Brazilian Marinated Steaks With Chile Lime Sauce

SusieQusie's Note:

For me, a steak is a steak - this is really all about the sauce. Let your tongue be your guide - the malagueta pepper is a very hot pepper. It has a range of 60,000 to 100,000 Scoville units, about the same as a tabasco or a Thai pepper. By comparison, its lowly jalapeño cousin only rates between 2,500 and 10,000 Scoville units in heat. Either way, remember to wash up after handling them! Be prepared for fragrant breath after this meal as garlic and onion are present in abundance. You may even enjoy the smell again in a hot shower the next morning as is oozes through your pores. ;-)

• Total Time: 50 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

CHILE LIME SAUCE

• 5 malaguetahot peppers (or to taste but for gosh sakes don't wimp out, use SOME!) or 5 jalapeno peppers (or to taste but for gosh sakes don't wimp out, use SOME!)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 small white onion , finely diced
• 4 large garlic cloves , finely chopped
• ½ bunch italian fresh parsley leaves , rough chopped
• 3 limes, juice of

STEAKS

• 4 sirloin steaks , 1 1/2-inch thick
• ½ cup freshly-squeezed lime juice
• 1⁄3; cup dry red wine
• 1 small onion , finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves , finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

1. SAUCE: Place the peppers and salt in a mortar and crush them with the pestle or take the less energetic way and process them in a blender or food processor until you have a thick paste.
2. Gradually add the onion and garlic and continue to mash into the paste.
3. Then add the parsley to the paste, mashing as you do.
4. Stir in the lime juice until you have a thick,liquid sauce.
5. Cover and let stand at room temperature.(Makes about 1/2 cup).
6. *******.
7. STEAKS: Place the steaks in a single layer in a large glass or ceramic baking dish.
8. Whisk the remaining ingredients together in a bowl and pour over the steaks, turning to coat evenly.
9. Cover and refrigerate, turning every couple of hours -- for about 4 hours.
10. Preheat the grill. Remove the steaks from the marinade, shaking off any excess, and grill 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until done to taste.
11. Transfer to a platter and let the steaks rest, loosely covered with foil, then serve with the chile lime sauce.

Reviews

[breadnerd]

Quite good! I followed the recipe pretty closely--we didn't have fresh limes but used lime juice... The sauce was great but HOT--I used about 4 Jalapenos and a couple of small serranos. I wasn't sure but used them whole (with seeds). It was fine as a light accompaniment but you might want to de-seed them for a less-hot sauce. Definitely a solid recipe you could tweak to your liking--add some cumin or cilantro--but it's good as-is. Thanks!