Churrasco con Chimichurri Recipe

A Simple Barbecue

My husband, Eric, invited one of his clients over for dinner the other night, and he asked me not to make a fuss.

“Let’s just barbecue,” he said.

“Fine,” I said, “I’ll just do a simple Cuban-style barbecue.”

So, I didn’t make a fuss . . .

I made a mouth-watering Churrasco con Chimichurri

For the uninitiated, Churrasco is a garlicky, marinated flap or skirt steak that is barbecued and served with a flavorful sauce called Chimichurri.

“Umm… Honey? If this is simple, what’s an elaborate Cuban barbecue?”

Churrasco
Churrasco

Churrasco Estilo Cubano Recipe

  • 3- 4 lbs. Skirt or Flap steak (NOT Flank)

Ingredients for Marinade:

  • 20 – 30 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
  • 1 ½ cup bitter orange juice
  • ½ cup white onion, minced
  • 2 tsp. oregano
  • ½ cup olive oil

For Steak Marinade:

1) In a food processor or blender, process garlic and pepper to form a paste.

Churrasco garlic
Churrasco garlic

2) Remove from processor and stir in bitter orange juice and oregano.

3) Let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

4) Whisk in the olive oil until it’s well blended.

Preparing steak:

1) Remove steak from package and pat dry.

2) Place in a large bowl or flat Pyrex dish and cover with marinade.

Cuban garlic marinade
Cuban garlic marinade

3) Cover and refrigerate for approximately two hours.

Chimichurri Sauce

1 bunch of cilantro leaves (or fresh parsley leaves)

8 cloves garlic

¼ cup vinegar

Juice of one lime

½ cup white onion

¼ cup sweet sweet roasted pepper strips (Vlasic)

3 Tbsp. oregano

2/3 cup olive oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

Chimichurri sauce
Chimichurri sauce

1) Put all ingredients EXCEPT olive oil in blender or processor and pulse to a thick mixture.

2) Do not over-process!

3) Remove from processor and whisk in olive oil - very important! .

4) Add salt and pepper liberally.

To cook:

1) Remove meat from marinade and grill on a pre-heated grill over medium high heat. Cook to desired doneness, but the more rare, the more flavorful.

Churrasco steak
Churrasco steak

2) Serve hot, topped with Chimichurri Sauce.

Here's a video with step-by-step instructions on how to make the Chimichurri Sauce of Awesomeness®.

Churrasco con chimichurri
Churrasco con chimichurri

WARNING! Chimichurri is highly addictive! Have lots of Cuban bread available for extra dipping! =D

Buen Provecho!

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"What's for dinner?"

A few months ago when we had our kitchen painted, I had my painter-man do the top of the pantry door in chalk paint.
Can I just tell you how much I love this?

Sometimes we leave notes to each other, but the main function of the board is for menu planning. (And making me look über-organized when guests come over, which lately has been practically every day, but that's not important right now.)

I am that mother who gets a deer-in-the-headlights look when they asked the dreaded, "What's for dinner?" question. (When they ask is when I immediately remember that I was the one who forgot to take something out of the freezer and I then instantly feel guilty. I get over it pretty quickly, but that's not the point.)

So, I came up with the Chalkboard Menu Planner and now I am the hero again.
The best part is when one of them asks, "What's for dinner?" There's an instant response (not from me), "Just look on the board!" WIN.

Now, if I could just devise a scheme to have the laundry do itself....

Do you plan your menus? Tell me.

"What's for dinner?"

In case you're interested, here are some of the recipes (with pictures!) I will be using. I've shared these before in various places. Please click on the links.

Churrasco with Chimichurri

Roast Chicken

Stew - Carne con Papas

Tortilla Soup

Steak