Salt the steak early, cook it hot, let it rest, slice it against the grain, and spoon the chimichurri on at the very end. That's the whole method. The rest is details, and the details are below.
Steak and chimichurri work because they're opposites. The steak brings fat and char. The chimichurri brings acid, garlic and fresh herbs that cut straight through it, so every bite tastes like the first one.
Pick the cut
- Ribeye: the richest option, with plenty of marbling. It gives chimichurri the most fat to cut through.
- New York strip: leaner than ribeye, with a firmer bite and big beefy flavor.
- Skirt or flank: thin, fast-cooking and inexpensive. Cook them as hot and quick as you can and slice thinly against the grain.
For ribeye or strip, look for steaks at least 1 inch thick, ideally 1 1/2 inches, so you can build a crust without overcooking the middle.
The recipe
Serves 2. About 20 minutes, plus salting time.
- 2 ribeye or New York strip steaks, 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or beef tallow
- 2 tablespoons butter (optional)
- 4 tablespoons OG Chimichurri
- Flaky salt, to finish
- Salt early. Season the steaks generously with kosher salt at least 45 minutes before cooking, or up to a day ahead, uncovered on a rack in the fridge. This seasons the meat all the way through and dries the surface for a better crust.
- Dry and heat. Pat the steaks dry and season with pepper. Heat a cast-iron skillet over high heat until it just starts to smoke, then add the oil.
- Sear. Lay the steaks in the pan and leave them alone for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip, then keep flipping every minute or so until they reach temperature, usually 6 to 10 minutes total depending on thickness.
- Baste, if you like. In the last minute or two, add the butter, tilt the pan and spoon the foaming butter over the steaks.
- Check the temperature. Use an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part. Pull the steaks a few degrees before your target; they keep cooking as they rest.
- Rest. Move the steaks to a cutting board and rest them for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Slice and sauce. Slice against the grain, fan the slices out, and spoon the chimichurri over the top. Finish with a pinch of flaky salt.
When to pull it
| Doneness | Pull from heat | After resting |
|---|---|---|
| Rare | 115 to 120°F | About 125°F |
| Medium-rare | 125°F | About 130 to 135°F |
| Medium | 135°F | About 140°F |
The USDA recommends cooking whole cuts of beef to 145°F followed by a 3-minute rest for food safety.
On the grill instead
Set up a hot zone and a cooler zone. Sear the steaks over the hot side until well marked on both sides, then move them to the cooler side to finish to temperature. Rest and sauce the same way.
Why the chimichurri goes on last
Chimichurri is a raw sauce. In a smoking-hot pan the herbs scorch and the garlic turns bitter, so using it as a marinade for a hard sear costs you the very flavor you bought it for. Spooned onto a rested, sliced steak, it stays bright, and it mixes with the juices on the board into something better than either one alone.
What to serve with it
- Crispy chimichurri potatoes, or fries for dipping
- A simple green salad dressed with chimichurri loosened with olive oil
- Grilled corn or roasted vegetables
- Leftovers the next morning, sliced thin over eggs
Want to go further? Try our steak cheese fries, or see 24 more things to put chimichurri on.
OG Chimichurri
Cilantro, parsley, lime, garlic and extra-virgin olive oil, with no seed oils and no preservatives. Made for the board, not the pan. Get the OG.