Stir frying is one of the quickest and tastiest ways to cook beef. The key to making tender flavorful beef stir fry is properly marinating the beef before cooking. Marinating beef for stir fry infuses flavor while also tenderizing the meat so it stays juicy when cooked over high heat.
In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about how to marinate beef to perfection for stir fry.
Why Marinate Beef for Stir Fry?
Marinating serves multiple important purposes when stir frying beef
-
Adds flavor – A marinade allows you to infuse tastes like soy sauce sesame garlic, ginger, etc. This gives you tons of options for Asian, Mexican, or other global cuisine flavors.
-
Tenderizes – Marinating chemically alters the beef’s structure to make it more tender, especially when using baking soda. This prevents tough, chewy meat.
-
Seals in moisture – Salt, starch, and oil in the marinade seal in juices so the beef stays succulent when cooked over high heat.
-
Improves texture – Marinating beef with starch gives it a velvety texture that sears beautifully in the wok or pan.
Tips for Selecting Beef for Stir Fry
Choosing the right cut of beef is key for successful stir frying. Look for:
-
Lean cuts – Fattier cuts can become tough and chewy. Flank steak, sirloin tip, and skirt steak are ideal.
-
Uniformly thick – Even thickness allows even cooking.
-
Against the grain – Slicing against the grain makes meat more tender.
-
Thin slices – Cut beef into 1/8 inch slices so it cooks fast. Partially freezing beef makes slicing easier.
Marinade Ingredients for Beef Stir Fry
A simple marinade packs a flavor punch. Use:
-
Soy sauce or coconut aminos – For salty, umami flavor
-
Toasted sesame oil – For nutty aroma
-
Rice wine – For sweetness and tenderizing
-
Baking soda – To tenderize (use just 1/4 tsp per pound of beef)
-
Cornstarch – To velvet and retain moisture
-
Ginger and garlic – For aromatic flavor
-
Chili garlic sauce – For spicy kick
-
Honey – To balance and caramelize
How to Marinate Beef for Stir Fry
Follow these simple steps:
-
Slice Beef Thinly Against the Grain
Partially freeze beef for easier cutting. Slice into 1/8 inch thick pieces.
-
Combine Marinade Ingredients
In a bowl, mix together ingredients like soy sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch, baking soda, and any other seasonings.
-
Toss Beef in Marinade
Add beef slices and coat well with marinade. Use hands to massage marinade into meat.
-
Let Marinate 15-30 Minutes
For best results, cover and refrigerate beef for 15-30 minutes. You can also marinate overnight.
-
Cook Beef in Batches
Stir frying in batches prevents overcrowding and steaming. Cook just 1-2 minutes per batch.
Marinade Variations
Customize your stir fry marinade:
-
Korean – Soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, gochujang, garlic, ginger
-
Thai – Fish sauce, lime juice, lemongrass, chili garlic sauce
-
Mexican – Lime juice, cilantro, cumin, chili powder, oregano
-
Japanese – Soy sauce, rice wine, ginger, garlic
Tips for Flavorful, Tender Beef Stir Fry
-
Bring meat to room temperature before cooking for even cooking.
-
Use a cast iron wok or stainless steel skillet. Nonstick causes sticking.
-
Heat wok until smoking before adding oil.
-
Cook beef in batches without crowding to maximize sear.
-
Let beef rest 5 minutes before serving to allow juices to redistribute.
-
Add sauce ingredients like oyster sauce, hoisin, or ketchup at the end.
-
Toss quickly to coat beef without overcooking.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the best cut of beef for stir fry?
Lean cuts like flank steak, skirt steak, sirloin tips, and top sirloin are best. They cook quickly and absorb flavors well.
How long should you marinate beef for stir fry?
Only 15-30 minutes is needed since the slices are thin. Marinating overnight gives the best flavor.
What makes beef tender for stir frying?
Slicing against the grain, using baking soda in the marinade, and cooking quickly over high heat keeps the beef tender.
Can you freeze marinated beef for stir fry?
Yes, freeze marinated beef in a single layer up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before stir frying.
Sample Beef Stir Fry Marinade Recipes
Teriyaki Beef Marinade
- 1⁄4 cup soy sauce
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp rice wine
- 1⁄2 tsp ginger
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1⁄4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Spicy Szechuan Beef Marinade
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice wine
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp chili garlic sauce
- 1⁄2 tsp brown sugar
- 1⁄4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Conclusion
With the right cut of beef and a simple 15-minute marinade, you can make restaurant-worthy beef stir fry at home. Marinating is the key to infusing big, bold flavors while keeping the beef tender and juicy. Experiment with global flavors in your beef marinade. Just remember to slice the beef thin, marinate for 15-30 minutes, and cook over high heat in batches. In no time, you’ll be a beef stir fry master!
Simple Beef Marinade for Stir Fry
A simple beef marinade can do magic in stir-fries. Not only does marinating beef for stir-fries give it flavor, but it also keeps the beef moist through a mini brine of soy sauce and water. The water will actually get re-absorbed back into the meat which makes it harder to overcook.
This is my go-to marinade for all my beef stir-fries, for both noodles and beef and vegetable stir-fry.
It is a mixture of regular soy sauce, dark soy sauce (optional for color), water, oil, Shaoxing cooking wine (optional, or you can substitute it with dry sherry), toasted sesame seed oil, and corn starch.
Another method that is used in Chinese cooking for stir-fries is called velveting, which will take your beef stir fries to another level.
Velveting is basically a method that coats any type of meat slices (beef, pork, or chicken) in a thin layer of starch, and then quickly flash fried to bring out the gelatinous texture of cooked starch.
The thin gelatinous coating seals in the beef juices which keeps it moist and gives it a slippery mouth feel, hence the name velveting!
Velveting also works well with pork and chicken as well, especially with chicken breast. If you want to tender and soft chicken slices, that are also difficult to overcook for your hot pot gatherings, velveting is a must.
A lot of people also swear by adding an egg white to their velveting technique, but to be honest I never felt like it was necessary. Its more work without a lot of gains and if its not done correctly, you will get gobs of egg white on your beef slices.
How to Tenderize Meat with Baking Soda
Whenever you get stir-fries in any Chinese restaurant, youll notice how incredibly soft the beef is. Thats because they use baking soda as a tenderizer.
If you want to geek out on how baking soda makes the meat tender, its because it raises the pH of the meat so that its difficult for the protein molecules to bond to each other while its cooking, so it keeps it tender.
I personally dont like my beef *that* soft and youll notice that it also takes away the beefy flavor of beef so I dont like to use baking soda as a method of tenderizing my beef.
If you do decide to use baking soda as a tenderizer, you should do it before you marinate your beef. Mix about ¾ teaspoon of baking soda with 2 tablespoons of water and mix it in with your sliced beef and let it sit for about 30 minutes.
Once the beef has mingled with the baking soda, you must remember to rinse off the baking soda before you cook it or it will make your beef smell fishy and it will taste weird.
Once you rinse it off, you will have to re-season or marinate the beef before you stir fry it.
Yes, you can! A lot of Chinese people actually use tapioca starch for velveting. I like to occasionally use potato starch as well.
You always want to slice your beef against the grain for any type of stir-fries. For a better understanding of how to slice any type of meat against the grain, refer to the s above in my post.
To tenderize beef, cutting the beef against the grain is usually enough to keep it tender and soft. You can also add ¾ teaspoon of baking soda mixed with 2 tablespoons of water with your beef slices for 30 minutes but you must rinse out the baking soda before you start to marinate it.
If you like my recipes and tutorials and want to be updated on when new ones come out, please consider subscribing to my newsletter (we dont spam) and follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for all of my latest recipes!