Black Garlic Chimichurri

A Tasty Riff on a Classic Steak Sauce

Hey, everyone.

I originally published this recipe as part of a ribeye tutorial I did, but I’ve since refined it a bit and I think it’s worth having on its own.

This sauce is a riff on an Argentine classic and one of the all-time great steak sauces— chimichurri. A classic chimichurri is usually made with minced raw garlic, and only includes parsley and oregano. I’ve added cilantro because it’s one of my favorite herbs and I think it adds a lot of character here. But the real star of the show is black garlic. Black garlic is an aged version of garlic that's jet-black, slightly sweet, and full of umami. It provides an incredible, lightly sweet counterpoint that pairs perfectly with both the herbs in the sauce and a bunch of meats and vegetables. If you don't have black garlic you can certainly use raw garlic instead, but I highly recommend seeking it out, as it really makes the sauce extra-special.

There are two key techniques to remember here. First, I highly recommend chopping all of the herbs by hand, rather than using a food processor or a blender. It really doesn’t take much time, and the texture is much better. The second key is giving the sauce time to sit so that the flavors can meld together. I recommend letting it sit out an hour or two at room temp before you use it, or overnight in the refrigerator.

This sauce is amazing on top of steak, roasted chicken, pork chops, roasted potatoes, and so much more. It’s incredibly versatile.

Ingredients

Note: You want to use fresh (not dried) versions of all of these herbs for this sauce.

Use a good olive oil here. It’s worth it. My favorites are Graza and Herb & Olive.