Mary’s Matambre: Argentine Stuffed Flank Steak
Argentina is so much more than a place to me: It's a tapestry of memories that I hold dear! When I was in high school, I spent some time studying abroad there, and one of the best things about it was the food. That’s why I’m so excited to share my matambre recipe with you today!
So, what’s matambre?
Matambre is a typical Argentine recipe—it’s a very thin cut of flank steak, stuffed with red and green peppers and hard-boiled eggs, then cooked to perfection. This grilled steak recipe is incredibly delicious, brushed with olive oil, garlic, cilantro, parsley, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. You can top your finished matambre with my homemade chimichurri recipe for a succulent and memorable dinner that sings with the tastes of Argentina!
How to Butterfly Cut a Flank Steak
To prepare your matambre, you’ll need to start by butterflying a flank steak—this technique is also used in my chivito steak sandwich recipe. Here’s how: Lay the meat flat on your cutting surface. Holding your knife parallel to the countertop, cut through the steak, almost to the opposite end. When you’re done, you will be able to unfold the steak so it looks like an opened book.
Next, cover the meat with a piece of plastic wrap. Using a flat meat pounder, gently pound the steak until the whole thing is about ¼ inch thick. It's essential to opt for a flat meat pounder rather than one with teeth to prevent tearing the meat and achieve an even surface.
Grab Your Twine: How to Assemble Matambre
Because this is a stuffed steak recipe, you’ll need to wrap the meat in cooking twine after stuffing it and rolling it up. Have five pieces of twine ready before you start assembling your steaks. After you add the filling, carefully roll up the meat over the filling, jelly-roll style, starting at one of the shorter ends of the meat.
Try to keep the meat roll as secure as possible, so all of the ingredients stay inside! Wrap the twine around the meat and tie the ends to secure it in place before popping it on the grill. You can use a toothpick to hold the roll together while you tie the twine if you need to. I explain the whole technique in the recipe below—and you’ll learn how to grill it to perfection. Bonus: In case you don’t want to fire up the grill, I’ve included oven directions as well.
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Mary’s Matambre Recipe: Argentine Stuffed Flank Steak
Ingredients
- One 2-pound flank steak
- ½ cup olive oil plus 1 tablespoon, divided
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup chopped Italian parsley
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ of a medium green bell pepper, very thinly sliced
- ½ of a medium red bell pepper, very thinly sliced
- 3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
- Chimichurri sauce for dipping
- Cooking twine to tie the roast
- Meat thermometer
- Sharp chef’s knife
- Meat pounder
Instructions
- Preheat your outside grill to high heat (about 400 to 425 degrees). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- How to Cook Matambre in the Oven: If you don’t have a grill or the weather is less than ideal, you can also prepare your Matambre in the oven. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Follow the instructions below, then place the roll, seam side down, on the aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes to a temperature of 125 to 130 degrees. Check the meat at 35 minutes and roast longer if it hasn’t reached the proper temperature. Remove and let rest 15 minutes before removing the cooking twine and cutting it into serving pieces. If using the grill method, continue with step 3.
- Place the flank steak on a cutting board. Butterfly cut the flank steak by laying it on top of your board. Starting at one of the shorter ends, cut through the flank steak going almost to the other end. Now, open up the meat so it lays like an open book. Place a piece of plastic food film over the meat. Using a meat pounder, pound the meat so that it evens out. Make sure to use a flat meat pounder and not a meat tenderizer with teeth. You want to even out the meat, not tear it up.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the ½ cup olive oil, garlic, cilantro, parsley, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Mix gently to combine.
- In a skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the red and green pepper strips and saute to soften. Remove from the heat and place the pepper strips on a paper towel to absorb any excess liquid.
- Spread the olive oil mixture evenly over the flank steak. Arrange the quartered eggs in 3 rows across the flank steak. Repeat with the sliced roasted peppers, placing them on the side of the egg rows.
- Have 5 pieces of cooking twine ready. Carefully roll up the meat over the filling, jelly-roll style, starting at one of the shorter ends of the meat. Try to keep the meat roll compact. Wrap the cooking twine around the meat and tie the ends to secure it.
- Now you are ready to grill your Matambre. I use a grill that has an upper and a lower level. This is important—you will start to grill the meat in the area closest to the heat to get a good char, then move it to the upper rack to finish it.
- Place the Matambre on the lower part of your grill and cook for 10 minutes on high heat to give the meat a nice char. Make sure to turn the meat periodically so it gets evenly charred.
- After your meat is nicely charred, reduce the heat to medium-high (about 350 to 375 degrees) and transfer the Matambre to a piece of heavy-duty foil. Place the Matambre on the foil on the top part of your grill so the heat is not quite as hot. Cook for another 25 to 35 minutes.
- Use a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the meat to read the temperature. The temperature should read between 125 and 130 degrees for medium rare. This temp is slightly lower than you would usually read for a medium rare to medium steak, but I let the meat rest for 15 minutes before cutting. During the resting time, the meat will continue to cook up to 5 more degrees. Because flank steak is from the chewier part of the cow, it is best served between medium rare and medium.
- After the Matambre rests for 15 minutes, remove the string and place it on a cutting board. Cut into ½-inch slices, exposing the beautiful filling, and place on a serving platter. Serve with chimichurri sauce.