Churrasco with Chimichurri, a Grill Fave from Argentina

“Churrasco with chimichurri has been my absolute favorite cut of beef since I was introduced to it,” says Michelle Ezratty Murphy. She is one of Familia Kitchen’s MVP homecooks, and makes some of our most popular step-by-step master videos about the delicioso recipes she cooks, grills and bakes.
Michelle, we heart you pa’ siempre. She is truly one of the most gifted cocineras we know. Michelle grew up in Puerto Rico and married a Boricua, Pat, so the island’s cooking goes deep. (Fun fact: Michelle went to elementary school with Familia Kitchen co-founder Kim, though neither one of us was cooking-obsessed back then.).

Michelle is an adventurous cook and regularly roams into other Latino cuisines. Of course, she nails the dish. Every. Single. Time. Like this mouth-watering video she made of a beloved classic from Argentina: churrasco with chimichurri, which she has made into one of her much-requested specialties in her Arizona home.

“Growing up in Puerto Rico, there were a ton of Argentinian restaurants,” says Michelle. “Argentinians are of course known for their abundant asados or meat-loaded grills. And the star of the asado is churrasco with chimichurri.“

Need a churrasco 101? Michelle is happy to offer this one: “Churrasco is a skirt steak, cut long and lean, and marinaded in a citrusy concoction of olive oil and spices. It’s then typically grilled on a very hot parilla, sliced against the grain, and served with a long thin strip of sweet roasted red pepper and chimichurri. This dish — churrasco and chimichurri — should be the national food of Argentina, if it isn’t already. The two are like a marriage, always together.”

How to Make the “Perfect” Chimichurri

We asked Michelle how she came up with her legendary chimi sauce — honestly one of the best we’ve ever tasted. “When properly grilled and rested, churrasco is a tender, juicy steak that gets all its flavors from the smoky grill and perfectly balanced marinade.  But when you spoon over the chimichurri, the churrasco becomes a culinary experience of citrus, heat and spice. There are a lot of recipes out there for chimichurri, but my recipe has a perfect balance of parsley and cilantro to keep the bitterness at bay,” says Michelle — oh so humbly.

Michelle offers these two rules for chimi perfección.
1) Some chimichurris are opaque, but chimichurri should always run clear with good olive oil, lemon and red wine vinegar. The parsley and cilantro should be swimming with the oil, not in the oil.
2) Chimichurri should never be made in a blender.  Hand chopping is the way to go. Mincing the parsley and cilantro is an important and vital step to my recipe, because a blender emulsifies the sauce and makes it more like a dressing.  You don’t want that. You want the chimi to sit on top of the steak. So take the time to be deliberate in making the chimichurri for a more authentic taste.

“If you asked me how many times a week I could make or eat churrasco and chimichurri, I would say every day,” she says. “But joking aside, my husband and I enjoy it so much, that I could make it at least a couple of times a month. I’ll always make a double or triple batch of chimichurri and spoon over grilled chicken, or toasted French bread with cheese.  I also make a chimichurri aioli that we have over grilled burgers.  It’s simple as whipping chimichurri into mayonnaise.” 

Like most of our fave dishes here at Familia Kitchen, this recipe is a celebration to cooking our way home to the food we ate in the cocinas of our youth. “Whenever I make churrasco, I get taken back to my younger years living in Puerto Rico,” says Michelle. ”It was such a coveted dish, that when I see it served up on a menu here in the States, I always order it.  Some restaurants know how to make it, and some don’t. And that’s OK, because unless you’ve lived and experienced the South American vibe, churrasco doesn’t come naturally.“

“But I promise, it’s a simple and delicious way to cook a skirt steak, and once you get a bite of the real thing, this will become your favorite as well.“

To try more of Michelle’s recipes at Familia Kitchen, check out her Arizona carne asada burritos, Puerto Rican tostones, chili con carne with bacon, Cuban black bean soup, sheet-tray super nachos with shredded beef and guacamole, barbacoa beef tacos and so much más!

Ready to Make Michelle’s Churrasco with Chimichurri?

Churrasco with Chimichurri, Our Favorite Dish From Argentina

Recipe by Michelle Ezratty Murphy

5.0 from 1 vote

Cuisine: Argentinian

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Ingredients

• For the Churrasco Skirt Steak Marinade

• 1 lb skirt steak (flap steak is also an excellent substitution)

• 3/4 cup olive oil

• 2 large sweet cara cara or navel oranges, freshly squeezed

• 1 lemon, freshly squeezed

• 1 lime, freshly squeezed

• 1 tbsp onion powder

• 1 tbsp garlic powder

• 1 tbsp adobo

• 1 tbsp kosher salt

• 2 tsp black pepper

• For the Chimichurri

• 1 bunch cilantro, very finely minced

• 1 bunch flat leaf parsley, very finely minced

• 3/4 cup olive oil

• 1 1/2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

• 2 Tbsp lemon juice

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 3/4 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions

• Make the Chimichurri
• Combine all ingredients. Store in an airtight container and allow to come together for at least 1 hour before serving.
• Make the Marinade for the Churrasco
• Mix marinade ingredients in a bowl.
• Place meat in a glass dish that will fit the entire length of the steak when placed flat in the dish. Pour marinade over the meat. Turn meat a few times to coat entirely.  Massage the marinade into the meat. 
• Cover and marinate for a minimum of 2 to 3 hours, but overnight is preferable, in the refrigerator. 
• Grill the Churrasco (Skirt Steak)
• When ready to cook, take the marinaded meat of the refrigerator at least 45 minutes to take out the chill before hitting the grill.
• Preheat the grill to 500°. Make sure the grill is at temperature before cooking to create a nice sear on both sides. For a medium rare steak, grill 3 minutes on one side, flip and cook another 2 to 3 minutes on the other — both with the grill lid down.
• Once grilled to your liking, place the meat on a large cutting board. Cover with aluminum foil. Let the meat rest for 10 minutes. This will allow for the juices to release throughout the meat, creating a juicy and tender steak.
• Slice the meat against the grain and serve on a plate with your choice of sides. Liberally spoon the chimichurri sauce over the churrasco and serve.

Notes

• Keep a close eye on the grill. This cut of steak is very thin, so it will not take much time to cook the meat to medium rare.