This post contains affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
If you are looking to break out of the usual steak night routine, this Grilled Peruvian Ribeye Steak on the Big Green Egg is the perfect way to do it. Bold flavor, smoky char, fresh herbs, and just the right amount of heat make this one of those recipes that feels special without being complicated.
This recipe was inspired by Lomo Saltado, the classic Peruvian steak dish known for its rich flavor and bold seasoning. While this is not a traditional stir fry, it pulls inspiration from those same flavors and turns them into something perfect for the grill.
Instead of cooking everything in a wok, we took those Peruvian flavors to the Big Green Egg and built the dish around a beautifully grilled ribeye. The result is a steak that feels both familiar and completely different from your standard Friday night dinner. Now pour yourself a good glass of Malbec, fire up the Big Green Egg, and get ready for a steak recipe that brings serious flavor to the table.
Table of Contents
- Starting with the Ribeye and Fresh Produce
- Building the Saltado Mix
- Making the Chimichurri Sauce
- Preparing and Tempering the Ribeye
- Making the Saltado Mix
- Big Green Egg Setup for High-Heat Searing
- Cooking the Ribeye for Perfect Medium Rare
- Serving the Peruvian Ribeye
- Grilled Peruvian Ribeye Steak on the Big Green Egg Recipe
Get My NEW Book
The Ultimate Big Green Egg Cookbook
Starting with the Ribeye and Fresh Produce
For this cook, we picked up a beautiful ribeye and wanted to build the meal around bright, fresh flavors. A great steak already brings plenty of richness, so the goal was to balance that with fresh vegetables, herbs, and a lighter finish.
Shopping for produce in early spring makes that easy. The markets are full of fresh vegetables, colorful herbs, and ingredients that bring life to the plate without making the recipe complicated.
Instead of going heavy with rich sauces, we wanted this Peruvian-style ribeye to feel fresh and vibrant. That combination of bold grilled steak and bright produce is what makes this recipe stand out from a typical steak dinner.
Building the Saltado Mix
For the Saltado mix, I kept things simple and focused on bold flavor. I used frozen French fries, sliced serrano peppers, minced garlic, sliced red onion, and sliced yellow pepper. Yes, you read that right, frozen fries! Everyone does it, and honestly, they work great here. They save time, cook consistently, and give you that classic Lomo Saltado feel without extra work.
The serrano peppers bring fresh heat, while the garlic and onions build the savory base of the dish. The yellow pepper adds color, sweetness, and just enough crunch to keep everything balanced. This combination gives you that loose Peruvian-inspired flavor profile without trying to force a traditional stir fry onto the Big Green Egg. It is simple, flavorful, and perfect alongside a grilled ribeye.
Making the Chimichurri Sauce
To bring everything together, we made our own version of chimichurri sauce. Traditional chimichurri usually uses red wine vinegar and Italian parsley, but for this Peruvian-style ribeye, we wanted something a little brighter and fresher.
Instead, we used fresh lime juice in place of the vinegar and cilantro instead of parsley. That simple change gives the sauce a cleaner, more vibrant flavor that works perfectly with the grilled ribeye and the bold Saltado mix.
The cilantro adds freshness, while the garlic and fresh oregano bring depth and classic herb flavor. The olive oil ties everything together, and the red pepper flakes add just enough heat without overpowering the steak.
This version feels lighter, brighter, and a little more tropical, which fits the overall flavor profile of the dish much better. It is one of those sauces that makes a good steak feel like a great one.
Preparing and Tempering the Ribeye
For this cook, we picked out a well-marbled, grass-fed ribeye steak, about 1½ to 2 pounds and at least 1½ inches thick. When you are building a meal like this, starting with a great cut of beef makes all the difference. Ribeye brings the perfect balance of tenderness, rich flavor, and enough fat to handle the high heat of the Big Green Egg.
Before grilling, one of the most important steps is letting the steak come up closer to room temperature. Pulling the ribeye from the refrigerator 30 to 45 minutes before cooking helps it cook more evenly from edge to center.
First, season the steak generously with about 1 tablespoon of kosher salt and 1 teaspoon of coarse black pepper on all sides. A thick ribeye can handle bold seasoning, and this simple approach lets the beef flavor stay front and center while supporting the chimichurri and Saltado mix.
If you throw a cold steak straight onto the grill, the outside can overcook before the center has a chance to catch up. Giving the meat a little time to temper helps you get that beautiful crust on the outside while keeping the inside perfectly cooked. It is a simple step, but it makes a big difference when you are chasing the perfect steak.
Making the Saltado Mix
Using frozen French fries, the first goal was getting them nice and crisp before building the rest of the Saltado mix. This step matters because once the vegetables and sauce go in, you want the potatoes to hold their texture instead of turning soft too early.
First, cook the fries until they are golden and crisp. Once finished, remove them from the pan and set them aside while you build the rest of the mixture.
Next, add a little oil to the pan along with the minced garlic, sliced red onion, yellow pepper, and serrano peppers. Cook everything over medium heat until the vegetables begin to soften, caramelize, and pick up a little color.
As the vegetables cook, season with cumin and chili pepper for warmth and depth. Then, add a small splash of water and a little red wine vinegar. This helps the flavors reduce, soften the vegetables, and create that rich, savory balance that makes the Saltado mix work so well.
Once the mixture is slightly browned and full of flavor, add the crispy fries back to the pan and toss everything together. Keep it warm while the ribeye finishes on the grill so everything comes together at the right time.
Big Green Egg Setup for High-Heat Searing
For this ribeye, I went with the fastest and one of the best cooking methods on the Big Green Egg direct grilling over high heat. When you want a great crust and a perfect medium rare center, hard searing over live fire is tough to beat.
First, set up your Big Green Egg for direct cooking and let it climb to 650°F. This high heat is exactly what you want for ribeye because it creates that deep sear quickly without overcooking the inside.
A well-marbled ribeye handles this kind of heat beautifully. The fat renders fast, the surface caramelizes, and you get that rich steakhouse-style crust that makes ribeye so good on the Egg.
For this cook, I grilled the steak directly over the coals for about 2 minutes per side. The goal here is fast, aggressive heat and a strong crust, not a slow cook.
This method works best when the steak has already had time to temper before grilling. With the Egg screaming hot and the steak ready to go, the result is a beautifully seared ribeye with incredible flavor and perfect char.
Cooking the Ribeye for Perfect Medium Rare
Once the Big Green Egg was stabilized at 650°F, it was time to cook the ribeye fast and hot. This method is all about building a strong crust while keeping the center perfectly medium rare.
First, place the steak directly over the coals and let it cook for 1 minute without touching it. Then, rotate the steak 45 degrees and cook for 1 more minute on that same side. This gives you those beautiful crosshatch grill marks and helps create an even sear across the surface.
Next, flip the ribeye and repeat the same process on the second side 1 minute, then rotate 45 degrees and cook 1 more minute. At this point, each side has had 2 full minutes over direct high heat, and the outside should have excellent color and crust.
Then, I turned the steak one final time and capped the Egg by closing all the vents. This starves the fire of oxygen and removes the aggressive direct flame, allowing the ribeye to finish gently with the remaining heat inside the ceramic cooker.
I let the steak sit in the closed Egg for about 5 more minutes, checking the internal temperature with a ThermoPop. I like to pull the ribeye slightly early, around 125°F to 130°F, then let it rest on the cutting board for 10 minutes. The carryover cooking will bring it right into that perfect 130°F to 135°F medium rare range while keeping the steak juicy and evenly cooked.
This final step is one of my favorite Big Green Egg tricks. You get the best of both worlds, an aggressive steakhouse-style sear followed by a controlled finish that keeps the inside juicy and evenly cooked.
Serving the Peruvian Ribeye
Now it is time to bring everything together. Start by placing a generous spoonful of the warm Saltado mixture on the plate. The crispy potatoes, peppers, onions, and bold seasoning create the perfect base for the steak.
Next, slice the rested ribeye against the grain and lay the slices right over the top of the Saltado mix. This keeps the steak tender and lets all those juices soak into the potatoes underneath.
Finally, drizzle the chimichurri sauce over the ribeye. The bright lime, cilantro, garlic, and herbs cut through the richness of the steak and tie the whole dish together.
This is one of those meals that feels restaurant-level but is easy enough for a great weekend dinner at home. Pour yourself a good glass of Malbec, sit down, and enjoy one of the best steak dinners you can make on the Big Green Egg.
Grilled Peruvian Ribeye Steak on the Big Green Egg
Ingredients
Steak ingredients:
- 1.5 pound Ribeye Steak, thick cut
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
Saltado Mixture:
- 1.5 pounds Bag of Frozen French Fry Potatoes
- 1 yellow bell pepper , sliced
- 1 serrano Pepper , sliced
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- ½ red Onion , sliced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chili pepper
- 1 tbsp red Wine Vinegar
- 3 tbsp cooking Oil
- 2 tbsp water
Chimichurri Sauce:
- 1 cup cilantro, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic , roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh oregano leaves
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
Chimichurri sauce steps:
- In a bowl, combine the chopped cilantro, minced garlic, fresh oregano, red pepper flakes, kosher salt, and black pepper.
- Add the fresh lime juice and whisk in the olive oil until everything is well combined and slightly loosened.
- Let the chimichurri sit for at least 15 minutes before serving so the flavors can come together and brighten the steak.
Saltado mixture steps:
- Add 2 Tbsp oil to sauté pan and bring to medium high heat. Brown and crisp the frozen French Fries in sauté pan. Set aside.
- Lower heat to medium. Add 1 Tbls of oil to the same sauté pan and add garlic, yellow pepper, red onion, and serrano pepper.
- Add the water and red wine vinegar to keep the mixture moist and from over cooking. Let the moisture reduce. Cook until caramelized and slightly brown.
- Add the crisp French fries, toss in cumin and chili pepper, mix, and set aside.
Ribeye steps:
- Remove the ribeye from the refrigerator 30 to 45 minutes before cooking and let it come closer to room temperature for more even cooking.
- Season all sides generously with 1 tablespoon kosher salt and 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper.
- Preheat the Big Green Egg to 650°F for direct cooking and place the steak directly over the coals. Cook for 1 minute, rotate 45 degrees, and cook 1 more minute. Flip and repeat on the second side.
- Turn the steak one final time, close all vents on the Egg, and let it finish for about 5 minutes. Pull the steak at 125°F to 130°F, rest for 10 minutes, then slice against the grain and serve.
- Slice the steak, serve on top of Saltado mixture, and drizzle Chimichurri sauce on top.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
