Okay, so I’ve been wanting to try out some Cuban steak recipes for a while now. I finally got around to it this weekend, and let me tell you, it was a bit of an adventure!
Getting Started
First, I went to the grocery store and grabbed all the stuff I thought I’d need. I picked up some thin-cut sirloin steaks, a bunch of limes, garlic, onions, and some oregano. I also got some olive oil and salt and pepper, ’cause you always need those.
The Marinade Mess
Back home, I started working on the marinade. I squeezed a ton of limes – my hands were cramping! – and minced a whole head of garlic. I probably should have used a garlic press, but oh well. I chopped up an onion, added that to the mix, and then poured in the lime juice, garlic, oregano, olive oil, salt, and pepper. I whisked it all together, and it smelled pretty good, I gotta say.
- Lots of lime juice
- Tons of garlic
- Chopped onion
- Oregano, olive oil, salt, pepper
Steak Time!
I put the steaks in a big Ziploc bag and poured the marinade all over them. I made sure the steaks were completely covered, then I sealed the bag and stuck it in the fridge. The recipe I found said to marinate for at least 4 hours, but I ended up leaving them in overnight. I figured, the longer the better, right?
Cooking Chaos
The next day, I took the steaks out of the fridge and let them sit for a bit to come to room temperature. I heated up my cast iron skillet – I love that thing! – until it was super hot. Then I took the steaks out of the marinade and patted them dry with paper towels. This is important, you don’t want wet steaks going into a hot pan.
I cooked the steaks for about 3-4 minutes per side, until they were nicely browned. I like my steak medium-rare, so I used a meat thermometer to make sure they were cooked just right. They looked amazing, all sizzling and juicy.
The Final Result
I let the steaks rest for a few minutes before slicing them up. I served them with some white rice and black beans, and it was seriously delicious! The steak was so flavorful, and the marinade really made a difference. It was definitely worth the effort, even with the hand cramps from all that lime squeezing!
I’m definitely going to make this again. Maybe next time I’ll try a different cut of steak, or experiment with some other Cuban flavors. But for a first try, I think I did pretty good!
