Chimichurri Skirt Steak: Make the Sauce Hours Ahead and Do Not Rush the Rest
Argentine asado is a whole philosophy about fire, meat, and time. Most of us do not have a wood-fired grill in the backyard. What translates to a home kitchen is the combination of properly cooked skirt steak and chimichurri made properly in advance.
These two things together are enough.
The chimichurri
Make this at minimum three hours before you eat. Ideally the day before.
Finely chop a large bunch of flat-leaf parsley — stems and all — until you have about a cup of packed chopped herb. Add four garlic cloves very finely minced, a teaspoon of dried oregano, half a teaspoon of red pepper flakes, and a generous pinch of coarse salt. Add three tablespoons of red wine vinegar and stir together. Pour over enough olive oil to make the mixture loose and spoonable — roughly four tablespoons.
Taste it. The garlic will be assertive and the vinegar sharp. That is correct right now. In a few hours, it will be completely different: rounded, herby, and complex. Cover and leave at room temperature.
The steak
Skirt steak benefits from a quick salt a couple of hours before cooking. Pat dry and season generously. Leave uncovered in the refrigerator, then take it out thirty minutes before it goes in the pan.
Get a cast iron pan or heavy grill pan to the highest heat your stove produces. Add a small amount of oil with a high smoke point and let it begin to smoke.
Lay the steak in the pan and do not move it. Four minutes without touching. Flip once, cook for another three to four minutes for rare to medium-rare. Skirt steak is thin — it cooks fast. A minute too long makes it dry.
Rest on a board for five minutes.
Slicing and serving
Slice across the grain at a slight diagonal. The muscle fibers run lengthways in skirt steak — cutting against them shortens those fibers and makes each bite tender. Cutting with the grain produces strips that are almost impossible to chew.
Spoon chimichurri over the sliced steak. More in a bowl on the table. Nothing else required.
Frequently Asked Questions
Flat-leaf parsley, garlic, dried oregano, red wine vinegar, red pepper flakes, and olive oil. Some versions add fresh cilantro, which is a regional variation. It is not cooked and does not contain tomato. The texture should be loose and herbaceous, not a thick paste.
The vinegar slightly softens the raw garlic and the herbs meld together over time. Fresh chimichurri tastes sharp and disconnected. Chimichurri made three to six hours ahead tastes like a sauce. Overnight is even better.
Skirt steak is the traditional cut for this preparation — thin, well-marbled, and quick to cook. Flank steak is a close substitute. Both must be sliced against the grain after cooking or the long muscle fibers make them tough to chew.
No. Chimichurri is a serving sauce, not a marinade. Marinating in it makes the meat mushy from the acid. Season the steak with just salt and let the chimichurri shine as a fresh condiment on the finished meat.
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