Coffee Rubbed Steaks with Chimichurri Sauce

Tis the grilling season.  Now that the rainy and cold Memorial Day weekend is behind us, I have high hopes that these Coffee Rubbed Steaks with Chimichurri Sauce will become a nice staple — or at least the occasional treat — this summer.

I had been looking for a new preparation of steak that was different and more flavorful than the simple standby preparation of garlic, salt and pepper, yet I was wanting something fresh and herby with the zip that summer demands.  Bring on these Coffee Rubbed Steaks with Chimichurri Sauce!

I wish I could take credit for this recipe that I tweaked ever so slightly from one I found in the June 2013 Food & Wine, but I can’t. I can, however, recommend it for your next grill night.  You can taste the dry rub of dark coffee and ancho chili powder in each bite.  And this intense flavor is offset nicely by a variety of fresh herbs.We grilled the steak to somewhere between medium and medium rare and placed it atop grilled romaine and half of the herb salad. It was then dusted with the remaining herb salad and the chimichurri.

A few suggestions and slight deviations from the original recipe.The night we tried this, we only cooked two large strip steaks about 14 oz each, instead of 4 10 oz steaks. Consequently, I only made half of the dry rub. And in all honesty, the halved portion was probably enough rub for three large steaks that could serve six people easy.  Below I recommend 1/2 the rub that is originally recommended with three steaks to serve 6, except I kept the original amount of salt.  Because you slice the strip steak, the meat goes further, particularly if you are going family style with a variety of options.

I found the chimichurri sauce from the original recipe to be a tad too vinegary for my tastes. Next time I will cut back on vinegar and increase the oil.  That is what I have recommended below.  If you enjoy vinegar sweats or have some truly amazing expensive vinegars, by all means stick with the original recipe, which can be found here.

I thought that adding grilled romaine was an excellent addition to the recipe because it made for a snazzy presentation and it worked with the flavors of the steak and herb salad.

Finally, I always use honey over sugar when I can, and I did so here for the chimichurri sauce.  I think the health benefits of substituting honey over sugar are marginal at best, but I don’t care.  I find it easier to use a squirt of honey, rather than go rooting around my pantry to find the sugar.  I also added a pinch of cayenne because why not!

All in all, if you are looking for something different to serve guests at a BBQ that makes for a lovely presentation, these Coffee Rubbed Strip Steaks with Chimichurri Sauce are the way to go.  The leftovers are great for lunch the next day too!

Coffee Rubbed Steaks with Chimichurri SaucePrep time:  20 mins
Cook time:  14 mins
Total time:  34 mins
Serves: 6 

Ingredients

CHIMICHURRI

• 3 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
• ¼ c tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 small shallot, minced
• ¼ cup finely chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• Sea Salt
• Freshly ground pepper

• 1 tablespoons finely ground dark-roast coffee beans
• 1 tablespoons chile powder
• 1 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• ½ tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• Three 12-14 ounce strip steaks

• 2 hearts of romaine lettuce, roughly quartered
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Sea Salt
• Fresh Ground Pepper

• 1½ cups cilantro leaves
• 1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
• ½ cup snipped chives
• 1 small shallot, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper

1. MAKE THE CHIMICHURRI In a medium bowl, whisk the vinegars with the olive oil and sugar. Stir in the shallot, parsley, cilantro, chives and oregano and season with salt and pepper, adding a pinch of cayenne for a slight kick. Let the chimichurri stand for at least 20 minutes and for up to 2 hours.
2. MEANWHILE, PREPARE THE STEAK In a small bowl, mix the ground coffee with the chile powder, brown sugar, paprika, cumin and salt. Pat the steaks all over with the coffee-chile rub and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
3. Light a grill. Grill the steaks over moderate heat, turning once, until they’re nicely charred outside and medium-rare within, 11 to 13 minutes. Medium in about 13-15 minutes. Transfer to a platter and let rest for 10 minutes.
4. MAKE THE GRILLED ROMAINE. In a large bowl, toss the quartered romaine hearts with oil, salt and pepper. Grilled for about 5-7 minutes, turning occasionally to avoid over-charring.
5. MAKE THE SALAD In a large bowl, toss the cilantro, parsley, chives and shallot. Add 3 tablespoons of the chimichurri, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat the herbs.
6. Thinly slice the steaks and arrange on the platter; spoon some of the chimichurri on the meat. Serve with the herb salad. Pass the remaining chimichurri on the side.
7. MAKE AHEAD. The chimichurri sauce can be refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature before serving.