Grilled Skirt Steak with Roasted Jalapeño Chimichurri

Growing up, my parents would occasionally take me to this yummy Argentinian restaurant by our house, called Los Ranchos.  They had an epic skirt steak with chimichurri sauce that was out of this world, served with white rice and warm plantains.

Last weekend I wanted to make a congratulatory meal for my boyfriend and was looking up some good steak recipes when I came across this one by Alton Brown.  Considering my love of chimichurri sauce and our shared love of jalapeños and steak, I thought I’d give it a try.

Chimichurri sauce is so flavorful.  It’s full of bright flavors with lots of herbs and fresh citrus. You can customize it by adding different herbs, spices and mix-ins, for example the jalapeños in this recipe.  As for the meat, skirt steak has a good bit of marbling in it, which is what makes it so flavorful, but if you’re not a fan of skirt steak, you could serve this sauce with any cut of meat that you prefer.  Skirt steak is just the “authentic” pairing.  This go around, I did a mix of skirt steak and flank steak, because the flank steak was half the price of the skirt steak at the grocery store 🙂

Everything was going smoothly, until I went outside to put the steaks on the grill and the propane was out.  Luckily I have a Cuisinart Electric Grill that I was able to heat up and cook the steaks indoors.  I definitely plan on having a backup Propane tank moving forward!  This also put a wrench in the grilled vegetables I had planned, which then turned into oven roasted vegetables.

Hiccups aside, the steak turned out delicious.  I served it with Cilantro Lime Rice and grilled roasted vegetables.

What you’ll need: steak, jalapeños, cilantro, parsley, garlic, lots of lime juice, red wine, red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.

First, let’s prepare the chimichurri sauce.  Grill or char the jalapeños until they’re blackened on all sides and are soft.  I used my gas stove burner for this and a pair of tongs to keep rotating them.

This should take about 5-8 minutes, depending on the heat level.  The peppers should be charred when they’re done.

Put them into a bowl and cover with a plate or paper towel so that the heat will loosen the skins a bit and make them easier to peel.

After five minutes or so, peel the skin off, seed and dice the jalapeños.

To a food processor, add the jalapeños, cilantro, parsley, garlic, lime juice, red wine, olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Blend until the mixture is a coarse puree.  Taste and adjust for salt and blend again.

Pour into a serving dish.

Heat a grill, grill pan or electric grill over high heat.  Rub the steaks with olive oil and season very generously with salt and pepper.  If you have a grill, I highly recommend going that route.  I love the way a grilled steak tastes, but if you don’t have a grill (or you’ve run out of propane…) an indoor version works just as well.

Grill to desired temperature.  I find that they take a bit longer to cook on the Cuisinart Grill rather than on an actual grill, so mine took about 5 minutes per side.

Transfer cooked steaks to a cutting board and allow to rest for at least five minutes.

Slice the steaks against the grain at about a 45 degree angle.  Arrange the steaks on a serving platter or plate and spoon the chimichurri sauce over the steak.  Serve with extra sauce on the side 🙂

Skirt Steak and Roasted Jalapeño Chimichurri

Ingredients

• 2 jalapeño chilis
• 2 cups cilantro leaves and sprigs, finely chopped
• 2 cups parsley leaves and sprigs, finely chopped
• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
• 3 tablespoons juice from 3 to 4 limes
• 3 tablespoons dry red wine
• 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pounds skirt steak

Steps

1. Prepare a grill or turn on a broiler (or gas burner).
2. Grill or char the jalapeños until blackened on all sides and quite soft, about 5-8 minutes.
3. Place them in a small bowl covered with a plate or towel and allow the skins to steam and loosen.  Peel, stem, and seed the chilis.
4. In a food processor or blender, combine the jalapeños, cilantro, parsley, garlic, lime juice, red wine, olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
5. Blend until the mixture is a coarse puree. Taste and adjust for salt and blend again.
6. Heat a grill or grill pan over high heat.
7. Rub the steaks with olive oil and season very generously with salt and pepper.
8. Grill until medium rare, 2 to 4 minutes per side depending on thickness (center of steaks should register 125°F on an instant read thermometer).
9. Remove to a plate and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes.
10. Slice the steak across the grain with the knife at a 45 degree angle.
11. Arrange on a serving plate and spoon some chimichurri over the steak. Serve with the extra sauce.