Name: Chimichurri Tri Tip Steak
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 lb Tri Tip Steak (Flank Steak is good too); 2-3 Cloves Garlic; 1/4 Red Onion; 1 1/2 C. Flat leaf Parsley; 3 Tbsp Olive Oil; Juice of 2 Limes; 1/2 Tsp Red Pepper Flake; Salt and Pepper

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This Chimichurri Tri Tip Steak will take your grilling to the next level. Tangy and spicy, this Chimichurri sauce makes the perfect marinade and finishing sauce for a perfectly seared cut of beef.

Grilled Tri Tip steaks marinated in Chimichurri sauce, and served with a healthy drizzle.

How do I Grill the Perfect Steak!!

Be Flexible….

-Tip number one. These rules apply to any steak or grilled meat. If you aren’t on the west coast tri tip may not be very popular at your grocery store, and the flank steak would be the closest thing to it. Good grilling is an art and it takes some practice, but what follows will work for almost everything you are trying to grill.

Plan Ahead..

-Next, take your steak out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you prepare. If your meat is really cold, it is going to take a long time to get a warm red center, and the outside of the steak will burn and dry out. On the opposite side, the outside will look done and it will be purple on the inside.

Be Patient…

-Make sure your pan is hot, and that your meat fits in the pan. How can you tell if the pan is the right temperature? I usually recommend heating your pan on medium, no more than medium/high and being patient. Place your hand a few inches above the pans surface and if you feel heat and need to pull back after about 5 seconds, your pan is sufficiently hot. You need to get to know your pans and your stove, because the thickness of the pan and different burners create different situations. You will be able to tell if the pan is too hot because it will smoke. Don’t throw your meat on a smoking pan. Turn the heat down to medium and be patient.

-Patience is key. Patience is really important when something cooks fairly quickly, because you are going to sit there and watch it. If something needs to cook for an hour; you can set a timer and walk away. When the cooking time is only 10 minutes you have to stay close, and our impatience gets the better of us and we start poking and lifting and at the end even cutting. DON’T DO IT!!! That was me gently reminding you not to fiddle with your steak.

Place the steaks down on a hot grill pan, and let them cook until each side is brown.

Use all of your senses…How can I tell if the Chimichurri Tri Tip Steak is done?

-How can you be sure you’re doing this right? Look, listen, and smell. When you lay your steak in the pan, it should SIZZLE. This is a sign that you got your temperature right and you are sealing the outer part of the steak to keep the juices in. When you first put the steak in the pan, WATCH IT. It will start to change colors as it cooks. As the color rises up the side you know the heat is moving into the center of the steak. When it is about half way up, turn it. WATCH IT again, because it will take on a nice brown color on the whole outside. Next SMELL ! I know that sounds weird, but all food is more aromatic as it finishes cooking. When you really start to smell the steak, it is close to done. Finally, if you are really unsure if the inside it cooked, get out your meat thermometer and look for a temp of 130 degrees.

The steak should be cooked medium and have a nice char on the outside and a slightly pink center.

Making the cut… How do I Slice Tri Tip and Steak?

-Always rest your meat. Remove it from the grill or pan and cover with foil. Let it stand for 10 minutes. When slicing a piece of meat you always want to cut against the grain. This is the final step to making sure you serve the perfect steak.

–You’ve got this!!!!

“To eat steak rare… represents both a nature and a morality.” Roland Barthes BrainyQuotes.com

Try Serving this great steak with a Sparkling Lemon Ginger Punch.