R.O.D.-Cuban Steak with Chimichurri

This is the recipe that David and I made together on Tuesday night when he was helping with all the chopping.  We marinated it overnight then had it on Wednesday.  I brought some in for my lunch today.

Cuban Styled Steak- Churrasco w/ Chimichurri sauce(Caribbean Recipe)

Ingredients:
Beef skirt steak cut in long steaks (about 3/4 pound per person or more)---I did not have these so I used sirloin----worked great!

 
Churrasco Marinade

2 heads garlic -- about 15-20 cloves
2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 and 1/2 cups sour orange juice (If you can't get sour orange juice in your area, use two parts orange to one part lemon and one part lime)

1 cup minced onion

2 teaspoons oregano

1 cup olive oil

Cuban Chimichurri Sauce

1 large bunch of cilantro leaves

8 cloves garlic

1/4 cup vinegar

Juice of one lime

2/3 cup olive oil

1/2 cup onion

Dash or two of red pepper flakes

Salt and Pepper to taste  

Preparation:

Churrasco Marinade

To make the marinade:     Mash garlic, salt, and peppercorns into a paste, using a mortar and pestle. (I do not have a mortor and pestle----I just ground everything up in the blender, but smashing the peppercorns in some other way would have been better.  They just kind of bounced around in the blender.  Next time, I will smash them in a ziplock with a meat mallet or something first.)

Stir in sour orange juice, onion, and oregano. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or longer. Whisk the garlic-orange juice mixture with the olive oil until well blended. 

Preparing the Meat

Preparing the meat is very easy. Place the meat in a large bowl or pan. Add enough marinade to cover the meat. Place a cover over the bowl or pan and place in the refrigerator a minimum of five hours, but preferably overnight. 

Chimichurri Sauce

While your meat is marinating, make the sauce. Put everything except the olive oil in a blender and using the "chop" setting, click on and off until you have a thick mixture. Do not over process! This is the kind of dish you need to taste and adjust so that you get just the right flavor! So taste it! (The best way to taste it is with a piece of bread.) Whisk in the olive oil. (If you use the blender to incorporate the oil, the oil and liquids will emulsify, giving your chimichurri a white, paste-like texture.) 

Add salt, pepper, more vinegar and lime juice as needed. The flavor should be very intense with garlic and cilantro. Don't be stingy with the salt either!

Grilling the Meat

Grill the marinated steaks outdoors on the barbecue. (Make sure your coals are hot and white!) (I used my indoor grill.)  You can cook them however you like your steak -- from rare to well done. However, the rarer the meat, the more tender and flavorful!

Serve the meat with the chimichurri sauce -- it tastes great!  The chimichurri is a very fresh tasting condiment.