Last week I shared my favorite authentic chimichurri sauce recipe, so naturally it was time to show you how to make a steak appetizer to go with it! Not including the quick 30-minute marinating time, this steak bites appetizer takes less than 10 minutes. If you’re looking for a meal instead of a steak appetizer, try garlic butter steak bites with zucchini noodles instead.
What Are Steak Bites?
Steak bites, also often called steak tips, are small pieces of steak seared on the outside with a perfect juicy inside. One huge advantage of them compared to a whole steak is that they cook very quickly. Most commonly, the meat for steak bites will come from a sirloin steak, which is the best of both worlds between tenderness and affordability. But, you can also make them from a New York strip, ribeye, or even filet mignon. You can also buy cuts of meat labeled as “steak tips”.
Simple Marinade For Steak Bites
Making steak bites at home is super easy! The key is a flavorful marinade and the right technique. Let’s start with the steak tips marinade. The marinade ingredients are super basic and you probably have them at home:
Olive oil Balsamic vinegar Garlic powder Sea salt Black pepper
That’s only five ingredients total, or three if you don’t count salt and pepper, which are often omitted from ingredient counts by convention. Add the steak and you’ve got a steak bites appetizer with only 4 ingredients (plus salt & pepper!). You should marinate steak tips for at least 30 minutes, or even better, try overnight. Just place them in the fridge if you won’t be cooking them right away.
How To Make Steak Appetizers – Timing and Size of Pieces
Once the marinating step is done, it literally takes a couple of minutes to make steak bites at home! All you need to do is heat up a heavy-bottom pan over pretty high heat, and sear the steak tips on each side for up to a minute. The key is to make sure the pan is very hot so that you can get a nice sear on your steak bites appetizer. That’s why it’s crucial to use a pan that can conduct heat well, such as hard-anodized pan. These pans are my favorites! Another type of pan that works very well here is a cast iron pan like this. Here is how nicely seared the steak bites get with a good pan:
Sometimes, it will even take less than a minute per side. The time varies depending on how big your steak pieces are. Make sure that they aren’t too big, because otherwise they won’t cook enough inside. I think that medium is the perfect doneness, so for my steak bites appetizers, I made the pieces about 1.5 inches across in size. Below is a photo of how they look inside, seared about 45 seconds per side. This is the steak bite appetizer cut in half:
If you like them more done than that, make the pieces smaller, so that you don’t have to burn the outside to get the inside done more. Conversely, if you like them more rare, make the pieces larger. Finally, no matter what steak bites recipe you use, don’t forget to let them rest at the end! Just like any steak, this will yield a more juicy result. All you need is to let them rest for about five minutes to keep the juices from leaking out when you cut them or bite into them.
Steak Bites Dipping Sauce
Do you want a steak bites dipping sauce, too? They are actually pretty flavorful on their own, but a sauce is always nice, too. Steak bites with chimichurri sauce are my favorite way to serve them! And, it takes about five minutes to make it. You can even marinate the steak tips ahead and make the sauce ahead as well. Then, when it’s time for your meal, all you have to do is sear the steak bites quickly and serve with the ready-made sauce. Yay!
What Goes With Steak Bites
The type of meal to make out of these is up to you! I’m sharing them as a steak bites appetizer with chimichurri sauce, but they are just as qualified to be your main dish for dinner. They stand alone plenty well as an appetizer, but if you want to make them for dinner, just pair them with your favorite low carb side dish recipes. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Parmesan roasted broccoli & cauliflower Cauliflower mashed potatoes Zucchini noodles
How To Keep Steak Bites Warm
Since the pieces are so small, steak bites cool down pretty quickly. Here are some ways to make your steak bites appetizer stay warm for longer:
Use warm sauce.
If you’re serving these steak bites with chimichurri sauce, having your sauce warm will prevent it from cooling down the steak.
Use warm plates.
Same idea – warm plates will keep your steak bites warm for longer.
Tent the top with foil when resting.
Don’t skip the step of resting your steak bites, because this makes them more juicy! But, you can tent them with foil while you’re waiting so that they don’t cool too much.
How To Reheat Steak Bites
Reheating steak bites without drying them out can be a challenge! Yes, they are better fresh, but it is possible to reheat them without totally ruining them. The best way to reheat your steak bites appetizer is in the oven at a low temperature. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit, place the steak bites in a pan in a single layer, then place in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until hot. You can also give them a quick sear again at the end, just to refresh the crisp outside but not cook them further. If you prefer to reheat the steak tips without the oven – just in a pan or in the microwave – it’s possible but easier to overcook them. In this case, toss the steak bites in some additional fresh marinade before reheating. Then you can reheat on the stove or in the microwave (cover with plastic wrap for the latter). The marinade will help reduce the chance of drying out, but in this case the steak will still come out more cooked than it was originally.
More Steak Recipes
How to cook sirloin steak in the oven – Includes instructions to get grill marks. Perfect filet mignon – The best, most tender steak ever using the highest quality cut of meat. Skirt steak – Super easy and flavorful. Balsamic steak marinade – Works great for virtually any cut of steak.
Glass bowls – This set has every size you need, is easy to clean, and is affordable, too. Cast iron skillet – Does a great job at browning the steak tips!
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