Tag: beef
Argentinian Style Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
Argentinian Style Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
Argentinians love beef. They happen to have the second highest consumption rate of beef in the world, consuming an average of 125lbs per person annually. They are the third largest beef exporter in the world, right behind Brazil and Australia. It’s safe to say, they know beef.Argentinian style steaks are prepared very simply; nothing more than olive oil, sea salt and cracked black pepper. Their steaks are always grilled over a charcoal flame. The steaks are served with chimichurri sauce, which is the Argentinian version of steak sauce. Chimichurri is red wine vinegar based, with cilantro, parsley, garlic, and onions. Great steak options for grilling include ribeye, ny strip, porterhouse, top sirloin, flank steak, and skirt steak. Before you cook your steaks, let them rest at room temp for 30 minutes. To get a perfect medium rare, I like to have my steaks 1 1/4”thick, cooked 5-6 minutes a side. If you don’t have a charcoal grill: broiling, pan frying, or even baking in the oven are still good methods of cooking. High heat is the key to great steaks, so get your grill, broiler, pan, or oven hot. Your steaks will only need to be flipped once, so don’t futz around with it. Once the steak is finished to your desired doneness, let them rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting into it.
Equipment
- food processor
- chimney starter
- charcoal
- charcoal grill
Ingredients
- new york strip, ribeye, porterhouse, or t-bone 1 1/4” thick
- olive oil
- coarse ground sea salt
- coarse ground black pepper
Chimichurri Sauce
- 1/2 cup parsley
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 medium white onion
- 6 garlic cloves
- 4 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp coarse ground sea salt
- 1/2 tsp corase ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp hot chili flakes
Instructions
Chimichurri Sauce
- Blend all of the ingredients together. Let sit in the refrigerator for 2 hours before using.
Argentinian Style Steak
- Rub a very small amount of olive oil on your steak. Coat each side with a generous amount of sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Let rest at room temp for 30 minutes.
- Let your charcoal turn gray in your chimney starter. Pour in the grill and place on the grate. Place the steak directly over the charcoal.
- Grill the steaks for 5-6 minutes a side for medium rare, flipping only once. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
- Spoon chimichurri over your steak.
Angwa Mo
Angwa Mo
Angwa mo is a traditional Ghanaian beef rice recipe. Angwa mo translates to “oiled rice.” Instead of using day old rice and frying, the raw rice is sautéed with the onions and salted beef. Water is then added to it and simmered until it is absorbed. The rice is typically served with tinned sardines and fried eggs.What is different about this rice, especially to the American palate, is the concept of making the tolo beef. The beef is heavily salted and stored in a container at room temperature for 2 days. Yes, room temp beef for 2 days. I must admit, I was really skeptical in making this. I didn’t really want food poisoning, because in my mind and most others, leaving meat out for 2 days doesn’t sound safe. Amazingly enough, it didn’t stink one bit. It honestly looked more like a big piece of beef jerky, just more tender. Once the rice was finished, I tried a piece of the beef on it’s own. It really just tasted like salty beef. Nothing pungent or off in taste. Matter of fact, this rice was really good. Then when you think of it, this is how people preserved meat when there was no refrigeration. So give this “what looks like a risky recipe but not risky at all” recipe a try.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Tolo Beef
- 4 oz top sirloin
- 2 tbsp sea salt
- 3 bay leaves
Angwa Mo
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 4 oz tolo beef diced
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp beef bouillon powder
- 2 serrano peppers finely chopped
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp black pepper
Instructions
Tolo Beef
- Add 2 tbsp of sea salt to the piece of sirloin in a small container. Make sure all sides are encrusted as much as possible. Add the bay leaves. Let sit at room temperature for 24 hours.
- Pour out any liquid from the container.
- Add a little more salt to the beef. Cover and let sit for another 24 hours at room temperature.
- Pour out all of the remaining liquid. Wash the beef of any excess salt.
- Dice up the salted beef.
Angwa Mo
- Heat up cooking oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add in the chopped onions. Season with 2 tsp of salt. Cook down until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Take out half of the onions and set aside.
- Add in the salted beef. Give it a mix.
- Stir in the rice. Fry for 2 minutes, constantly stirring.
- Add in the serrano peppers.
- Pour in the water. Add the beef bouillon. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the other half of the sautéed onion back in. Simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Take off the heat. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Red Beef Barbacoa
Red Beef Barbacoa
There are numerous versions of barbacoa recipes all over Mexico. Traditionally, barbacoa is meat wrapped in banana leaves and roasted in a pit in the ground. The pit is covered with firewood, then soil. The meat is roasted overnight for the next day. While there are areas in Mexico that still prepare barbacoa this way, most people make it in the oven and stove top. This particular recipe cooks the beef in an Instant Pot, then finishes on the stove top. If you don’t have an Instant Pot, the beef can be cooked in the oven at 300 degrees for 4 hours or in a crock pot for 6 hours.Once the meat is cooked, it’s tossed in an adobo sauce made of ancho and morita peppers. If you’ve never had a morita pepper, it’s really similar to a chipotle pepper, but dried. Beef barbacoa is great as taco meat, on tortas, huaraches, or just on its own.
Equipment
- instant pot
Ingredients
- 3 lbs chuck cubed
- 1 lb beef shank bones
- 1/2 medium onion
- 10 garlic cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 avocado leaves
- 2 cups water
Adobo Sauce
- 6 dried ancho peppers
- 1 dried morita pepper
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp Mexican oregano
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Place the cubed chuck, beef bones, onion, garlic, bay leaves, and avocado leaves in the Instant Pot. Turn the function to pressure cook on high for 60 minutes. Place the cover on and push start.
- Release the pressure. Throw away the beef bones, bay and avocado leaves. Scoop out all of the beef from the liquid and set aside.
- While the beef is cooking, soak the dried peppers in hot water for 30 minutes.
- In a blender or food processor, combine the dried peppers, garlic, oregano, and 1 cup of the water the peppers soaked in.
- Purée until smooth.
- Heat up vegetable oil in a large sauce pan over medium high heat. Pour in the sauce and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add in the beef, making sure that it’s coated in the adobo sauce. Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat. If the meat gets too dry, add in a half cup of the liquid from the beef.
