When we went to Hawaii, we had a private tour guide who took us on a foodie tour. I can’t put into words how much fun we had. I dream about having a redo. He told me one of the things they do on a longer tour is get ribeyes and grill them on the beach, so I asked him how do you make Hawaiian Ribeyes. Is there a way to marinade it? He said most of the time, they just put it on the grill with spices, salt, pepper, and garlic. There wasn’t an authentic marinade. Then he thought about it a little and, thinking about it a while, came back with, “Soy Sauce, if anything.” A few days later, we went to Tommy Bahamas for our anniversary dinner, and they had Hawaiin Ribeye on the menu, so of course, I ordered it. Again I have to say I wasn’t impressed. There used to be a steak house in the neighboring town I would take my wife to, and she always got a Hawaiian Ribeye, which was unbelievable. Unfortunately, they are long gone, so I can’t even dig into trying to replicate it.
I have to be honest. I don’t find this recipe particularly very interesting. If you find a better recipe, please send it my way. I would love to try it. And if there is a restaurant that has a great Hawaiian Steak, let me know drop a comment or send an email. This recipe is what I call a work in progress which I will continue to tinker with until it’s something I can brag about. We made this with a New York Stripe, which I wasn’t happy with. I recommend this with a Ribeye or a T-Bone.

How Long Should You Marinate A Steak?
I let this marinate for 30 minutes. I think if you can do it overnight, that would be better. I know a lot of recipes instruct you not to marinate meat for too long. I find that citrus overnight helps make the meat more tender. If you use a Ribeye, it’s going to be tender regardless.

I wanted you to see what the garlic looks like. I always start with the garlic before adding the other stuff. The same way I do my habanero hot sauce.
PrintHawaiian Marinade
A liquid to flavor meat and give it a Hawaiian flavor.
- Prep Time: 5 Minutes
- Cook Time: 30 Minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: Hawaiian
Ingredients
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- 1/2 cup Olive Oil
- 1/2 cup Soy Sauce
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
- 1 Pineapple Fruit Pop
- 1 Tablespoon Ginger Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Pepper
Instructions
- In a mini food processor, grind garlic.
- Add liquid ingredients, pineapple, and brown sugar, and grind again.
- Add spices and give it another grind.
Notes
I would substitute 1/2 cup of frozen pineapple for the fruit pop, or you can also use pineapple juice.
We did mashed potatoes and Broccoli, but traditional Hawaiin would be rice and macaroni salad.
This was made with a New York Strip, but it’s best with a T-Bone or Ribeye.
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