Teriyaki Steak Bites with Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
These teriyaki steak bites are made with an easy homemade teriyaki sauce that has just the right amount of sweetness. Sear the steak for a fantastic crust, then cut into bite-sized pieces and sauté together with the soy-based sauce for a delicious teriyaki beef dinner on the griddle or in a skillet.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 1½ lb steak like New York strip, ribeye, or top sirloin
- 1 tablespoon high heat cooking oil or beef tallow
- ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup pineapple juice *See notes
- 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½-1 tablespoon fresh ginger minced
- 1 green onion, sliced whites and greens separated
- 2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
- white rice, sriracha, sliced green onions for serving
Instructions
- Make the teriyaki sauce. In a small saucepan, whisk together soy sauce, pineapple juice, sugar, mirin, minced garlic and ginger, and whites of the green onion. Simmer on low heat for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly reduced and lightly coats the back of a spoon.
- Heat the griddle or a large skillet over medium heat. For griddle cooking, aim for a cooking temperature of about 450℉ for searing the steak.
- Sear the steak. When the griddle or skillet is hot, add about 1 tablespoon of cooking oil or tallow to the cooking surface and spread it around with your spatula. Place the steaks on the oiled surface, pressing down slightly to ensure even contact, and sear on the first side about 2-3 minutes or until a nice crust develops. Then flip to the next side and sear. Continue to sear the steaks until rare (internal temperature about 110°F). Then transfer to a cutting board to rest about 5 minutes. *TIP - Do not overcook the steak at this point, even if you like your beef cooked medium or medium well. Before cutting into cubes, the steak should be rare. Remember, you’ll be putting the steak bites back on the griddle or in the skillet to continue to cook with the sauce.
- While the steak is resting, add the fresh pineapple chunks to the the griddle or skillet. Cook the chunks on the first side to develop some nice caramelization. Then sauté until warmed through.
- Cut the seared steak into bite-sized cubes.
- Add the cut steak back to the griddle or pan, and mix together with the pineapple chunks. Slowly pour about ¾ of the teriyaki sauce over the steak bites. Sauté the steak bites with the sauce until steak is done to your liking. Then right before removing the steak from the pan or skillet, add the remaining teriyaki sauce and toss to coat.
- Transfer the teriyaki steak bites to a serving plate and sprinkle with the greens of the sliced green onions to garnish. Serve immediately. *We like to serve these steak bites over white rice to soak up the extra teriyaki sauce.
Video
Notes
- For the pineapple juice - Dole 100% pineapple juice from the can is recommended. Do NOT use fresh pineapple in the teriyaki sauce mixture, because the enzymes in the pineapple will break down the beef. Canned pineapple juice is safe to use for sauces and marinades because it is pasteurized.
- Adjust the sweetness - We started with only 4 tablespoons of granulated sugar in the sauce, but added a 5th tablespoon based on our personal preference. We don't like our teriyaki sauces to be overly sticky-sweet. Add more or less sugar if you wish.