Ingredients
- 5 to 6-inch piece of beef tenderloin (cut from the center-about 1 1/2 pounds)
Three Herb Chimichurri:
- 1 cup cilantro leaves
- 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
- 1 cup flat-leaf parsley
- 6 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
- 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Special Equipment: 2 cups oak chips, soaked in cold water for 1 hour, then drained (optional)
Directions
Prepare the chimichurri. Combine the herbs and garlic in a food processor and finely chop. Add the oil, vinegar, water, salt, pepper and hot pepper flakes and process to make a thick sauce. Correct the seasoning, adding salt or vinegar, to taste. The chimichurri should be highly seasoned. Pour a 1/4 of the chimichurri into a baking dish just large enough to hold the tenderloin.
Holding the knife parallel to the cutting board, cut the tenderloin lengthwise into 4 flat even slices. Place each slice between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound with the side of a cleaver (or a scaloppini pounder) to a thickness of 1/4-inch. Arrange the steaks on top of the chimichurri in the baking dish. Pour another 1/4 of the chimichurri on top. Marinate the beef for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat to high. If using charcoal, toss the chips directly on the coals. If using gas, place them in the smoker box and preheat until you see smoke. If your grill lacks a smoker box, use a foil smoking pouch. Arrange the beef slices on the grate on the diagonal and grill until cooked to taste, about 2 minutes a side for medium-rare, rotating the slices 90 degrees after 1 minute to create an attractive crosshatch of grill marks. Transfer the churrasco to plates or a platter and serve with the remaining chimichurri sauce on the side.













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By angela9298
Monroeville,PA
on October 21, 2011
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DELICIOUS! I don't care if this isn't a "true" chimichurri sauce. I looooove cilantro so I was looking for a recipe with it in it. I did make it with skirt steak though. I'm most used to cuban chimichurri living in Miami, and this tasted very very similar to the dish I eat here and fawn over. Instead of making it with rice/beans and plantains, I made sweet potato fries tossed in a little bit of chimichurri. Soooo good!
By nctwinmom06_117...
Harrisburg, NC
on June 15, 2011
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What caught me off guard here is not only is the chimichurri not a recipe true to the region but they would not use such a high end cut of meat in most households. True Churrasco is made with skirt steak not filet.
By leonmercado
on March 15, 2011
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for those that have postd that it is not authentic chimichurri from Argentina. I want to askwhere in the recipe does it say Chimichurri from Argentina??? Other countries also make Chimichurri and everyone makes it different. Depending on the tastes of the people. Argentinian CHimichurri tastes nothing like Cuban CHimichurri and while Cuban Chimichuirri is close to the PuertoRican one, you can taste the difference.
So before you critize something think about the fact that everyone makes things differently. I know many real italian families, all who make tomatoe sauce differently. It just depends.
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