El Yucateco Flank Steak Flakes with Habanero & Ghost Chimichurri

This “Flank Steak Flakes with Habanero & Ghost Chimichurri” post is sponsored by El Yucateco. All recipes, images, and opinions are my own.

I love trying new food trends, especially with foods that don’t always have a whole lot of versatility. Sure, you can make just about anything with beef, but if you’re craving a medium rare steak, there are only so many things you can do with it. You can try different seasonings, but you’re limited to only a few different cooking methods if you want that beautiful and flavorful cool or even red center. Steak flakes are the first thing I’ve seen in a long time where you can play around with cutting the steak into small pieces and still get that medium rare quality that so many people crave.

These are perfect for serving as appetizer or snack bites, but they definitely need some kind of saucy accompaniment.  I was ready to fire up the grill and make these, but what would I want to serve them with…salsa? Barbecue sauce? Nacho cheese? And then it hit me… A spicy chimichurri!

So, with the help of El Yucateco, I began mixing my Habanero & Ghost Chimichurri. I chopped my parsley and garlic to create the perfect, colorful topping that would punch my taste testers in the face with flavor!

My hot sauce was next, and El Yucateco’s Habanero & Ghost Hot sauce gave this just the right amount of heat.  As a new addition to their amazing catalog of flavors in 2023, their Ghost Habanero Hot Sauce is a standout among spicy condiments! With over 14,000 units on the Scoville Scale and El Yucateco's signature style, it brings the heat to a whole new level. If you're looking for flavorful spiciness, this sauce is a must-try. Visit www.shopelyucteco.com for more information and see all their other flavors!

I added all of my other chimichurri ingredients to a small bowl, stirred it up and set it aside until I was ready to serve the steak flakes.

Flank steak is a really inexpensive, easy cut to work with, so that’s what I used today.  It works well for making “flakes” because it’s a lean cut, and will cook up quickly on the grill. 

Cutting and slicing the steak into “flakes” is easier than it looks. You can always put the steak in the freezer for about an hour before slicing so that it’s firm and easier to work with. Flank steak is also more fibrous than other cuts, so you’ll always want to cut it against the grain. You’ll also want to use a super sharp knife with a long blade.

Start by slicing the steak as thin as you can get it. If some of the slices break off, it’s totally fine. Just keep stacking the pieces and skewer right through the center to get all the pieces on the stick. 

I had a longer cut of steak, so I put several skewers onto my slices, and from there, I cut them into cubes. I added the end pieces and stray pieces onto the skewers, and ended up with four really good size skewers of meat. 

I seasoned these well with just salt and pepper, because I wanted the chimichurri to shine. 

These cooked up really quickly on the griddle and only need a few minutes on each side. Once they were done, I just placed them on a serving dish, removed the skewers and spread the “flakes” out all over the dish. I finished them off by spooning that chimichurri over the top and these were perfect for a dinner appetizer!

My kiddo loved these so much he hit the gritty! (Look it up for you non-hip mom’s out there, haha!) I’ll definitely be making these again for a game day tailgate party, or any other gathering where meat lovers are present! 

Flank Steak Flakes with Habanero & Ghost Chimichurri

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. flank steak

• 1 cup finely chopped parsley 

• 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

• 1 medium cherry pepper, finely chopped

• 2 tsp. El Yucateco Habanero & Ghost Hot Sauce

• 1/4 tsp. dried oregano 

• 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• Salt/pepper 

Steps:

1. Heat an outdoor grill or griddle to high heat. 

2. In a large bowl, mix together the parsley, garlic, cherry pepper, oregano, and El Yucateco Habanero & Ghost Hot Sauce.  Drizzle in the red wine vinegar and olive oil and stir to combine. Set aside until ready to serve.

3. Slice the steak into 1/4” thick slices and stack the slices 7-8 pieces high. Skewer the slices and then cut them into 2” cubes. 

4. Season the skewers generously with salt and pepper. 

5. Sear the skewers for about 2 minutes on each side, until the steak flakes are medium rare. Remove from the heat and transfer to a serving dish. Remove the skewers and top with spoonfuls of the chimichurri.