Midsummer feasts: Côte de bœuf with chimichurri
Author: Stewart Turner
Photograph: Jason Lowe
This is one of my favourite barbecue recipes. Not only do the cuts of beef look really impressive, but the flavour is absolutely amazing. Whenever I do a barbecue I like to focus on one really great dish, instead of trying to do too much. I use a bone-in rib-eye as it’s my favourite cut; a bit of fat adds to the flavour, as does cooking on the bone. Sirloin and fillet would work as well, if they are your preference.
As with all my recipes sourcing the best ingredients is essential, in our cellars at No.3 St James’s Street I use a traditional British breed, the belted Galloway from the Lake District, which is dry-aged for 30 to 35 days. You want the cuts to be about four centimetres thick so that you can get a lovely golden colour but still have a nice medium-rare steak. If you are cooking on a charcoal barbecue, make sure you use lump-wood charcoal as it burns at a higher temperature and will ensure the meat is seared perfectly.
Stewart’s wine suggestions: Nero d’Avola, Australian Shiraz or Malbec.
- 2 x 650 to 700g rib-eye steaks on the bone
- Salt and pepper
Light the barbecue, and make sure the charcoal is white hot before cooking. Remove the steaks form the fridge an hour before so that they come up to room temperature. Rub them with olive oil and season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
Place the steaks on the grill and leave for about two to three minutes. Be patient: don’t try and turn them too soon or the crust won’t have formed. Turn them over, cook for a further three minutes, then pop the steaks up on their sides to get a good colour all over the edges. Raise the grill slightly, place the steaks flat on the grill and continue to cook, turning every two minutes until it’s had about 20 minutes. Probe with a thermometer, I take mine to about 50 to 55˚C which is a nice medium-rare, but cook for a little longer if you like it more well-done. If it is browning too much during, raise the grill a bit or move the coals to displace the heat slightly. Place the steaks on a plate and leave to rest for 15 minutes or so in a warm place.
Once rested carve the beef onto a platter. Place any of the resting juices into the chimichurri, mix together and spoon over the beef.
- 120ml olive oil
- 60ml Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar
- 3 tomatoes – peeled, deseeded and diced
- 1 red onion – finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic – finely chopped
- 5g ground cumin
- 5g ground paprika
- 2g ground chilli flakes
- 2tbsp flat parsley – chopped
- 1tbsp chives – chopped
- Salt and Espelette pepper – a good pinch of each
Mix all the ingredients and leave to stand for a couple of hours. It will keep the fridge for a good week.
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