Best Chimichurri Steak Sandwich Recipe with Beef Tenderloin

It’s time for a chimichurri steak sandwich recipe that not only brings out and highlights the natural flavors of the meat, but also provides complementary flavors to each ingredient in the dish.  All wrapped up in hoagie rolls, ciabatta bread, or whatever your preferred outer sandwich wrapper might be!

Chimichurri is a bright green, herbaceous sauce made for meat. It cuts through the fattiness and makes even an ordinary cut of steak taste exceptional, and all it takes is a few simple ingredients.

This chimichurri steak sandwich uses smoked tenderloin for an extra kick of smokiness and a nice tender bed for that sauce. It's simple, but also one of the best sandwiches I've ever eaten. I know you'll feel the same way, so let's get into it!

If you love a good steak, then learn how to cook A5 Wagyu Ribeye or reverse sear a tri-tip. The flavors are incredible and just like this recipe, it's all about applying simple techniques to high quality ingredients.

Equipment

To make this chimichurri sandwich, you’ll need:

• Cutting board
• Smoker
• Leave-in thermometer
• Sharp knife
• Butcher's twine (optional, but recommended)

Ingredients

• Beef Tenderloin - For the best texture and flavor, let the meat come to room temperature before you start smoking. 
• Salt & Pepper
• Sandwich Roll - There are lots of options for this, but I recommend some sort of crusty bread, like sourdough bread or toasted hoagie buns.
• Chimichurri Sauce - I like to use this jalapeno chimichurri sauce made with fresh parsley, cilantro, lime juice, shallot, fresh garlic, jalapeno, and red pepper flakes for tons of flavor. You can either buy chimichurri from the store or make your own at home.
• Provolone Cheese 

If you’re looking for an easy and delicious chimichurri to buy – check out Al Frugoni’s chimichurri

How to Make the Best Chimichurri Steak Sandwich

Prepare the meat

• The first thing that we need to do to prepare our steak sandwich recipe is to make sure we’ve got a clean work surface, and all of our ingredients are within arms' reach.
• Take the beef tenderloin out of the fridge to come to room temperature.  This will ensure that it cooks evenly all the way through at the same time – which is exactly what you want for a steak sandwich recipe.  
• While the steak is coming to temp, get your kosher salt, black pepper, and butchers twine ready (optional, but recommended). Feel free to add some garlic powder, if you want.

Tip: For an extra kick of flavor, you could rub the steak in a thin layer of Worcestershire sauce to make the kosher salt and black pepper adhere better.  If you’d like you can grab a baking sheet and toast your bread ahead of time.

Smoke the meat

• With this cut of beef being a tenderloin, it’s a thick cut that will cook standing upright, so for that I prefer to tie a piece of butcher’s twine around the middle to make it stand up to cook more evenly. It might sound complicated, but it’s an easy step that will product much better results when the meat is cooked. 
• Preheat the smoker to 250F.  You could cook this in the oven as well (I do that often for steak, the smokiness of the steak is one of the stars of the show in this steak sandwich recipe.
• Once the smoker is up to temp, and the meat is seasoned, place the steak on the smoker and using a leave-in meat thermometer, cook the meat until it’s 120F internal temperature.  This will ensure even cooking all the way around. 
• Next we’ll sear the steak using either a hot large cast iron skillet or high heat large pan, or cooking torch. If you go the route of the large skillet, make sure you’re cooking over medium heat with a little butter so it doesn’t burn.  Do this to your preference, just cook until you’ve got the sear that you like without overshooting your temperature.

Note: This is known as a reverse sear.  Done correctly, you’ll end up with a beautiful wall-to-wall pink color on the inside of the steak.  You’ll want to be sure to let the steak rest.  This is critical to keep it juicy so the juices reabsorb into the meat rather than spilling out on the cutting board when you cut it.  This can be an easy step to miss especially if it’s your first time – be aware of this!

Assemble and serve

• Once your cooked steak has had time to rest, grab those slices of provolone cheese out of the fridge. 
• Grab a sharp knife and cut your steak in strips. 
• Lay down the strips on top of the bottom bun.  I prefer toasted so you don’t end up with soggy bread from the items in the sandwich.
• On the bottom piece of bread lay down the steak, then the slice provolone cheese on top of that, and melt either in the broiler or with that kitchen torch we used to sear the steak. Spoon the chimichurri on top, then add the top piece of bread. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Storing Suggestions

It's best to store any leftover meat in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days and store any toppings separately. When you're ready to assemble, warm up the steak in a skillet (be careful not to try it out), then stack and layer the sandwich like normal. 

Tips & Variations

• Play with the sauce. Chimichurri can be made in lots of different ways, as long as you keep the herbs front and center. Instead of lime juice, you can use lemon juice, red wine vinegar, etc.
• Try different garnishes. There are so many toppings you can add to this recipe. It'd be great with sweet caramelized onions, sliced red onions (or pickled ones!), a spread of Dijon mustard, peppery arugula, fresh spinach, and even some pickled jalapenos. 
• Use a different cut of steak. I used a beef tenderloin here, but a flank steak, skirt steak, or sirloin steak would also be delicious.  A ribeye steak sandwich cooked this way would be a favorite for sure as well.  This recipe is more about a guide for flavors rather than a strict steak recipe because there are so many ways to make it great.   

No matter how you do it, you’ll be saying: “This the best way, to make the best steak sandwich”  I guarantee it!

How to Serve

We usually enjoy these sandwiches on their own or with our favorite BBQ sides, like some easy coleslaw, potato chips, or some of my more over-the-top sides, like Smoked Fried Pickle Bites or Pulled Pork Loaded Fries.

FAQs

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