Churrasco Skirt Steak Cuban-Style

with Marinade Recipe

Glenn Lindgren: In Argentina, where this style of cooking developed, "churrasco" actually refers to many types of meats prepared on the grill.

Raúl Musibay: But here in Miami, a churrasco steak specifically refers to a cut of beef prepared in the Argentine style.

Jorge Castillo: It's also popular with Nicaraguans. You'll see it on the menu of many restaurants. The churrasco steak is a long flat cut of skirt steak, cut from the "plate" of the cow.

Glenn Lindgren: You might find it sold at some butcher shops as a "plate" steak. Don't confuse it with the flank steak, a similar cut, but NOT the same!

Jorge Castillo: The churrasco steak is typically marinated to make it tender and full of flavor. The Argentine version uses a mildly flavored marinade or sometimes no marinade at all.

Glenn Lindgren: We like to "Cubanize" the dish by marinating the churrasco steak overnight in our own homemade mojo marinade.

Raúl Musibay: Churrasco steak is always served with a good chimichurri sauce. We like to use our Cuban version – it has a different flavor than the typical Argentine version!

Jorge Castillo: If you're having trouble finding churrasco cut steaks in your area, you might try a Latin American or even a Mexican market. Mexican cooks like to use this cut of meat for making fajitas. Otherwise, talk to a good butcher. Tell them you want a skirt steak, cut from the plate and sliced long. It should look something like the picture below.

A typical churrasco steak: a skirt steak, cut from the plate and sliced long.

How to Make the Best Churrasco Estilo Cubano

Churrasco Skirt Steak – Cuban-Style

By Three Guys From Miami

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 18 minutes
Total time: 28 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

To make it tender and full of flavor, the churrasco steak is typically marinated in this marinade:

INGREDIENTS:

3 pounds beef skirt steak, cut long
3 heads garlic (about 30 to 40 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 onion, minced
2 teaspoons oregano
1 cup olive oil

Mojo Marinade

To make the marinade:

Mash garlic, salt, and peppercorns into a paste, using a mortar and pestle. 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 mojo 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.

This recipe and editorial content from the book: "Three Guys From Miami Cook Cuban."

No copying or commercial duplication of any content (including photos) without the
express written permission of the authors and proper attribution.

Grilling the Meat

Grill the marinated steaks outdoors on the barbecue. (Make sure your coals are hot and white!) You can cook them however you like your steak – from rare to well done. However, we recommend that you cook it RARE!

The rarer the meat, the more tender and flavorful!

Serve the meat with the chimichurri sauce – it tastes great!