so, this is the 3rd time I done made this marinade.

The first time was JUST right

The second time was bland as all get-out

This time: strong honey taste at the "top" of the steak, strong Worcestershire sauce taste at the "lower" end of the steak, and a kinda-ok-sorta taste at the center portion.

Steak used was Ribeye

Ingredients (in no particular order):
W-sauce
honey
molasses
meat tenderizer
black pepper
red pepper (no, not cayenne)
water

heated over low flame for at least 30 minutes, allowed to cool, then poured over mostly-thawed steak. set in fridge overnight, pulled in the morning, flipped, resealed, then thrown on the grill at 5-5:30 PM

Questions: why did my marinade become so separated after being simmered? How do I prevent the marinade from separating?

Thanks for any of those who can save me from myself.

I use Italian salad dressing as a marinade on my steaks. Put the steak in a freezer bag and pour Italian dressing in it then seal it up with little to no air in the baggie and toss it in fridge for awhile.

ARe you unsing something as an emulsifier? If not, that seperation is obviously natural and likely just settling due to density.

If possible, instead of marinading it overnight and flipping it just once in the morning, try flipping and resealing a few times through-out the day as well.

Also, perhaps try pouring the marinade over the meat while it's still hot. That might help the meat digest the marinade a little easier.

I'm come at this like a chemist. I honestly couldn't tell you how to combat this problem from a chef's point of view but from a chemist's I can

you also might want to consider a meat rub instead of a marinade...or you can marinade for just a few hours before you cook instead of overnight. even though youheated the marinade sauce, when you put it into the fridge your heavier ingredients (honey,molasses) will seperate.
Try leaving out the molasses since the honey will give you the sweet twist youre looking for...then something akin to what Bobby suggested, I like to use olive oil and garlic or a premix seasoning like Goya Adobo or Lawry's Season salt.
You may find that a rub, dip or baste with this mixture onto a slow cooked steak can yield just as tasty a result as a marinade (especially on the grill)...also if you are cooking outside the consider moist hickory or mesquite wood chips for a great added flavor hint.
(geez I'm gonna hafta fire the grill tonite now)

Most perplexing, then. The first and second times I tried this, the marinade was warm. The first time, I let the marinade sit for just a few hours, and the taste wasnt that prevalent.

What can I use as an emulsifier? I figured that by "cooking" the concoction I was blending the seasonings beyond hope of separation.

The coal I was using was Kingsford mesquite stuff without the preadded-lighter fluid. That stuff was nice. Till the commisary stopped carrying the stuff. darn it.

One of my previous marinades was w-sauce, garlic, onion, black pepper. That worked SOOO very well that I HAD to try this complicated recipe.

I am DEFINTILY gonna hafta try the repeated flipping trick. Hopefully that'll change things.

Again, thanks, guys. You've been a great help. I'll letcha know how it goes next time I do make this marinade.

well if you dump the marinade on the meat while both of them are warm wouldent the meat suck the juices into itself as it cools?

I'll I know is I am an eatin machine! No help for the marinade until that and the steak hit my stomach and that steak will get all the marinading it can take!

Brad, thats what I thought, too. Until it didnt work. Matter of fact, I ended up with a higher water content in the pyrex dish in the morning than I had the night prior. weirdness. guess the steak wasnt TOTALLY thawed, but it was pretty warm.

20gtp02, I used ta be the same. The 16-oz ribeye from Logans or Texas Roadhouse stood nary a chance against me and my fork (knife optional). Now that I got SOME money, I wanna fool around with marinades and other recipes.

case in point: my spaghetti is a work in progress that I have almost devoted 15 years to. time for other recipes, ya know?

Oooh, I like spaghetti.

Personally, I like a medium red sauce with a high meat content, Italion sausage preferably. Then for extra flavors, it needs about 2 whole garlics, a little bit of parsley, and some cut-up zuccini(sp?). While it's simmering, add a little parmesian while stirring to give it just a *little* more thickness and give it a slight cheese flavor.

Pour over noodles and chow down!

italian sausage browned and cooked in extra-virgin olive oil

change to LARGE sauce pan

simmer 1/2 large cubed onion, 2 large minced garlic cloves, 1 can of 'shrooms or some small cubed portobello, chunked sausage, and extra-virgin olive oil

when onion and garlic are almost clear, add one large can of tomato sauce and paste, add garlic powder, onion powder, italian seasoning, black pepper, red pepper (again, not the cayenne), nutmeg, bay leaves, orange peel, and fennel seed. allow to "ferment" on low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10-15. check for taste, then add about 2 tsp of pure granulated sugar (to kill the sharp tomato taste) and a type of cheese I aint divulging. let stand for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes on very low heat.

fill dutch oven with enough water for the noodles you're gonna make, add extra-virgin olive oil and fennel seed. let sit for 1-2 hours. bring to boil, cook noodles, drain noodles, spray with cold water. serve noodles with above sauce. revel in the fact that I was the one that saved you from a mistaken sauce recipe. remind self not to compete with my sauce. live happily ever after.

btw: spaghetti was tonight.

but all this aint helpin the marinade any. what ingredient is an emulsifier? I need to keep my marinade from separating.