Chipotle Lime London Broil with Cilantro Chimichurri

Tomorrow is Father’s Day. All across this great land, families will be gathering for a barbecue. Barbecues are a Father’s Day Tradition, right?

If Dad must be in the backyard grilling, let’s get Mom involved, too. While a London Broil (just a fancy name for a cheap cut of meat) might scare some folks, when handled correctly a London Broil can be amazingly tender and succulent. That’s where team work comes in. At least in our house it does. I do the prep work, Hubby does the grilling.

The most important secret to a good London Broil is to tenderize the meat. This particular recipes uses both salt and the acidity of lime juice to break down and tenderize the meat. Flash grilling to sear the outside while keeping the interior a nice, some-what-bloody dark pink is another. If you want a steak that is well done, first off shame on you! And secondly, a London Broil will become your next pair of leather shoes if you try to over cook it.

Chipotle Lime London Broil with Cilantro Chimichurri
Chipotle Marinated Steak
1 head Garlic
1 can Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
1 bunch Cilantro, divided
1 Lime, juiced
1 London Broil Steak
Kosher Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice off garlic head to expose some of the cloves inside. Place the heads on a piece of foil. Drizzle with olive oil and wrap in the foil. Roast until cloves are lightly browned and tender, about 20 minutes. The garlic should be soft, but not mussy. Let cool. Squeeze cloves from their skins and set aside.

Strip leaves from the cilantro stems. Reserve leaves for the Chimichurri.

In a blender or food processor, combine the chipotle peppers including the adobo sauce, roasted garlic, and cilantro stems. Squeeze juice from lime over the chipotle mixture. Puree until smooth. Set aside.

Generously season steak with salt and pepper. Coat steak with chipotle mixture. Wrap in plastic wrap to seal and refrigerate for at lease 3 hours or overnight.

Cilantro Chimichurri
1 Jalapeño Pepper
2 Garlic Cloves
Reserved Cilantro Leaves
1 Lime, juiced
Drizzle Olive Oil

Roast Jalapeño in a dry skillet until blistered, turned as needed for even roasting. Remove stem, chop pepper and set aside. Peel garlic cloves, chop and set aside.

Place reserved cilantro leaves in a blender. Add roasted Jalapeño and garlic cloves. Cut lime in half, squeeze juice over the cilantro leaves. While the blender is running, slowly add the oil. Puree until smooth. Refrigerate Cilantro Chimichurri until the steaks are cooked.

Heat the grill to medium-high heat. Oil grate to prevent steak from sticking. Grill the steak over direct heat about 6 minutes per side for medium doneness.

Let steak rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Slice on a bias, fan out on a serving platter. Drizzle with some of the Chimichurri for a bright presentation, serve with remaining Chimichurri on the side.

Great with warm tortillas and skillet fried potatoes.