Red chimichurri, the smoky one.
The green version is the everyday default. This is its richer cousin: smoked paprika, roasted red pepper, a deeper note of red wine vinegar. Smokier, a little sweeter, and made for grilled beef. Here is the way my family makes it, by hand, never blended.
Red chimichurri is not a different sauce. It is the green one with the fire turned up: same parsley, garlic, oregano, vinegar, and oil, plus smoked paprika and often a roasted red pepper.
If you want the bright, herbal, everyday version, that is the classic green chimichurri, and it is what most Argentine tables reach for first. This is the variation I make when the meat is rich and I want the sauce to meet it. The smoked paprika is what turns it red and gives it that taste of the coals before it ever touches the grill. It belongs on grilled beef above all, the cuts of an asado, and it is what I spoon over a choripán when I want something deeper than green.
Five steps, in the order that matters
Chop by hand, never blend
Chop the parsley, garlic, and roasted pepper fine with a knife. A blender turns chimichurri into paste and bruises the herbs. Texture is the point, this is a sauce you should be able to see the parts of.
Build the dry mix
Combine the parsley, garlic, oregano, both paprikas, and salt in a bowl. The smoked paprika is what makes it red, and what makes it taste of the fire even before it touches the grill.
Add the vinegar first
Pour in the red wine vinegar and let the dry mix sit in it for 5 to 10 minutes before anything else. This is the step people skip, and it is what lets the garlic and paprika bloom instead of tasting raw.
Then the oil
Stir in the olive oil last, loosening it to a spoonable sauce. Add the diced roasted pepper now if you are using it, for body and a little sweetness.
Rest before serving
Let it sit at least 30 minutes, ideally a few hours, so it comes together. Like green chimichurri, it is better the next day. Keep it at room temperature to serve so the oil stays loose.
What you need
The method
- Chop parsley, garlic, pepper by hand. Never blend.
- Mix the dry: parsley, garlic, oregano, both paprikas, salt.
- Add the vinegar first. Let it bloom, 5-10 min.
- Stir in the oil last. Loosen to spoonable.
- Rest 30 min, ideally hours. Better the next day.
The smoked paprika is what makes it red, and what makes it taste of the fire. Add the vinegar before the oil so the garlic and paprika bloom instead of tasting raw.
From Kocinero · Experience you can't fake. Verdicts you can't buy. · kocinero.com/red-chimichurri
Made for beef off a real fire
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Read the guideCommon questions
What is red chimichurri?
Red chimichurri, or chimichurri rojo, is the smoky red cousin of the classic green sauce. It is built on the same parsley, garlic, oregano, vinegar, and oil base, with sweet smoked paprika (and often roasted red pepper) added, which makes it red, smokier, and a little sweeter.
What is the difference between red and green chimichurri?
Green chimichurri is parsley-forward, bright, and herbal. Red chimichurri adds smoked paprika and often roasted red pepper and extra red wine vinegar, making it smokier, sweeter, and deeper. Green is the everyday default; red is the richer variation.
Is red chimichurri authentic Argentine?
Yes. Red chimichurri is a traditional regional variation in Argentina, though green chimichurri is the more common version. The smoked paprika and pepper give it a flavor that suits grilled beef especially well.
What do you put red chimichurri on?
Grilled beef above all: asado de tira, entraña, vacío, bife de chorizo, choripán, and tri-tip. It is a condiment served alongside the meat, never used as a marinade.
Make it ahead. Serve it room temperature. Spoon it over the beef.
Red for the rich cuts, green for everything else. Now match the sauce to the meat it was made for.