Featured Comment:
“Omura-sensei, this is *another* absolute banger of a recipe. I served it sliced as a donburi (on top of the wonderful tallow-and-butter garlic fried rice recipe from Shokugeki no Soma) garnished with thinly-sliced spring onions and a raw egg yolk (because what isn’t made better with a raw egg yolk, actually?). Divine. This steak is absolutely in my regular rotation now!”
– Philippe
There are lots of different ways to marinate beef steak, but the Japanese have their own unique recipe that uses miso sauce.
Steak marinated in miso sauce is really tender and flavorful.
It’s a simple process: just marinate and fry.
Ready to enjoy this Japanese way to enjoy steak? Keep reading!
What is Miso Marinated Steak?
Miso-marinated beef steak (牛肉の味噌焼き) is a unique Japanese dish that showcases its simple yet flavorful preparation. It involves marinating beef in a savory mixture of miso, mirin, and sugar before grilling it to perfection. This dish comes from Shiga Prefecture and is linked to Omi beef (近江牛), which is one of Japan’s oldest and most respected beef brands.
The history of this dish is as rich as its taste. During the Edo period (1603-1868), when meat consumption was generally prohibited in Japan, miso-marinated beef found a way to make its way into the hearts of the Japanese elite.
In 1781, the Hikone clan (彦根藩) came up with a clever plan: they presented it to the shogun and the three Tokugawa families as a “complementary medicine.” This effectively got around the ban and introduced this delicacy to the highest echelons of Japanese society.
Miso marination wasn’t just tasty, it was also a practical way of preserving food before refrigeration. The process made the beef last longer, and it also helped to make it more tender. The miso’s enzymes broke down the proteins in the meat, turning them into amino acids, which made the beef more succulent.
Key Ingredients & Substitution Ideas
- Beef steaks: Choose any thick cut of beef you prefer. While premium Wagyu isn’t necessary, opt for a well-marbled cut for best results. I used American beef chuck steak when I made this recipe.
- Shiitake mushrooms: These earthy fungi will be marinated alongside the beef and then grilled to perfection. If unavailable, consider using portobello or oyster mushrooms as alternatives.
- Yellow miso paste: I recommend using yellow miso for its balanced flavor and wide availability. While traditional recipes often call for white miso, its sweeter profile means you’ll need to adjust other sweet ingredients accordingly. Experiment to find your perfect balance!
- Additional seasonings: To create our flavorful marinade, we’ll be using a blend of classic Japanese ingredients: sugar. sake, mirin, grated ginger, and garlic.
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Jump to Full Recipe MeasurementsVisual Walkthrough & Tips
Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to make Miso Marinated Beef Steak at home. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.
This section aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the cooking steps and techniques with visuals. It also includes more in-depth tips and tricks and explains why I do what I do.
In a bowl, mix together all the marinade ingredients until they’re well combined.
Pour half of the marinade mixture in the bottom of a lidded container. Place the steak and shiitake mushrooms on top of the marinade.
Pour the rest of the marinade over the steak and mushrooms, coating all sides.
Cover the container with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the meat and mushrooms to prevent oxidization and keep the marinade in place.
Seal the container with its lid and refrigerate for 24 hours.
After 24 hours, take the steak and shiitake mushrooms out of the marinade.
You will find the beef has discolored afted marinating, this is perfectly normal and to be expected.
Wipe off the marinade and pat them dry thoroughly. This is really important because any marinade left on the surface is going to burn quickly during cooking, which could affect how the final dish tastes and looks.
Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and add a little oil. Once hot, carefully place the marinated steak and shiitake mushrooms in the pan.
Immediately turn the heat down to low. Cook until browned on one side, keeping the heat low to prevent burning. Flip it over and keep cooking on the other side, still keeping the heat low.
Cook it to your desired doneness, using a meat thermometer if you need to be precise.
The approximate final internal temperature for each level of steak doneness is as follows; rare 50°C (120°F), medium rare 54°C (130°F), medium 60°C (140°F), medium-well 65°C (150°F). The steak should be removed from the pan 2°C (5°F) before it reaches the desired temperature as it will continue to cook in the residual heat during the resting period.
Take the cooked steak and mushrooms out of the pan and wrap them in aluminum foil. Let it rest for about five minutes.
Once it’s rested, just unwrap the steak and slice it up.
Put the sliced steak and shiitake mushrooms on a plate.
I hope you enjoy this Miso Marinated Beef Steak recipe! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!
More Japanese Beef Recipes
- Beef Kushiyaki (Beef Skewers)
- Beef Tataki (Seared Beef Fillet)
- Gyudon (Beef Bowl)
- Yakiniku Don (BBQ Style Beef Bowl)
Want more inspiration? Explore my Beef Recipe Roundup Post for a carefully selected collection of tasty recipe ideas to spark your next meal!
Miso Marinated Beef Steak
Ingredients
- 2 beef steaks
- 4 fresh shiitake mushrooms
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
Miso Marinade
- 3 tbsp yellow miso paste (awase miso)
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp sake
- 1 tsp mirin
- 1 tsp grated ginger root
- 1 tsp grated garlic
Instructions
- Mix all of the marinade ingredients together in a bowl.
- Pour half of the marinade into a sealable container and spread until the bottom is evenly coated. Place 2 beef steaks and 4 fresh shiitake mushrooms on top.
- Spread the rest of the marinade over the top of the steaks and shiitake mushrooms, then place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the steak.
- Seal the container and refrigerate for 24 hours.
- Heat a pan on medium-high and add 1 tbsp cooking oil. While you wait, use kitchen paper to wipe the excess miso sauce from the surface of the steak and mushrooms. If marinade is left on the surface, it is likely to burn.
- Once the pan is hot, add the steaks and mushrooms and reduce the heat to low.
- When it's nicely browned on one side, flip it over and brown on the other side. Cook to your desired doneness.
- Remove the steak from the pan and wrap with foil. Rest for 5 minutes.
- Unwrap the steak and cut into slices.
- Plate up and serve with your favorite sides!
Omura-sensei, this is *another* absolute banger of a recipe.
I served it sliced as a donburi (on top of the wonderful tallow-and-butter garlic fried rice recipe from Shokugeki no Soma) garnished with thinly-sliced spring onions and a raw egg yolk (because what isn’t made better with a raw egg yolk, actually?). Divine.
This steak is absolutely in my regular rotation now!
Hi Philippe,
Thank you for making this new recipe! Such a great idea to turn it into donburi! I’m gonna try it myself too! 🙂
Always happy to hear that you enjoy my recipes!
Yuto