Steak with Chimichurri Sauce Recipe
- By Amy Dong
- Updated May. 25, 2024
There’s nothing better than mouthwatering steaks sizzling on a hot grill; except when you follow it up with beautifully fresh chimichurri sauce that can be made in advance.
Steak with Chimichurri
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Steak with Chimichurri sauce
One of our absolute favorite things to do during summer is to throw luscious steaks over a smoking grill. Few things are more tantalizing than perfectly cooked ribeye steaks or New York steaks – tender and flavorful and beautifully charred.
About the only thing that can make said steaks even more appealing is pouring fresh chimichurri sauce all over them. This is our hands down favorite traditional chimichurri sauce recipe to spoon over everything we possibly can. It’s delish over grilled chicken, shrimp, fish, and especially your favorite cut of steak cooked just right.
After experiencing how unbelievably easy it is to whip up a batch of chimichurri sauce, this magical green relish might just become a staple in your fridge from now and forever more.
Let’s take your steaks to the next level with this perfect steak recipe!
What Ingredients Do I need for the Best Steaks with Chimichurri Sauce?
- You’ll want a couple of nice, thick, fresh steaks. My personal favorite cut is New York, as it’s flavorful, tender, and leaner than many nice cuts. Hubby prefers ribeye, with its extra tender marbling, juiciness, and flavor. Both cuts work really well for this recipe.
- Basic seasonings: kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and garlic powder. Nothing else is needed, as you’ll want the flavors of the chimichurri sauce to shine.
- Oil for getting that grill super hot. Just be sure to use an oil that can withstand hot cooking temperatures.
- Chimichurri mixture: garlic, onion, parsley, cilantro, olive oil, pepper, oregano, and red wine vinegar. It all blends and melds together into a wondrously flavorful experience that’s savory, aromatic, and zippy.
How to Cook Steaks Perfectly/Medium Rare?
By perfect, we are referring to medium-rare, which seems to a popular preference. It’s just the right balance between rare and too-done. Medium-rare steaks provide a nice amount of juiciness, tenderness, and still allow you to enjoy a hot-temperature steak. That being said, do adjust the cook time to your preference.
In order to achieve a nice medium-rare steak:
- Start out with high quality steaks that are at least 1-inch thick and even thickness throughout. This allows the steaks to brown nicely on the outside without overcooking the inside, as well as cooking evenly throughout.
- Use steaks that are fresh and chilled in fridge. Chilled meat is easier to char on the exterior without overcooking the center.
- Be sure your grill is hot, hot, hot! Be generous with greasing the grill and get it smoking hot before placing steaks on grill. This helps to ensure the exterior gets a nice sizzle and great grill lines.
- Do not poke the steaks with a thermometer or cut through with a knife while they’re cooking; even though internal temp is key, once you poke through the center, you’ll sadly watch the precious juices escape from your pretty steaks. We’ll talk about using the press test instead of puncturing the steaks.
How to do The Press Test
- I use the “press test,” which takes minimal practice: cook the first side for 3 minutes, without moving the steak around. Flip to the second side for another 2 minutes, again leaving it in place. Then carefully press the center of the steak with your finger or utensil. If it feels quite soft and has a lot of “give,” it’s probably rare. If it feels rather firm without much give, it’s over-cooked. A medium-rare steak will feel like a “loose fist” — if you form a loose fist with your left hand, when you tap down on the fleshy center of that fist (spot next to thumb) it should have some give, but bounce right back. Medium-rare steaks have that same bounce-back feeling.
- Your first steak or two might be a bit of trial and error, but once you get the feel for it, you’ll be cooking perfectly medium rare steaks.
- If you’re more comfortable using a meat thermometer, aim for 130-140F.
- Always let your finished steaks rest on the cutting board for 5 minutes before cutting into them. This allows the juices to be retained in the steaks.
More to Grill and Eat
- 12 Best BBQ and Grilling Recipes – you can’t go wrong with these summer favorites.
- Grilled Chicken with Garlic Lime Marinade – this simple, straightforward recipe results in fresh flavors to complement grilled chicken.
- Grilled Teriyaki Salmon – our absolute favorite salmon recipe in the whole world is right here; it’s so much better than restaurants, for reals.
- Spicy Thai Grilled Shrimp – make this succulent and not-boring dish; it’s so good, you’ll want to proudly serve it to guests.
Watch This Recipe in Action
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Steak with Chimichurri Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
For Chimichurri Sauce:
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ cup finely chopped cilantro
- ⅓ cup finely chopped parsley
- ¼ cup finely chopped onion
- 5 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh or dried oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, not fine table salt
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
For Steaks:
- 4 Ribeye or New York steaks, at least 1″ thick
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Garlic powder
Instructions
- Make Chimichurri Sauce: In a bowl, combine all ingredients and toss well. Let sit at least 10 minutes for flavors to meld. If making ahead of time, cover tightly and chill until ready to use. Can be made 1-2 days ahead.
- Prepare the Steaks: Use paper towels to thoroughly dry chilled steaks well. Sprinkle evenly with kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder on all sides.
- Cook: Oil grill well; using high heat, get grill smoking hot. Once very hot, place steaks on grill for 3 minutes on the first side, without moving them around. Brush tops of steaks with oil, turn them over, and grill another 2 minutes.
- Press Test: Once the exteriors are browned with nice grill lines, do the “press test” by tapping the centers of steaks with finger or utensil. They should have some give, but spring right back; not too soft and not too firm. If they’re feeling a bit too soft, give it another minute of cook time. {For medium-rare the centers should feel similar to the fleshy area by your thumb when you make a loose fist.}
- Rest: Place steaks on cutting board and let them sit for 5 minutes before cutting. Do not slice or poke into them until the 5 minutes are up. This allows the juices to be retained, as well as gives the steaks a bit more “cook time” as they rest.
- Serve: Serve steaks sliced against the grain, with chimichurri sauce generously drizzled throughout.