Combine the salt, pepper, dried oregano, hot red pepper flakes, and granulated garlic in a small bowl and stir to mix. (Note: This makes more rub than you’ll need for this recipe. Store any excess in a sealed jar away from heat and light—it will keep for several months.)
Ribeye Steaks
Generously season the steaks on both sides with the chimichurri rub. Drizzle on both sides with olive oil, patting the seasonings and oil into the meat with the flat of a fork.
Heat your griddle or plancha to high. Oil it well.
Arrange the steaks on the griddle and cook until sizzling and browned on the bottom and cooked to taste: 2 to 3 minutes per side for rare, 4 minutes per side for medium. If you’re cooking on a cold night, cover the steaks with a griddle dome to hold in the heat.
Transfer the steaks to a platter or plates. Top each with a whole pepperoncini. Serve at once with the Pepperoncino Chimichurri spooned on top or on the side.
Pepperoncino Chimichurri
Combine the garlic, parsley, and sliced pepperoncini in a food processor and finely chop. Gradually work in the olive oil and vinegar. Add a little water if the sauce is too thick—it should be pourable. Add salt and pepper to taste: The mixture should be highly seasoned. The chimichurri tastes best within 4 hours of making.
Recipe Notes
You may be surprised to learn that the original chimichurri was a dry rub—a simple mixture of salt, pepper, dried oregano, and hot pepper flakes that gauchos (Argentinean cowboys) could pack in their saddlebags—without worrying about fragile bottles or spoilage. Some say that the name chimichurri comes from the Basque word tximitxurri, which loosely translates as “a mixture of several things in no particular order.” Tip o’ the hat to alert reader Nelida Bernal for that one!
