so. I used New York Strip Steaks:

I grilled the steak on my grill pan. And then found a recipe to make asparagus. Whenever I have made asparagus in the past, it has ended up soggy. This recipe called for just putting the asparagus in a baking pan, drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice, and salted and peppered. It was delicious and had the crunch I love about asparagus.

And the final plate ... (asparagus was on a side plate) ...

I thank this hearty meal for the smooth sailing I experienced the following day giving blood for the first time. I measured a healthy 41% iron level ... which the guy who measured it said was good. I suppose it's not a great idea to eat steak like this all the time in the name of iron, but I do love a good steak. It's the Nebraskan in me. And this marinade made making a juicy tasty steak very easy - and very quick.