SERVES 4
Invest in good-quality meats for this dish. Skirt steak is a flavoursome cut but often thought of as being tough. Just ensure it’s nicely seared over high heat to char the outside, not overcooked and given time to rest before serving. Most of all, make sure you slice the beef thinly across the grain. This will shorten the length of grain and give you a lovely tender finish.
- 500 g (1.1 lbs) skirt steak, all membrane and sinew trimmed, leaving a little fat
- Sea salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- Olive oil
chimichurri
- 2 chilli padi or Thai scuds, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
- 1 large red chilli, finely diced
- 1 heaped teaspoon chopped fresh oregano or ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ cup chopped fresh coriander
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons champagne or
- white wine vinegar
- Good pinch of sea salt
- Pinch of raw sugar
- 4 tablespoons oil
Season the steak well with salt and pepper. Generously drizzle over a good amount of olive oil. Set aside at room temperature.
To make the chimichurri, mix all the ingredients together and allow to infuse.
It doesn’t take long to cook skirt steaks, but you need intense high heat. So, use a good cast iron grill that will withstand very high heat or preheat your clean barbecue to a super-high temperature.
As soon as the cast iron grill starts to smoke, cook the steaks on both sides to medium rare. You want a good char on both sides. This should only take about 3 minutes on each side but the exact timing obviously depends on the thickness of your steak. To be sure, grab a cooking thermometer and measure the internal temperature; it should be between 50-55°C (122-131°F) for medium rare. Anything more than this will give you a tough result. Cover loosely with foil and rest the steak for about 8-10 minutes before serving.
To serve, slice thinly across the grain and drizzle with chimichurri. Serve with some kalette sautéed in garlic and chilli.
Recipe and images from Cook & Feast by Audra Morris, published by Landmark Books, RRP $39.99