A homemade steak sauce recipe you can customize right in your kitchen! Makes a great gift for steak lovers ~ or for Dad on Father’s Day!
Steak sauce is one of the most powerfully flavored sauces you’ll ever taste.
I’m a label reader from way back, and I’ve always been particularly fascinated by steak sauce bottles. They have the craziest laundry lists of ingredients ranging from molasses and pureed whole orange, to tamarind, clove, and dates!
To formulate this homemade steak sauce recipe I just dove in head first. After carefully studying the labels of a couple of my favorite sauces I gathered up a bunch of likely ingredients. My method was pretty casual, I just started adding and tasting until I got it exactly right. I wasn’t sure it was going to work at first, but the more I pressed on, the closer I got. I actually prefer my version to my favorite steak sauce (A1,) which is pretty amazing.
I know some people think it a sacrilege to use steak sauce on a good steak, and to those I would say… then use it on a good hamburger…but don’t pass this up.
what is steak sauce and why would you use it?
Steak sauce is a condiment commonly served with steak or other types of meat. It is typically a thick, dark sauce with a slightly sweet and tangy flavor. One of the earliest and most famous steak sauces is Worcestershire sauce, which was developed in England in the early 1800s by chemists John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins. The sauce is made with a blend of ingredients, including vinegar, molasses, anchovies, and tamarind.
doesn’t steak sauce ruin a great steak?
Some people believe that a high-quality steak should be enjoyed on its own, with minimal seasoning and no sauce. Traditionalists view steak sauce as an unnecessary addition that detracts from the natural flavor of the steak. But I think steak sauce can add an extra layer of flavor to a steak and the tangy, slightly sweet flavor of steak sauce can complement the savory meat to create an exciting taste experience. And there are plenty of top chefs who approve, check out the list at the end of the post for proof.*
what you’ll need for this steak sauce recipe
You can adjust the amount of any of the ingredients to your taste, but I encourage you to taste it as is first. I know it seems like an unlikely grouping, but the flavors combine to form a unique sweet, sour, tangy, umami experience.
- 1 organic orange
- tomato paste
- pomegranate juice
- dates or prunes
- pomegranate molasses
- malt vinegar
- Worcestershire sauce
- tamarind paste
- soy sauce
- salt
- garlic
- Dijon mustard
- hot chili sauce, I used Sriracha
- ground cloves
- celery seed
how to make steak sauce, step by step
The process is surprisingly simple — cook the ingredients for a short bit to combine them well, puree, and then strain. I start with a whole orange puree which sets the stage for this intense and delicious sauce.
step 1. make an orange puree
Wash and boil a whole organic orange for 10 minutes. Quarter it, then puree.
step 2. combine all ingredients and simmer
Combine all the ingredients in a non-reactive saucepan and simmer for about 5-7 minutes.
step 3. puree and strain
Puree the sauce in a blender or food processor and strain through a fine mesh strainer, if necessary, to remove any remaining solids.
step 4. bottle and refrigerate
Your homemade steak sauce will last up to a month in the refrigerator, and you can freeze for longer storage.
bottles for homemade steak sauce
You can recycle condiment bottles to use for your homemade steak sauce, or buy them in bulk if you want to give it as gifts.
*chefs come out in favor of steak sauce!
In an interview with Bon Appétit, Gordon Ramsay said, “I’m all for steak sauce. If it makes the steak taste better for you, then use it.”
Bobby Flay makes his own steak sauce and even includes a recipe for it in his cookbook, “Bobby Flay’s Barbecue Addiction”.
Emeril Lagasse has a recipe for steak sauce in his cookbook, “Emeril’s Cooking with Power”, and has also been known to use store-bought steak sauce in some of his recipes.
Jamie Oliver thinks steak sauce can be a great addition to a steak, especially if it’s homemade or made with high-quality ingredients.
Guy Fieri uses steak sauce in some of his recipes, and even has his own proprietary line of steak sauces.
Ina Garten has said in interviews that she likes to serve steak with a homemade blue cheese sauce!
more homemade condiments
Homemade Steak Sauce
Equipment
- food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 1 organic orange
- 8 oz can of plain tomato sauce
- 1 cup pomegranate juice
- 12 dates, pitted and chopped
- 2 Tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 6 Tbsp malt vinegar
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 Tbsp tamarind paste
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp hot chili sauce
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp celery seed
Instructions
- To make the orange puree, wash the orange well, and then put it in a pot and cover it with water. Bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes. Remove the orange and cut in quarters, Remove any seeds, and then put the rest, peel and all, into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse and then puree until the orange is smooth.
- Put the orange puree, along with everything into am enameled or non-reactive pot and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer. Simmer the sauce, stirring often, for about 5-7 minutes. Taste the sauce to determine if and how you want to adjust the seasonings. This sauce has more body and is less tart than A1. You can add more water to thin, and more vinegar for more tang, if you like.
- Let the sauce cool for a bit and then carefully puree it in a food processor or blender. Take care when blending hot liquids ~ be sure the top is securely on your blender and is vented to allow for pressure to escape. I like to cover loosely with a kitchen towel as well.
- I strain the pureed sauce through a fine mesh sieve ~ push the sauce firmly with the back of a spoon to get most of it through, you should only be left with a small amount of solids.
- Cool the sauce and fill your bottles. I like to use a funnel. Refrigerate and use within a month.
Hi Sue,
This looks good and I’m planning to make it. But I have these questions – I can see a pretty easy substitution of prunes for dates, but what is your best estimate of the amount of raisins required for a substitute? Did you ever weigh the dates?
The raisins, I would think, offer some fine tuning possibilities: I think the dark raisins have a bit more sourness in their profile, while lighter raisins I find are sweeter – probably closer to the dates.
Your thoughts on quantities and flavor profile are welcome.
I also have pomegranate molasses, what about using that, diluted, in place of the pomegranate juice?
Whoops, now I fear I’m sounding like one of those awful folks who change everything and then have the gall to critique your original recipe – and let me assure that isn’t the case here. I think your comment about having almost everything in your cupboard got me started. I have light raisins from chutney making with pineapple guavas. And I have pomegranate molasses from another recipe experiment. Please forgive.
Please answer anyway. I’m a fan of yours and this is my first chance to say so.
Thanks,
Bill
Haha, don’t worry, I welcome everybody’s individual ‘takes’ on my recipes! I wouldn’t stress too much about the amounts in this sauce, it’s such a hodge podge that I think you can play with it quite a bit. I think you can eyeball the amount of raisins, maybe 1/3 cup? And I think pomegranate molasses would be ideal, don’t dilute it, the sauce will cook down anyway. Good luck and let me know how it goes.
This would be a great gift to give to my dad, the steak sauce lover. Looks delicious!
I like to make home-made gifts to give all these bottles would work wonders all year long
Mouth watering, Sue! If I can’t find pomegranate molasses, what do you think might be a good substitute? We don’t have the most “forward” grocery stores here in our little town.
Cheers!
I always love the swing top bottles. they would make great containers for sauces or syrups.
Love this!!
oh yes this is my sort of steak sauce (also good on eggs). What great bottles and jars.
I would use the clear oil and vinegar bottles. I want to make some garlic and rosemary olive oil for Christmas gifts!