This churrasco recipe is marinated skirt steak that is grilled to tender perfection, then topped with a fresh and flavorful chimichurri sauce. An easy dinner option that’s quick enough for a busy weeknight, but elegant enough to serve to company.
You can never go wrong with a hearty steak dinner, whether it’s a New York strip steak with garlic butter, grilled flank steak, Steak Diane, air fryer steak or this restaurant style churrasco.
There is a restaurant in my area that serves the best churrasco. The combination of tender smoky meat with vibrant chimichurri sauce just can’t be beat! I’ve recreated this dish at home with excellent results that will make dinner at home feel like a special occasion. For more fabulous international beef dinner ideas, don’t miss my ropa vieja and lomo saltado recipes!
Table of Contents
Churrasco Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need olive oil, orange juice, lemon juice, lime juice, cloves of garlic, kosher salt, black pepper, oregano, skirt steak, shallot, red chili, red wine vinegar, parsley and cilantro.
How Do You Make Churrasco?
Start by preparing a marinade made with citrus juices, olive oil, garlic, herbs and seasonings. Let the meat sit in the marinade for at least one hour, or up to 8 hours. Place the steak on the grill, and cook for a few minutes on each side. While the steak is on the grill, prepare the chimichurri sauce. Thinly slice the meat, add a spoonful of sauce over the top, then serve and enjoy.
Tips For The Perfect Dish
- I recommend using a meat thermometer to make sure your steak is at your desired level of doneness. I typically cook my steak to medium, which is approximately 140 degrees F.
- This dish is best when you serve it immediately. Leftovers will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- If it’s too cold to grill outside, try using an indoor grill pan, or cook the meat on the stove top in a heavy skillet.
- Be sure to slice your skirt steak against the grain for the most tender pieces of meat
Quick Tip
Both the marinade and the chimichurri sauce can be prepared up to one day before you plan to use them.
Recipe FAQs
The term churrasco refers to grilled meat, typically beef, and is a dish common in South American countries including Brazil, Chile, Guatemala and Uruguay. Each country in South America has its own rendition of the dish, but the commonality is thin pieces of steak that are cooked on a grill or in a hot skillet.
Churrasco is made with thin cuts of tender beef, and often uses cuts such as flank steak, skirt steak, sirloin or tenderloin. Thicker pieces of meat such as tenderloin are typically butterflied or cut into thinner pieces before they’re cooked. I typically use skirt steak because it’s naturally thin which means you don’t have to cut it before grilling, and it has tons of flavor.
The sauce for this recipe is so easy to make, and adds a fresh element to counteract the richness of the meat. In a small bowl, mix together minced shallot, red chilies, vinegar, parsley, cilantro, oregano and olive oil. Use immediately, or store in the fridge for up to one day.
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Serving Suggestions
There are so many different side dishes that pair well with this recipe!
- Potatoes: Steak and potatoes are always a perfect match! Try serving your churrasco with mashed red potatoes, homemade french fries or oven roasted potatoes. If you’re looking to save on a few carbs, swap out the mashed potatoes for mashed cauliflower.
- Vegetables: I typically serve a green vegetable with my steak such as grilled asparagus, roasted green beans, sauteed broccolini or roasted mushrooms.
- Grains: Try offering up cilantro lime rice with your meat, the rice will soak up all the great flavors of the chimichurri!
My family requests churrasco on a regular basis and I’m always happy to oblige – it’s just that good!
More Steak Recipes You’ll Enjoy
Churrasco with Chimichurri Video
Love This Recipe?
Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
Churrasco with Chimichurri
Ingredients
For the churrasco
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 pounds skirt steak
For the chimichurri sauce
- 2 tablespoons shallot minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh red chili minced, such as jalapeno or fresno chili
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley leaves chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For the churrasco
- Place the olive oil, orange juice, lime juice, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and oregano in a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Add the steak to the bowl and spoon the marinade over the top. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least one hour, or up to 8 hours.
- Remove the steak from the marinade, scraping off any larger pieces. Preheat the grill to medium high heat.
- Place the meat on the grill. Cook for 4-5 minutes per side or until desired level of doneness is reached.
- Let the meat rest for at least 5 minutes, then thinly slice against the grain.
For the chimichurri sauce
- Place all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Stir until well combined.
- Spoon the chimichurri sauce over the steak, then serve.
Notes
- I like to cook my steak to medium which means it’s light pink in the center.
- If you can’t find a red chili pepper, feel free to substitute a green one instead.
On the Churrasco steak with Chimichurri sauce, the recipe came out great but I found the Chimichurri sauce to be a bit oily. Would it be okay just to use a 1/3 cup of Olive Oil instead of a 1/2 cup
Can you make the marinade the night before?
Yes that’s fine!
The marinade made it so tender and flavorful and the chimichurri turned out perfect
What a flavorful recipe for steak! I just love everything that is in the marinade and the chimichurri sauce.
We loved this! Had it over the weekend, got to eat outside for the first time this season, and this was perfect. Such bright flavors!
This recipe is a great choice for a summer barbecue or any occasion that calls for a delicious and easy-to-prepare meal!
OMG love chimichurri! it’s so great on this churrasco. thanks for the tasty recipe
This was everything a gourmet meal should be, and then some! The chimichurri sauce was spot on delicious; my whole family loved it!
I love steak and yours looks delicious. Thanks for sharing your chimichurri too!
The chimichurri sauce sounds so flavorful! It will be perfect with steak and veggies.
This chimichurri sauce is so refreshing and adds tons of flavor to the perfects cooked chrrasco!
This looks like such a tasty summer recipe! Thanks for sharing can’t wait to try it.
I loved the chimichirri sauce! It was very refreshing and the amount of acid was just perfect!
Thanks for all the information on churrasco — never heard of it until now. I love chimichurri sauce so this is definitely going on my to-make list this weekend! Yum!
Thank you for both recipes, they pair so perfectly together. I love how the fresh chimichurri offsets the skirt steak.
This was so hearty and satisfying, and the chimichurri sauce was packed with flavor!
This might be the best grilled steak I’ve ever made! And such great flavor from the chimichurri sauce! Definitely a repeat recipe!