Seared Ribeye steak with Chimichurri or The Making of a Damn Good Steak

(This recipe could be taken to new heights by grilling the ribeye over hot charcoals, but for now let’s just call it the apartment version of a damn good steak.)

This might come as a big surprise but in order to make this recipe you need a damn good steak to begin with. My choice is a dry-aged ribeye on the bone for two. As you can tell from the picture below the bone is gone. My butcher Pablo got distracted after i told him a joke and cut it off. What kind of cans are there in Mexico?…. Mexicans! Haha. I know it’s bad but i like Pablo and he always laughs at my jokes – and better the bone than his finger, or worse… mine!

Here’s a Zen secret i’d like to share with you. I use a spice blend called piri-piri for seasoning which provides some heat, smokiness and overall goodness to the steak. Also a good sprinkle of sea salt will help form a nice crust on the surface. Don’t be shy.

Piri-Piri Spice Mix

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground piri-piri pepper (or cayenne pepper, add more if you wish)

In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients together.

With lots of love, give your steak a good massage with a generous sprinkle of piri-piri and rub the spices in. Be good to your steak now and it will return the favor later – you know… just like real love! A good sprinkle of salt on each sides and let it rest for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the other star of the show – the chimichurri sauce. Don’t be put off by the simplicity of the ingredients, this Argentinian classic is truly excellent and the best accompaniment to a steak ever. This version of chimichurri (and there are many) is in my opinion perfectly balanced.

Argentinian Chimichurri Sauce

  • 1 large bunch of fresh flat leaf parsley, washed, stemmed, and dried
  • 6 cloves of garlic, peeled
  • 2 tablespoons minced onion
  • 1 small carrot, grated
  • 5 tablespoons distilled white vinegar or more to taste
  • 5 tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Finely chop the parsley and garlic in a food processor. Add the onion, carrot, vinegar, water, salt, oregano, pepper flakes and black pepper and process. Add the oil in a thin stream. Do not over process; the chimichurri should be a bit coarse. Correct the seasoning, adding salt or vinegar to taste. Reserve.

Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat. Add a tablespoon of grapeseed or canola oil and when the pan is smoking – carefully add the ribeye. What you are aiming for is a nice crust on each side of the steak. For medium-rare i place the skillet in a 375’F oven for about 10 minutes after searing the ribeye over very high heat. Adjust cooking time to your liking.

When the ribeye is done, let it rest for five minutes on the cutting board. Slicing it too soon would let all the juices escape. Patience is key here. Look at the nice crust on this baby.

The Chimichurri sauce is ready to go and I wish i had smellvision enabled on this computer to share this moment with you. Ah food, glorious food!

Here you have it friends. Give it a try, it’s damn good! Enjoy.

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  • Manggy

    Oh my God! Are you kidding me? There’s nothing simple at all about Chimichurri sauce!! Of course that is from the viewpoint of someone who has never eaten Burrata, Bottarga, or Boa constrictors! That looks SOO good and I’m not even a steak fan. Look at all that gorgeous marbling. The good news is one very kind friend sent me cardamom from the States! Whee!!!

  • waliz

    zen…i love the joke too but i think u r lucky enough to be able to write this new post ALIVE! hehehe….

    love the steak tooo….!

  • Emiline

    That spice mixture looks wonderful. Is that your own recipe?

    Chimichurri seems to be trendy right now. I haven’t made it yet, but I want to. It’s such a beautiful color.

  • Johnny Zone

    Dude “chef to chef” I think the ribeye is the best cut of meat out there because of the marble, fat, texture and flavor. I did a post recently on a ribeye and love to see your way of doing it.

  • Nina’s Kitchen (Nina Timm)

    That steak was cooked to perfection, I honestly could smell it…..

    I don’t know chimichurri at all.

  • DocChuck

    I’ve never been much for putting rubs or sauces on a good aged beef steak, but I must say that your version looks delicious.

    I would think that good marbling would be a necessity for the Piri-Piri rub treatment (at least to my taste).

    Thaks for a great post!

  • Jack

    I’ve started cooking steak more-or-less in the way you describe (the swift sear followed by finishing in the oven) and it really does produce the most delicious, succulent, tender results. This looks good!

  • A Z R A

    and now im hungry!!!! that look so sinful!!!!

  • Brilynn

    I could go for a big chunk of steak right now.. mmmm steak….

  • Tartelette

    Love ribeye, love chimichurri and love piri-piri…swoon :0
    Question: what did you serve with the steak?

  • Kevin

    That steak dinner looks good! I have not tried chimichurri.

  • AzAzura

    You are brilliant!
    I am not a red meat lover , BUT I think I am going to give this one an exception.Gorgeous pictures!Had piri -piri peppers couple of times and I simply love it.

  • Heather

    oh nom nom nom. I love a good steak, and a simple dry rub is always best.

  • Chicken & Waffles

    You had me at meat, Zen. But you know that.

    Your chimichurri looks like manna from heaven. Seriously.

    What is Big Bossman paying you? I’ll double it!

  • Zen Chef

    Manggy. It is simple! The chimichurri can be done in a blender in 5 min. :-)

    Waliz. Thanks for laughing at my jokes. Where should i send you a check? haha

    Emiline. Yes it’s mine. Chimichurri is awesome. You gotta try it!

    Thanks Johnny. Always nice to see fellow chefs around here. Nice motorcycle by the way!

    Thanks a million Nina! :-)

  • Zen Chef

    Docchuck. I agree with you. I usually keep it at salt, pepper and fire but this recipe is a nice variation. And chimichurri is the best thing to put on a steak. Ever!

    Thanks Jack! When are you inviting me for dinner? haha

    Azra. This is pure evil! It will show up on your hips the next day. haha.

    Brilynn. You’re where it’s at! :-)

    Tartelette. J’ai servi des pommes allumettes bien-sur! Et c’etait super bon. :-)

  • Zen Chef

    Thanks Kevin! :-)

    Azura. Thank you! Maybe you’re not a red meat lover because you haven’t tried something like this yet? :-)

    Yup Heather! it’s all in the rub! :-)

    C&W. Ummm you would double big bossman? Wow! haha. Gimme 220G a year and i start on monday! 😉

  • Elle

    It’s fate…I had just finished putting my boys to bed (what an exciting Saturday night, right?) and came downstairs thinking to myself that I’m sick of chicken and need a hunk of beef. (I think strange things at odd times.) And oh man, this is the perfect recipe! My husband and I will love this, thanks!

  • Catherine Wilkinson

    zen,
    I’m replacing my chimi recipe with yours…your blend (carrots!) is awesome. I made my chimichurri with a flat iron steak the other night – bleck. And I like flat iron! I think I’ll use your rub and sauce on an elk tenderloin I’ve been saving for something special. Thanks

  • cakewardrobe

    I don’t think you need a smellevision! I think the “vision” brings the smell in!!!

  • Helene

    I’ll have to try that cut of meat for the meat lovers in my family. With that spice mixture on top they’ll be to heaven.

  • glamah16

    I have all the makings for this piri piri. Last night we had a bad version Chimicurri. I was just parley floating in garlic infused oil. I much like your version. For some reason I cant load this blog into my Google reader.

  • Cynthia

    I have everything I need to make the piri piri and you can bet that I’d be trying this.

  • foodhuntress

    You sound so in- love. From the burrata mon amour to “lots of love” in a steak? Whatta food lover…

  • Function of Time

    This looks complicated but yummy. It looks like it’s worth it!

  • b

    Oh, what is it about a good steak that absolutely melts me every time?! This recipe looks incredible and yet another one of yours that I am vowing to try sometime. Gorgeous photos, too!

  • Patricia Scarpin

    My husband would kill for this food. :)

  • Kate / Kajal

    I love all the fresh spices … ever tried roasting them( the dry ones that is ) a bit and grinding them together in a stone mortar n pestle !!! the spices come alive and the whole house fills up with the aromas.
    K now here’s a deal , u made me some of that stake and i’ll give u one f my minicakes …. Even Steven – we both go home happy !!! how about that ?:p

  • Alejandra

    You know, reading this post yesterday made me crave steak something awful. I ended up throwing some skirt steak on the grill pan; not quite ribeye, but actually my favorite. I could LIVE on churrasco. I love chimichurri; it’s basically been a dinner table staple in my house for as long as I can remember. It’s like ketchup to us.

  • Ann

    “Thanks Jack! When are you inviting me for dinner? haha”

    Please. I already offered to supply the wine in exchange for your Bottarga. But did you show up? Noooooooo.

    We really are going to have to arrange something, you know. :-)

  • White On Rice Couple

    Hey Zen! You totally did justice to this marvelous piece of steak! We just fed some friends Rib Eye the other night (ouch!$$$$$$), but it was totally worth it. The spice blend you used is kick ass !

  • amy

    Your chimichurri looks really nice – way thicker than I’ve ever had it, but that could be a really good thing! We’ve made it many times, but never consider emulsifying it. Looks bright, fresh and delicious. That steak is making me feel all sorts of naughty feelings. ha! – amy @ http://www.weareneverfull.com

  • MrsDocChuck

    My husband is severely disabled (mental) and we are unable to travel anymore, except through viewing new and exciting sites on the internet.

    I made the piri piri steak for him last weekend (but not the chimichurri which he confused with chimichanga).

    It was stellar!

    We will travel with you to exotic locations frequently, now that we have found this site. THANKS!

  • DocChuck

    The poster above (MrsDocChuck) . . . note the IP address . . . is once again Louise (“chiffOnade”) in Clearwater, Florida who apparently gets off on disrupting other people’s BLOGS, and attempting to imitate the real DocChuck.

    Louise (“chiffOnade”) has not been the same since her fourth divorce, her second suicide attempt, her daughter’s incarceration for selling drugs, and her mother Aida’s death.

    Kindly do NOT confuse ChiffOnade’s remarks with any normal, intelligent person’s comments.

  • MrsDocChuck

    My husband is unwell, and his heavy medication has robbed him of his joie de vivre as well as confused his thinking.

    Many apologies.

  • DocChuck

    Apologies are not needed from “chiffOnade” in Clearwater, Florida, from her relative David Liske (LunaPierCook) and from Jaden Hair (Steamy Kitchen).

    These folks have teamed up to disrupt other folk’s websites using the guise of “MrsDocChuck.”

    Most reputable food blogs have recognized these three individuals, and have placed “blocks” to prevent them from posting on their sites.

    Each of the three individuals seem to have their own personal reasons for disrupting other websites.

  • Peter M

    That is a beautiful piece of meat…look at that marbling!

  • MrsDocChuck

    His medication has become extremely expensive and is only partially covered by insurance, so we had to cut back on it.

    Now seeing what has happened (venomous, rambling, and accusatory posts on upstanding websites) I feel we have no choice but to sell his beloved “My Pretty Pony” collection on EBay in order to raise funds for his mood stabilizers.

  • Jan

    Steak Mmmmmm I love steak and yours looks deeee lish!

  • Norm Schoen

    I love, love, love Chimichurri!

  • Martin Jordan

    Somethig about the Piri-Piri.
    I’ll recommend to add exactly these small peppers. In the ex-Portuguese colonies are called the African Devil.
    So, they will give an unforgettable taste to the steak…

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mnvDSHae20

  • Mariam

    I’ve had this bookmarked for a while, finally made it the other night. it was SO good!
    The flavor was spot on. Just one thing my carrot turned my chimichurri more orange than your picture but still fantastic. thanks!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=767180363 Ana Anastassia

    There are a lot of chimiccuri sauce in the intraweb, but i have to admit i really really love this one that you share.

    Love it <3 Thank you so much.