Why Worcestershire Sauce Makes A Great Steak Marinade - Tasting Table

If you've ever whipped up a steak marinade that contains Worcestershire sauce, we are not surprised. This common condiment traces its roots to 1830s England and is said to be inspired by an Indian sauce sampled by a former governor of Bengal (via BBC). Here at Tasting Table, our recipes for Tenderizing Steak Marinade, Grilled Hanger Steak, and Marinated London Broil all contain the dark, salty sauce — and it's because Worcestershire sauce contains not just one, but several ingredients that all enhance the flavor and texture of steak.

Lea & Perrins, which invented Worcestershire sauce and continues to bottle the brand-named stuff, lists white vinegar, molasses, sugar, onions, garlic, anchovies, tamarind extract, and chili pepper extract as its primary ingredients (via Amazon). Therefore, the sauce is like several ingredients in one with its various flavorings bringing different benefits to a piece of steak. Recipe blog One Good Thing notes that the vinegar in Worcestershire sauce tenderizes steak, its sugar and molasses bring both sweetness and sheen, and ingredients such as onion, garlic, tamarind, and anchovy pack a wallop of umami flavor. The sauce is easily incorporated into other common marinade ingredients such as olive oil, soy sauce, mustard, and lemon juice — or you could simply coat your steaks in straight-up Worcestershire sauce, let them marinate for between 30 minutes and 2 hours, and then sear them on a grill or in a skillet, One Good Thing suggests.