Name: Tequila Lime Strip Steak
Ingredients: 2 thick-cut strip steaks; 3 tbsp Steak Rub; ⅓ cup tequila; Juice of 2 limes; ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil; 1 tsp salt; ½ cup soaked mesquite chips

Why it works: Lime and olive match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,621 recipes. Both carry decanal, which smells soap, orange peel. The science ↓

Tequila Lime Strip Steak

Time2–3 minutes per side

Ingredients

Directions

Marinate

Combine liquid ingredients and salt in a gallon zip‑top freezer bag.
Add steaks and squeeze as much air out as possible.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Remove steaks from the marinate and discard extra.

Prepare and grill

Place steak rub in a pie pan and add steaks, pressing lightly to help adhesion on both sides.
Spray cold grill grate with nonstick cooking spray.
Set up for direct and indirect heat and add some soaked mesquite chips to the coals.
Place steaks on hottest part of grill and cook for 2–3 minutes per side.
Move to the cooler part of grill and cook, turning once, until internal temperature reaches 10° cooler than your preferred doneness.

Rest and serve

Remove and let rest for 7 minutes.
Slice thinly across the grain on a bias and serve.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

380Calories

26 gProtein

29 gFat

4 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 4 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Beef	100g cooked	250
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Lime	juice of 1 lime (44ml)	11
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Wikibooks Cookbook.

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Lime + olivetop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,621 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Strip steaks: Provide the meat that is seared on the grill and sliced for serving.
Extra-virgin olive oil: Carries fat into the steak, adding moisture and helping the rub stick.
Tequila: Adds liquid and aroma to the marinade, carrying flavor into the meat.
Lime juice: Adds acidity to the marinade, brightening flavor and slightly tenderizing the surface.
Salt: Seasons the marinade and helps the meat hold moisture during cooking.

The step that matters

Move to the cooler part of grill and cook to a temperature 10° below your preferred doneness. Searing over the hottest part builds a crust, and finishing on the cooler side lets the interior cook gently. Because the steak keeps rising in temperature while it rests, pulling it early helps avoid overcooking.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.