Chimichurri: Argentina's Natural Condiment
Channel your inner Gaucho and elevate your end-of-summer barbecue with this vibrant condiment
For quite some time now, I have been drawn to cooking with live, wood fire.There is nothing better than the smell of some oak burning in the fire pit as drippings of beef fat ignite on the hot embers below. It’s such a primal way of cooking and the flavors are unmatched. I am immediately taken back to a time when cowboys pulled their chuckwagons around the grasslands of the American West and cooked their meals over fires after driving cattle for the day. I love this way of cooking and a lot of my favorite things to cook come from the land of the Cowboy.
Chimichurri is essentially a vinaigrette with a larger volume of herbs and aromatics. It’s made up of a few simple ingredients that, when combined, create a fist full of flavor that will punch you straight in the tongue, but in a good way.
If you know much about live fire cooking, then you have probably heard of Francis Mallmann, world renowned Argentinian chef, known for cooking on all sorts of wild contraptions over open fires. Imagine rebar cages with all sorts of meats, vegetables, and fruits hanging from wires around a giant ring of smoldering firewood. Or, multi-tier, wood-fired ovens, filled with fish that have been buried in piles of salt. He is the master of outdoor, live fire cookery. As it turns out, Argentina has its own famous cowboy lore: the Gaucho, a nomadic and colorful horseman and cowhand of the Pampas, or grasslands of Argentina and Uruguay. These guys carry big knives and cook Asado. So, naturally, with my love of fire and cowboy cookery, I feel very drawn to Argentine cuisine.
After learning about Mallmann and Argentine-style cooking, you quickly discover the country’s national sauce: Chimichurri — an incredibly flavorful combination of fresh herbs, aromatics, acid and fat. It is used on a wide variety of grilled meats, fish, vegetables, and sandwiches. It’s bright, acidic, and fresh flavors are great at cutting through the fattiness of grilled beef and sausages. It is, by far, one of my favorite toppings for meat.
Chimichurri is essentially a vinaigrette with a larger volume of herbs and aromatics. It’s made up of a few simple ingredients that, when combined, create a fist full of flavor that will punch you straight in the tongue, but in a good way. The ingredients can be broken down into four main groups.
Herbs
The bulk of this workhorse is parsley, making up the largest portion of this sauce and provides it’s distinct flavor.Fat
Extra virgin olive oil is the fat of choice here. It helps the sauce cling to the meat and to our tongues as we eat. This also helps the flavors of the sauce to linger on our taste buds, increasing the flavor experience.Acid
Red wine vinegar is the standard. The goal here is to bring brightness and sourness to the sauce. It’s the perfect contrast to rich, smoky meats. The addition of acid also causes us to salivate more as we eat, increasing the mouth pleasure.
Aromatics and Spices
These are the background flavors that help to tie everything together and make it all just a bit more interesting. This includes garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano, onion, and salt. While oregano is an herb, it is usually a small amount and, often, a dry version.
THE ORIGIN STORY
Like many recipes, it’s hard to pinpoint an exact origin story for chimichurri. Argentina is made up of immigrants of several different European countries, as well as the indigenous peoples of the region. Some people think that the Gauchos created it as they moved their herds of cattle across the Pampas regions. Others think that it may have come from the Quechua people who originally inhabited the lands in and around Argentina. While others think that it was a variant of a Basque-style herb sauce, called Tximitxurri. This sauce is made up of parsley, garlic, smoked paprika, olive oil, vinegar, and salt, which is pretty similar to chimichurri. But, more than likely, it was probably a mix of influence from all of these groups and others, as people migrated into the region and began working with what they had on hand at the moment.
THE VERSATILITY
The cool thing about chimichurri is that, once you know the basic concepts, you can modify it to included different herbs, vinegars, or spices. Trade out some of the parsley for some cilantro and add some habaneros and now it’s a completely different sauce, while still maintaining all the attributes of a traditional chimichurri. You could also add in some roasted red bell peppers and some cumin. BOOM! A red chimichurri style sauce with completely different flavors, but with very little difference in the recipe or technique.
Traditionally, the herbs are chopped by hand and then mixed with the other ingredients. This results in a chunkier, more rustic version. Alternatively, you can throw all the ingredients into a food processor and blend it all into a very smooth and homogenous sauce. This method changes the texture and appearance of the chimichurri. Both versions will taste great. You may just have to experiment and figure out which way you prefer it, as well as which version works best for your intended use.
EVER MADE DRY CHIMICHURRI?
While chimichurri made with fresh herbs is phenomenal, it also has a short shelf life after making it. The other issue that presents itself is the fact that you may not always have fresh herbs on hand when you’re craving a flavorful topping for a juicy piece of grilled meat. On our most recent trip to Wilmington, North Carolina I found an answer to this dilemma.
Since we have three young kids, we have started renting houses for our vacations. We like to find places with a pool and a grill. We will scout out local butcher shops, farm markets, gourmet groceries, and any fresh seafood markets in the area. We will then cook about half or more of our meals at the rental house while the kids play in the pool.
On this particular trip we found a small shop called The Butcher’s Market. They had some of the best cuts of meat, fresh seafood, and a large variety of dry goods. After a lengthy and expensive stroll through the shop, we left with several bags of goodies. A few Picanha steaks and a Terres Major filet, a couple coils of parsley, cheese, and wine sausages, some coffee sodas, and....a bottle of dry chimichurri mix. That night we fired up the grill, seasoned the Terres Major simply, with some salt and pepper, and topped with our newly discovered chimichurri mix. With the addition of a little vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, this dry chimichurri mix was a very convincing alternative to the fresh version.
So, before the warm weather leaves us, fire up the grill, chop some herbs, and whip up a batch of chimichurri. Whether you choose to use fresh herbs or dry, blended or chopped, it’s going to take your barbecue to a whole new level of flavor.
This article was written by Tony Mann. If you enjoyed his writing and you would like more, check out his site, oakandblade.com, where he writes about all things food. If you like this, you’ll enjoy his guide for the perfect Texas Style Brisket. You can also reach him on Instagram @oak_and_blade.
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Yes, but what do you do with it? Is it a sauce for on meats, or are they other uses?
Wild. I've been thinking of making chimichurri sauce for the past couple of days, then this shows up in my feed. Guess I have to do it now. Thank you! Great article!