Shredded Beef Sandwiches with Chimichurri Mayonnaise

by | Dec 7, 2015 | Recipes

CIG_0Ingredients

1 flank steak (about 2 lb/0.9kg)
1 (12 oz/355 mL) bottle of pilsner-style beer
1 lime, halved and juiced
8 large garlic cloves, smashed and roughly chopped
2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil
1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp (5 mL) coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground cumin
1/2 cup (125 mL) butter, softened
1/4 cup (60 mL) cream cheese or goat cheese, softened
1/2 cup (125 mL) mayonnaise
1/4 cup (60 mL) chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 green onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp (2 mL) finely ground black pepper
Pinch cayenne
Pinch ground cumin
Kosher salt

Method

Taken from The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Smoking Foods.

Use a sharp knife to remove the silver skin or sinew from the steak, leaving as much of the fat intact as possible. Place steak in a large re-sealable bag. Add beer and all but 1 teaspoon lime juice along with lime halves, garlic, oil, chili flakes, pepper and cumin. Seal the bag, pressing out as much of the air as possible, and gently massage to evenly coat the steak. Marinate in the refrigerator, turning the bag every 4 to 6 hours, for 24 hours.

Preheat the smoker as per manufacturer’s instruction to 180ºF/82ºC to 210ºF/99ºC using oak wood chunks or chips, soaked in water.

Arrange steak on a smoking rack. Insert thermometer probe into the thickest portion of the steak. Set the internal temperature for 150ºF/66ºC. Smoke for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until internal temperature is achieved.

Transfer steak to a cutting board and brush all over with all but 2 teaspoons of the softened butter. Wrap tightly in 6 layers of heavy-duty plastic food wrap – yes, I said 6 layers. Nice and tight please! Then wrap in 2 layers of heavy-duty foil.

Return steak to the smoker and re-insert meat probe thermometer into the center of the wrapped set. Set the internal temperature for 200ºF/93ºC. Smoke for 2 hours or until internal temperature is achieved.

Meanwhile, whisk cream cheese with mayonnaise until smooth. Stir in parsley, green onion, garlic, pepper, chili flakes, cayenne, cumin and reserved 1 teaspoon lime juice until well combined.  Season with salt to taste. Store, in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.

Transfer wrapped steak to a large bowl. Remove wraps, being careful of the steam, and transfer steak to a second bowl. Shred the steak into fine strands using tongs, two forks, or in my case, hands of steel. Toss the shredded meat with the reserved 2 teaspoons butter and enough of the cooking juices to moisten. Serve immediately with Chimichurri Mayonnaise. I like to serve it on soft, tender onion buns with lettuce, sliced beef steak tomatoes and shaved red onion.

Variation: Instead of shredding the steak, just smoke it until the internal temperature reaches 135ºF/57ºC for rare. Skip the wrapping and just let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing it very thinly. Pile the sliced beef high on pillowy rolls and garnish however you like. There you go – 2 recipes in one. Bonus!