Crazy juicy, tender Grilled Cajun Steak seeping with flavor from the most amazing Cajun steak marinade and Cajun spice rub all complimented by sweet tangy Apricot Orange Glaze that is lick your plate delicious! Incredible alone or makes the most amazing sandwiches and wraps!
I kind of missed the boat in posting this Grilled Cajun Steak in time for Labor Day so although you don’t have a dedicated holiday to grill up this juicy, Cajun rubbed hunk of deliciousness, I hope you still fire up the grill all the same and simply celebrate LIFE with this Cajun Steak!
In addition to this steak, I’m celebrating life this week by heading to Kauai with some blogging friends so if you aren’t following me on Instagram and want to join the fun, I’m going to be posting plenty of Instagram Stories so come say hi! and eat steak.
I had already taken my photos of this Cajun Steak and I was ready to pack up the no longer warm leftovers when two friends came over to help us move a few large pieces of furniture. They told me they were “full” and had already eaten dinner but in just a few minutes only a sliver of steak remained. Even one of our friend’s daughters had her fair share. I think they liked it.
And what is not to love about this restaurant quality Cajun steak?! Its seeping with flavor through and through thanks to both a Cajun Steak Marinade and Cajun Rub. The incredibly juicy steak is infused with a quick whisking of soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, orange juice, brown sugar and some homemade Cajun Spices that you let envelop your steak for 8-24 hours, the longer the better in my opinion.
When you are ready to fire up the grill, you smother your steak in a custom delectable Cajun Spice Mix consisting of paprika, smoked paprika, chili powder, onion, powder, garlic powder, oregano, basil, thyme and of course cayenne pepper. I don’t find the mix too spicy but it does have a little kick to it – hopefully just the right amount for you and yours.
I used my favorite cut of steak – tri-tip roast that I first mentioned in my Asian Steak with Cilantro Basil Chimichurri. It’s a thick, incredibly juicy steak with rich flavor, relatively lean and inexpensive and soaks up marinades like a sponge. The term “tri-tip” is derived from the fact that the roast is triangular in shape (tri) and it is the tip of the sirloin (tip). This cut of steak can be harder to come by in supermarkets outside of California, although Costco nationwide always seems to carry it. If you can’t find tri-tip for whatever reason, feel free to use a thick sirloin or your favorite cut of steak and adjust grilling time accordingly.
Finally, the heat of the Cajun Steak is balanced and complimented by the sweet tang of Apricot Orange Glaze. Its a simple whisking and simmering of apricot preseres, orange juice, soy sauce, Dijon and brown sugar. Just listing those ingredients makes me drool a little. If only the mover friends hadn’t eaten all the steak…
WHAT SHOULD I SERVE WITH WITH CAJUN STEAK?
- Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad
- Parmesan Roasted Broccoli
- Lemon Butter Brussels Sprouts
- Best Baked Beans
- Parmesan Fingerling Potato Fries
- Outback Copycat Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Ranch
- Grilled Corn Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
- Perfect Fruit Salad with Honey Citrus Dressing
Looking for more steak recipes?
- Asian Steak with Cilantro Basil Chimichurri
- New York Strip Steak with Harissa Butter
- Grilled Top Sirloin with Cajun Butter
- Best Grilled Carne Asada
- Pan Seared Steak with Balsamic Herb Cream Sauce
- Spice Rubbed Steak with Herb Butter
Want to try this Cajun Steak with Apricot Orange Glaze?
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Cajun Steak with Apricot Orange Glaze
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Ingredients
- 3-4 lbs. tri-tip roast(s) (also known as triangle steak or bottom sirloin cut)*
Marinade
- 1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1/3 cup Vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Cajun Spice Mix (in directions)
Cajun Spice Mix
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 TBS EACH paprika, smoked paprika, brown sugar, onion pwdr, chili pwdr
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 tsp EACH cayenne pepper, salt
- 1 tsp EACH dried basil, dried thyme, pepper
Apricot Orange Glaze
- 1/2 cup apricot preserves
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon reserved Cajun Spices (in directions)
Instructions
- Spice Rub/Marinade: In a medium bowl, whisk together the Cajun Spice Mix. Add 2 tablespoons to a freezer size plastic bag along with all of the Marinade ingredients. Whisk together. Pierce steak all over with a fork and add to marinade. Massage marinade into steak and seal bag. Marinate 8-24 hours, turning bag occasionally. Store remaining Reserved Cajun Spice Rub in a sealed container/bag.
- When ready to grill, remove 1 teaspoon Reserved Cajun Spice Rub and add it to a small saucepan for your Apricot Orange Glaze. Whisk all remaining Cajun Spice Rub with 3 tablespoons olive oil and rub all over steak while it comes to room temperature – 30-60 minutes. (There will seem like a lot of rub which is a good thing)
- Grill: Grease and preheat grill to 400 degrees F. Sear roast for 3-5 minutes per side, cover, and turn heat down to 350 degrees F. Grill for 15 minutes, flip, cover, and cook an additional 10-20 minutes, depending on the size of your steak cut and how well done you want your steak. Watch closely that your temperature stays around 350 degrees F.
- Check for doneness with a meat thermometer inserted right in the middle of the steak. Thermometer should read: 135 degrees F for medium rare, 145 degrees F for medium. The outside of the roast will get quite dark with a charred crust which is exactly what you want with this cut of steak.
- Remove steak from grill, loosely tent with foil and let rest 10 minutes before slicing THINLY across the grain. Serve with Apricot Orange Glaze (recipe follows).
- Apricot Orange Glaze: While the steak is grilling, whisk together all of the Apricot Orange Glaze ingredients in small sauce pan with reserved 1 teaspoon Cajun Spice Mix. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer until reduced and thickened.
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Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says
I am viewing this at breakfast and I am craving MEAT!! Your steak looks delicious and I have to confess we do love our meat. I’ve never tried using a glaze such as yours but we are always ready to try something new! Sounds great. Sending hugs!! Have a great day.
Jen says
Thanks Marissa! Its always nice to have something to satisfy those meat cravings when they hit – even at breakfast 🙂 I think you will really like the glaze – the sweetness balances out the spiciness of the rub beautifully! Hugs to you and yours!
Raschell says
This looks crazy good and cannot wait to try it! Thank you so much for posting – all your recipes (and photos) are outstanding.
Jen says
You are too nice Raschell thank you so much! I hope you can try it soon and love it!! Have a great weekend!
Dorothy Dunton says
Hi Jen! What a juicy hunk of meat! I love Cajun/Creole flavors and can’t wait to try this! The sweet glaze would perfectly compliment the spices! And where is it written that you have to wait for a special occasion? I think every day is a special occasion we should celebrate!
Jen says
I love the way you think! “I think every day is a special occasion we should celebrate!” I think that is my new motto! Thank you Dorothy! I hope you can try this juicy hunk of meat soon! xo
Dorothy Dunton says
Hi Jen! At my age every day that I wake up is a day to celebrate! You are such an inspiration and you do celebrate life to its fullest! 🙂 xo
Jen says
I feel thee same way 🙂 xo
Jan Schwieterman says
Hi Jen, can you suggest another cut of meat? The grocers around here (NW Florida) have never heard of tri-tips or even flat irons or skirt steaks. We just moved here from Colorado. The best we could find was flank steaks. I think that might work with some time adjustments. What’s your thoughts?
Jen says
Hi Jan! I would try a thick cut of sirloin. If that fails, then you could use flank steaks but just be aware that they are much thinner so I would use less rub and adjust cooking time accordingly. Hope that helps!
Brooke says
Hi, I have my steak all ready and prepared but I don’t have a grill? Do you have any other suggestions of how to cook it? Thanks!
Jen says
Hi Brooke, sorry I am way too late in getting back to you as we moved this weekend and things have been a lot crazy! I hope it turned out delicious for you!
Erika says
Hi,
This recipe looks so delicious and I can’t wait to try it out. I love steak but never actually make it myself and I have the same problem as Brooke. I live in Japan and grilling isn’t much of a thing here so I have no grill. Would it be okay to cook this in a pan? Or would you recommend a different method? Thanks in advance
Jen says
Absolutely you can cook it in thee pan/oven! I would follow this method here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pan-seared-rib-eye-recipe.html
Jennifer V says
Made this the other night. Had the leftovers as a hot sandwich last night. DELICIOUS and perfect both nights. Thanks for a fabulous recipe for a favorite and affordable cut of meat. (And as a bonus I actually had ALL the ingredients on hand!)
Jen says
You are so welcome Jennifer and I am drooling over making this into a sandwich!!!
Timma Wilson says
Just one question…In the ingredient section, the recipe calls for:
1 tsp EACH dried basil, thyme, pepper
So, you specified DRY basil but what of the thyme? Is that fresh or dried?
Thanks
Timma
Jen says
Hi Timma, yes it is dried thyme, I will clarify in the recipe. Thanks!
Garagegymplanner says
I have no words to express…….I’ll only say its just look like heaven recipes.
Jen says
Thank you so much!
Shannon says
What kind of orange juice did you use? Maybe if you can specify brand? Thank you!
Jen says
Hi Shannon! It was some time ago but it probably was Simply Orange Pulp Free (Not from Concentrate) Orange Juice. enjoy!
Julia Kruz says
How tasty it looks in the pictures I immediately wanted to cook Cajun steak. Apricot orange glaze is definitely good combination for meat. Thx for sharing!
Jen says
You are so welcome Julia, I hope you can make it soon and love it!
Penny says
Hi there! I’ve made this recipe twice now, and it’s amazing! With that said, I have a question about the spice mix. In the list of marinade ingredients, it says 2 tablespoons (in directions), and then in the directions it says to add 3 tablespoons along with the marinade ingredients. So does that mean 5 tablespoons TOTAL go in the marinade, or just 3 in the marinade and the other 2 are for the glaze and rub? Obviously I didn’t let my confusion stop me from making it (I’ve been doing the latter), but I just want to be sure. Thanks in advance!
Jen says
Hi Penny, I’m so happy you love this recipe! I just checked my original word doc of the recipe and it looks like I originally had 3 tablespoons in the marinade and changed it to 2 but did not change the directions – sorry for the confusion. There should be 2 tablespoons in the marinade and the rest goes in the Glaze. I hope that helps!
Gina says
We made this tonight and the flavors are outstanding! I couldn’t find tri-tip so we used super thick sirloin steaks. Maybe it was just our grill, but the cooking time was way too long, they were well-done in about half the suggested time. Still delicious though, we’ll definitely be making again and will try turning the heat down. Thanks for the recipe!
Jen says
Thanks so much Gina, I’m so happy you loved this Cajun Steak!
Sue says
Can I use store bought Cajun seasoning?
Jen says
Absolutely! Enjoy!
Kara Mathys @Wellnessgrit says
This cajun steak with apricot orange glaze looks delicious, I just want to devour it off the screen!
Jen says
Thank you so much, I’m excited for you to try it!
Sherrie says
I love all of your recipes. Do you have a cookbook?
Jen says
Thank you so much! I don’t have plans for a cookbook – just love blogging too much!
Jen says
Hi Sherrie,
It’s finally happening! Thank you so much for your previous interest in a cookbook xo
I’m excited to inform you it’s now available for presale! Copy and paste the following into your browser: https://carlsbadcravings.com/home/cookbook/ OR Google “Carlsbad Cravings Cookbook”:
Happy Cooking!
Stephanie S. says
Californians love our BBQ’d tri-tip and Jen…. this was incredible. I’ve never really made cajun flavored food (even though I like it) but the layers of flavor, marinade, rub and the glaze you created….OMG. Heaven on a plate with no leftovers. We broke the “quarantine rules” and had a couple family members over and I gave all the credit to you over the dinner table! Shared how amazing your recipes are…every.single.time. P.s. haven’t got to the enchilada soup yet, it’s been too hot with the heat wave here in Cali, been bbq’ing every day. Hope you’re doing well 🙂
Jen says
Yessss! I’m so pleased to hear this Cajun steak was “heaven on a plate” – thank you! Thank you for making my recipes and for sharing the love!
Stephanie says
I’ve made this cajun try-tip several times now, it has become a family favorite recipe & for fun last night I wanted to try it on chicken. WOW! Prepared everything exactly the same (except I use 1t. of cayenne for the kiddos) on 5 large chicken breasts, a little over 3lbs, that I lightly pounded out to equal thickness, not thin, just so no fat ends. Marinated overnight, the rub was the perfect amount for the 5 pieces & the glaze complimented the chicken beautifully. This is a really versatile recipe, love it.
Jen says
I love hearing this has become a family favorite and what a great idea to use this recipe on chicken! I am definitely going to have to try that! Thank you and thank you!
Jennifer Fulk says
Wow this looks amazing. It is hard to find recipes for tri tip! If I was to use a store bought Cajun seasoning I see that 2 tbsp will go in the marinade and 1 tsp in the glaze but could you tell me how much seasoning to mix with the 3 tablespoons of olive oil to use as the rub on the steak? Thanks so much!
Jen says
Hi Jennifer! It is whatever is left after you add the 2 tablespoons to the marinade and the 1 teaspoon to the glaze. Enjoy!
Janie Z says
I’d like to try this but we don’t have a grill.
Could I broil it (gas oven)? Would the instructions be any different?
Also, can you freeze the steak in the marinade (before cooking) ?
Thanks!
Jen says
Hi Janine, yes you can definitely freeze the steak in the marinade. As far as broiling – the steak is very thick so I would sear it on the stove first and then bake t 425 degrees F for
10 to 15 minutes per pound. Cook until internal temperature in the thickest part of the meat reads 135°F for medium-rare to 145° for medium. I hope this helps!
Stacey says
HI!
Thanks so much for all your recipes. I have a quick and crazy question.
Does “Rub with 3 tablespoons olive oil and rub all over steak while it comes to room temperature – 30-60 minutes. (There will seem like a lot of rub which is a good thing)”
Am I physically rubbing for 30 minutes?
Jen says
Hi Stacey, it means to to rub the steak with the oil/seasoning combo just until it evenly covers (not for 30 minutes) anytime between the 30 and 60 minutes the steak is resting on the counter to bring it to room temperature. Hope that helps!
Thomi says
I can’t wait to make this! My grill just died on me!!!! Can i make this on stovetop or the oven?
Jen says
Yes! Bake tri tip at 350 degrees until it is about 5 degrees shy of target temperature (about 40 to 55 minutes, time will vary based on thickness of roast and desired doneness). Near the end of baking preheat 1 TBS oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat on the stovetop for about 5 minutes. Turn on exhaust fan. Sear the tri tip in the skillet until evenly browned all sides.
Mary Grant says
Think peach preserves would alter flavor too much? All I’ve got but have everything else
Jen says
I think peach would be tasty too!
Kathy says
Would this work for chicken?
Jen says
Hi Kathy! I haven’t tried it, but I’m sure it would work! Hope you like it!
Sarah Cook says
Ooh, great idea! I do something similar with pork chops that’s yummy too.
Jen says
Thank you! Great minds think alike 🙂
Sarah Cook says
This is phenomenally delicious! I’ve substituted peach preserves for apricot sometimes and that also works great. I’ve made this recipe with tri-tip but also with top round and other lean beef roast cuts. It’s delicious enough for special occasions but easy enough for any weekend at home.
Jen says
Thank you so much! I’m thrilled that this has been a go-to recipe for you!
Kimberly Tanner says
I love this recipe! It is my favorite tri tip recipe! I thought I lost it and was heartbroken. Found it and now it’s what’s for dinner!
Jen says
I’m so glad that it found its way back into your life haha! I hope dinner is delicious!
Jenn says
I made this for dinner tonight and everyone loved it. I made double what was called for and tossed half the seasoning spices with some potatoes and asparagus to roast, and then used half the glaze for grilled pineapple. So so so yummy.
Jen says
Thank you! I’m so glad it was such a hit!