Fraldinha On The Barbecue

This time on in our “How to cook”, I have chosen my favourite cut of meat for outside grilling – skirt steak. This cut, also known as ‘Fraldinha’, is the perfect match with Chimichurri sauce. I’ll also share some tips here with you about making the Chimichurri at home.

The skirt is cut from under the breast and rarely is thicker than ¾ inch, which makes it excellent for quick grilling on high temperature. When buying Skirt, ask your butcher for the outside cut, which is a little more tender than the inside cut.

Learning how to grill skirt steak is easiest on a charcoal grill, where you can get the grate really close to an extremely hot fire. This great cut of meat is usually really thin, so the key is to grill it quickly over a super-hot barbecue. A friend of mine actually cooks it straight on the coals, but I prefer to use my little tabletop charcoal grill.

Ingredients:

12oz Skirt steak (for two people)
Coarse Salt

Leave the skirt steak on the counter at room temperature for at least 20 minutes up to an hour, season with coarse salt 10 minutes before cooking.
Once the grill is really hot, place the steak over the hottest part of the fire whilst the flames are still burning. We are looking for a quick sear, as much fire as possible, so let it flare up.
Grill the skirt steak for 2 minutes on each side, just enough to get a nice sear. Immediately wrap the grilled skirt steaks in a double layer of aluminium foil, sealing it tightly. Leave the meat to rest and warm up on the inside for around 5 minutes.
Once rested, open the tinfoil and cut the piece of skirt steak in half first, then cut the two halves against the grain.
Now is that moment that brings this cut to another level, time to pour our tangy Chimichurri over the steak. It works perfectly with Skirt and is definitely a ‘must’ for us on any BBQ this summer.

Chimichurri Recipe

Ingredients for Chimichurri:

50g Parsley
10g Thyme
10g Rosemary
10g Oregano
Half of a red chilli
Half of a white onion
1 tbsp of salt
½ tbsp of black pepper
100ml white vinegar
30ml extra virgin olive oil
50ml sunflower oil
50ml water

This chimichurri can be prepared in advance and kept in the fridge for up to a week.

Tip: Chimichurri Tastes Better When It’s Cold!

You just need a chopping board and a little bowl. Simply chop everything as small as you can, mix all the dry and wet ingredients together and let them do the magic themselves. The result is a tangy and spicy combination that will enhance the flavour of anything on your BBQ and a definite favourite for South Americans.
Anyhow, this weather is perfect for testing your barbecue skills and trying our Grilled Skirt with Chimichurri.

Francisco Martinez