WINE / BEER Pairing
When it comes to Argentinean-style steak with chimichurri on top, I suggest keeping up with the theme and pairing it with the country’s most prized grape: malbec.
Malbec is a pretty purple grape; put it next to a glass of cabernet sauvignon and you’ll see what I mean. Its big, fruity, and usually well-oaked. It’s a heavy-bodied wine (think whole milk compared to water), so it needs a heavy meal to pair with it. Enter a juicy, peppered steak. Match made in heaven. Since the chimichurri has a great deal of garlic aroma and flavor to it, it pairs nicely with a fruit-forward red like malbec.
Other wines you can pair with Chimichurri Steak:
- Cabernet Sauvignon (Argentina makes some great ones at great values)
- Merlot
- Syrah/Shiraz
- Zinfandel
- Red blends (think: cab-based, syrah based)
In the Mood for Beer?
- Amber ale will work best with steak
- California Common (Anchor Steam)
- Pilsner
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FOOD PAIRING:
- As a light and tangy dressing for a vegetable pasta salad.
- Drizzle over a sunny side up egg, serve with toast.
- Mix with mayonnaise (or leave plain) and use as a sandwich spread.
- Drizzle over a vegetable pizza after baking for a zesty finish.
Flank Steak Or Skirt Steak?
What’s the difference? And does it matter? Can I sub skirt steak for flank steak in this recipe? So many questions! Well, not to worry—we’ve got all the answers. Flank steak and skirt steak are two very common cuts of beef that you’ll often see called for in recipes almost interchangeably. In fact, we often offer both options. However, for this recipe, we really are going to push you to use flank steak. Flank steak is leaner than skirt steak, and it’s not quite as tough, which is really important because there’s no marinade here to help deal with a cut of steak as tough as skirt steak. For this grilled flank steak recipe, we aren’t calling for a marinade because we want to just grill flank steak as simply as possible so that the delicious combination of meaty, tender steak and zingy sauce sing loud and clear. Cut from the abdominal area of a cow, flank steak can be a bit tough—especially with no marinade—if you overcook it, though, so keep a close eye on the grill and on your instant read thermometer.
For some reason, a perfectly grilled steak never fails to impress people. Master this (ultra easy) culinary talent and (basically for life) you will be able to impress .
Here’s how:
- Salt your (room temperature) steak.
- Grill your steak! The official TMP flank steak grill time: six minutes per side on the hottest part of your grill.
- Check for doneness! 120-125°F for rare, 135°F for medium rare, and 145°F for medium. Once again, because there’s no marinade here to tenderize the flank steak, we don’t recommend well-done flank steak. It’s likely to be quite tough. If you really want to eat a well-done steak with chimichurri sauce, chose a different cut.
- Rest your steak! The reason to rest your steak is, well, science-y—also there’s still some debate in the food science world about exactly WHY it works so well—but just know that it’s best if you do.
- Slice your steak! Always slice flank steak against the grain, so that the slices of steak are tender and easy to chew—if you cut with the grain (i.e. the way the muscle fibers are aligned) you’ll wind up with tough steak pieces, no matter how thinly you’ve sliced them.
