A good Brazilian garlic steak recipe solves a very specific weeknight problem: you want steak that tastes like a steakhouse, but you don’t want a long marinade, a pile of dishes, or a smoky kitchen for an hour. This method gets you there in about 15 minutes — sear skirt steak hard in a hot skillet, rest it properly, then spoon on a glossy garlic butter sauce that tastes rich and a little addictive.
I’ve cooked this style enough times to know where it goes wrong: underheated pans, wet meat, burnt garlic, and slicing in the wrong direction. Fix those four things, and you get exactly what everyone’s chasing — a tender, juicy steak with crisp edges and buttery garlic flavor clinging to every slice.
Brazilian garlic steak is a quick, high-heat steak dish finished with a garlic-and-parsley butter sauce — a home-cook take on the bold, straightforward flavors found at Brazilian steakhouses. The steak is seared hard with just salt and pepper, then finished with butter infused with garlic, and always sliced against the grain so even a fibrous cut like skirt steak stays tender.
It’s worth separating this from churrasco, which people sometimes lump together with it. “Churrasco” refers to the broader Brazilian barbecue tradition — usually skewered or grilled meats served in thin slices, often with chimichurri. Garlic steak is more of a weeknight cousin: it borrows the fast, high-heat cooking and the against-the-grain slicing, but the signature flavor comes from garlic butter rather than an herb sauce.
If you’re mincing your own garlic, check for the small green sprout running through the center of each clove — sometimes called the “germ.” It’s harmless to eat, but it can taste noticeably bitter once cooked, especially in a butter sauce where there’s nowhere for that bitterness to hide. Split the clove and pop it out with the tip of a knife before mincing; it takes seconds and makes a real difference in how clean the garlic butter tastes.
3–4
servings10
minutes15
minutes1 lb skirt steak (or sirloin, flank steak, or flap meat)
Salt and black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp neutral oil, for searing (avocado oil works well for a higher smoke point)
5 tbsp unsalted butter
6 garlic cloves, germ removed, minced
¼ cup chopped parsley
Salt, to taste, for the butter
Optional add-ins: a pinch of red pepper flakes for gentle heat, or a squeeze of lime juice for brightness at the end.
Prep the steak. Cut the steak into 3–4 pieces so it fits the pan without crowding. Pat each piece very dry — wet steak steams instead of searing, and steam is the enemy of a good crust. Season generously with salt and pepper, then let it sit at room temperature for 10–15 minutes while the pan heats.
Sear hard and fast. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the steak and don't move it — let it sear undisturbed. For medium-rare, about 2–3 minutes per side; for medium, 3–4 minutes per side. Move to a plate, tent loosely with foil, and rest for at least 5 minutes.
Make the garlic butter. Lower the heat and melt the butter in a small skillet. Add the minced, de-germed garlic and swirl gently until just lightly golden, about 3–4 minutes — if it starts browning fast or smelling sharp, pull the pan off the heat for a moment. Garlic goes from perfect to bitter in seconds.
Finish the sauce. Pour the garlic butter into a bowl, salt to taste, and stir in the parsley. Doing this off the heat keeps the herbs bright rather than wilted and dull.
Slice and serve. Slice the rested steak against the grain into thin strips. Spoon the garlic butter generously over the top and serve immediately, while the butter's still glossy.
The butter approach above is the faster, more reliable route — no planning required, and the flavor is concentrated right on the surface of each slice. It’s the better choice for skirt steak, flap meat, or any night you need dinner fast.
Some Brazilian-style garlic steak recipes go a different route: a marinade of parsley, cilantro, avocado oil, lime juice, garlic, salt, and pepper, applied before grilling. It’s lighter and more aromatic, and works especially well with sirloin or flank steak. If you want the best of both, marinate briefly, grill, then still finish with a small knob of garlic butter at the table.
Refrigerate leftover steak and garlic butter separately in airtight containers for up to 3 days. Reheat the steak gently in a skillet over low heat to avoid overcooking it further — a hot pan will push already-cooked steak past medium in a hurry. Melt the reserved garlic butter fresh rather than microwaving it, which can cause it to separate.
Rice is the classic pairing — it soaks up any extra garlic butter beautifully. Roasted potatoes, sautéed greens, or a simple salad with a vinegar-based dressing all work well too; something with a bit of acidity helps cut through the richness of the butter.
A quick-seared steak — traditionally skirt steak — finished with a garlic and parsley butter sauce, inspired by the bold, straightforward flavors of Brazilian steakhouse cooking.
Skirt steak is the classic choice for its speed and flavor, but sirloin, flank steak, and flap meat all work well. The key across all of them is high heat and slicing thin against the grain.
Yes — swap in a dairy-free butter alternative, or use a mix of olive oil and a small splash of avocado oil for body. Keep the garlic on low heat either way, and finish with parsley and a squeeze of lime for balance.
Usually either burnt garlic (cooked too hot or too long) or an unremoved garlic germ — the small green sprout in the center of older cloves. Removing it before mincing fixes this.
Yes. Preheat to 450–550°F at the grate and grill for 2–3 minutes per side, then finish with the same garlic butter and parsley.
About 2–3 minutes per side in a very hot skillet for a thin cut like skirt steak, followed by a 5–10 minute rest, is recommended. If using a thermometer, pull around 125–130°F after resting.
This Brazilian garlic steak recipe proves you don’t need a long marinade to get steakhouse flavor on a weeknight. Sear it hard, rest it properly, remove the garlic germ, and slice against the grain — get those four things right, and the garlic butter does the rest of the work in under 15 minutes.
