I was poking around the meat case at my grocer – as one does – and came across a special on boneless chuck steak.
Hmmm.
Two pounds of boneless – sure, kinda fatty (but still tasty – if done right) beef for under five dollars total?
Why yes, I believe I shall try one out.
But… how to prepare it?
I did some research, and found a recipe for a soy sauce marinade, then cooking on the grill for eight to ten minutes per side.
Only two wee, tiny problems with that:
One: most soy sauce marinades end up tasting, to me, like only soy sauce.
Two: it is December in northeastern Illinois, and even if I could convince my husband to fire up the grill, the door to the deck is blocked by the Christmas tree.
So… I did some thinking, and came up with a solution that turned out really, really well for us.
Note: I used smoked brown sugar, available at specialty shops and Amazon, but regular brown sugar will work a treat as well.
INGREDIENTS
Marinade:
•12 oz beer
•1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
•2 tbsp lower sodium Tamari
•2 tbsp lemon juice
•1 tbsp brown sugar
•1 tbsp Sherry Peppers Sauce*
•2 garlic cloves, minced
•1/2 cup diced sweet onion
Steak:
•2 lb boneless beef chuck steak
•Sliced green olives (optional)
*No Sherry Peppers Sauce? No Problem! Simply add a bit of decent sherry (none of that “cooking” stuff) and a dash or three of your fave hot sauce, to taste.
First things first; if you have a meat tenderizer, do use it on both sides of the steak – rotating 90º from one side to the other. If you don’t have a meat tenderizer; you can get a decent one for under $20, so why don’t you? Seriously, you’ll be fine 
without, but I think it a wicked handy tool for cheap… ermmm inexpensive (value-priced?) cuts of meat.
In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the marinade ingredients and blend well.
Add the beef; seal bag and turn to coat. Place on a rimmed plate or platter (for to catch any possible drippage, then refrigerate for 8 hours or (always more better) 
overnight – giving the bag a flip whenever you think to.
About an hour before you plan on cooking the steak, remove from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature.
When ready to cook, heat a pan (or your grill) to medium heat, remove the steak from the marinade – discard the marinade, but any onion and garlic bits stuck to the steak? They’re all good!
Place the steak in the hot pan (heated grill) and, if you’re using them, sprinkle the sliced green olives on top.
Cook for eight to ten minutes per side, then remove from the heat, loosely cover with foil, and allow to rest for ten minutes.
Slice your steak across the grain.
Will you look at that?
Perfectly done (for us – if you like your meat more well done, increase cooking time per side) and perfectly tasty and tender marinated chuck steak.
This would be terrific in fajitas or tacos, but it also worked well with potatoes and slaw.