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This grilled skirt steak is marinated in a flavorful mojo criollo sauce and then grilled for one juicy and tender cut of meat. Churrasco is easy to make at home and can be made in under 40 minutes. Serve it with Chimichurri Sauce made using fresh ingredients.
This prevalent cuisine in Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina can be brought to your home for an extremely easy weeknight meal or an exquisite dish for entertaining. This traditional Latin American dish is made from skirt steak, the section of the cow referred to as the beef plate primal cut, which can often be a tough piece of meat.
Not this skirt steak though! After marinating it in a citrus mojo sauce and then searing it on the grill you’ll end up with an extremely juicy and tender piece of meat. I’ve added my favorite Chimichurri Sauce recipe to go on top for added flavor and one side that goes perfectly with this steak is Marinated Mushrooms.
Why This Recipe Works
- Great for entertaining. Whether you slice the steak or prepare it using skewers it makes a delicious and beautiful presentation for guests.
- Easy to make. From start to finish this churrasco recipe can be made in under 40 minutes and that includes the time it takes to marinate the steak.
- Healthy. Churrasco with chimichurri sauce is not only full of flavor but also full of healthy ingredients. The spices, herbs, and oil in this recipe are packed with nutrients.
Ingredients Needed
- Garlic Cloves: this recipe calls for 1/3 cup of minced garlic, which could take a minute if you plan on peeling and mincing the garlic yourself. To save time I prefer to buy jarred minced garlic.
- Minced Onion: you can use either fresh or dried minced onion, but as I mentioned above to save time I prefer to purchase dried minced onion.
- Olive Oil: for the olive oil in the chimichurri, you’ll want to use a high-quality version so it has the best flavor. I recommend using an organic Italian-made one.
Pro Tip: The Brazilian way of seasoning the steaks after they have marinated is to pat the meat dry and then season it with Rock Salt. This salt is not shown in the image of the ingredients but I highly recommend using it to season the steak versus table salt. If you can’t find rock salt you can use Maldon Sea Salt.
How to Make Churrasco
There are 3 main steps when preparing churrasco which is marinating the steak, preparing the chimichurri, and grilling the meat. For the best flavor marinate the steak overnight and prepare the chimichurri sauce the night before.
- Prepare the marinade. In a medium-sized mixing bowl combine all the marinade ingredients. Place the steak in a gallon-size resealable bag or a baking dish and pour the marinade on top.
- Marinate in the fridge. Cover or seal and place it in the fridge to marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes. The best flavor will be reached between 6 hours to 24 hours of marinating.
- Make the chimichurri. Place all the chimichurri ingredients into a food processor and pulse until it’s ground down to fine pieces, but not a paste. Pour the ingredients into a bowl or jar and allow the flavors to marinate together for 30 minutes (or overnight).
- Grill the steak. Heat your grill to 350º F (if using a grill plate heat the plate over medium-high heat) and drain the marinade from the steak. Pat the steak dry and season with salt and pepper. Note: to make this a true churrasco steak slice the piece of meat into 3 or 4 equal-sized pieces. Grill the steak for 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until the internal temperature reached 155º F for a rare steak to 165º F for well done.
- Serve. Slice the steak against the grain and serve with chimichurri on top.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Grill the churrasco steak on skewers. To make skewers cut the steak into 2-inch wide strips and weave 3 to 4 pieces on large metal grilling skewers. Cook on the grill for 4 to 5 minutes per side.
- Save time during prep. Purchase minced garlic in the jar and dried minced onion and make sure to get enough. You’ll need 1/3 cup of garlic and 1/2 of minced onion.
- Slice the meat against the grain. When slicing the meat make sure to cut it against the grain otherwise you’ll end up with really tough meat.
- Always marinate in the fridge. Don’t leave your meat out on the counter to marinate otherwise bacteria growth could occur.
- For the best flavors marinate the steak overnight and prepare the chimichurri sauce the night before too. Then grill the steak just before you plan on serving it.
- Use the chimichurri churrasco sauce for all kinds of other recipes. It’s great on fish or chicken, salads, or even on top of eggs.
FAQs
Yes. Both flank steak and iron steak will also work for making this churrasco recipe, however, these cuts do tend to be slightly tougher than the skirt steak, but still delicious.
Ideally, you would marinate the skirt steak for a minimum of 6 hours, but no more than 24 hours otherwise the muscle fibers will start to break down. At a very minimum, you’ll want to marinate it for 30 minutes.
When grilling I prefer to place the entire piece of meat on the grill, however, you can slice it into thirds if it’s a large piece. When you cut it you’ll want to slice against the grain. The grain is the direction in all the lines go so place your knife opposite the grain and slice at a slight angle for perfect tender pieces.
Related Recipes
If you made this Churrasco with Chimichurri Sauce recipe I want to hear all about it! Share a photo and tag me on Instagram using @AimeeMarsLiving and #AimeeMars so I can see your beautiful work. Enjoy!
Churrasco Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Instant Read Meat Thermometer
- 1 Garlic Press
- 1 Zester
- 1 Chefs Knife
Ingredients
Marinade
- 1/3 cup Oil
- 1/3 cup Garlic Cloves
- 1/2 cup Minced Onion
- 2 teaspoons Dried Oregano
- 1 cup Orange Juice
- 2 teaspoons Orange Zest
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 2 lbs Skirt Steak
Chimichurri Sauce
- 3 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 Shallot diced small
- 1½ cups Fresh Cilantro
- 1 cup Parsley
- 1/3 cup Fresh Oregano
- 1/3 cup Red Wine Vinegar
- 3 Limes zest and juice
- 1/3 cup Olive Oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon Cumin
Seasoning
- 2 tablespoons Rock Salt or Maldon Salt or coarse salt
- 2 teaspoons Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
Marinade
- To marinate the steak, use a gallon-size resealable bag or a baking dish. Combine the marinade ingredients and pour over the meat. Seal or cover and place in the fridge to marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
Chimichurri Sauce
- While the steak is marinating prepare the chimichurris sauce. Place all the chimichurri ingredients into a food processor and pulse until well chopped. Pour it into a container to allow the flavors to marinate together. I recommend 30 minutes up to overnight if you have the time.
Steak
- Drain the marinade and remove the steak. Pat it dry and then season it with rock salt (or coarse salt or Maldon Sea Salt) and pepper (freshly ground if possible) on both sides.
- Heat your grill to 350º F or heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Grill the steak for 3 to 4 minutes per side until it reached 155º F for a rare steak to 165º F for well done.
- Allow the steak to sit for 5 minutes before slicing and serving it.
- To serve slice the meat against the grain and spoon chimichurri sauce on top.
Notes
- Grill the churrasco steak on skewers. To make skewers cut the steak into 2-inch wide strips and weave 3 to 4 pieces on large metal grilling skewers. Cook on the grill for 4 to 5 minutes per side.
- Save time during prep and purchase minced garlic in the jar and dried minced onion and make sure to get enough. You’ll need 1/3 cup of garlic and 1/2 of minced onion. Keep the recipe total prep time under 30 minutes by preparing the chimichurri sauce while the steak is marinating.
- Slice the meat against the grain. When slicing the meat make sure to cut it against the grain otherwise you’ll end up with really tough meat.
- Always marinate in the fridge. Don’t leave your meat out on the counter to marinate otherwise bacteria growth could occur.
- Use the chimichurri sauce for all kinds of other recipes such as fish or chicken, salads, or even on top of eggs.
