Espetinho de Carne

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •8 metal or soaked wooden skewers, 10 to 12 inches long
• •Charcoal grill, gas grill, or heavy grill pan
• •Tongs
• •Mixing bowl

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the skewers

   If you're using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 20 minutes while you cut the meat. They should look fully wet, not just dipped and forgotten. Wet wood buys you time over the grill so the skewer doesn't burn before the beef has a chance to dourar.

2. 2

   Cut the beef

   Cut the beef into 1-inch cubes and pat them dry with paper towels. Keep the pieces as even as you can, because even pieces cook at the same pace. Wet meat hits the grill and steams first, then you stand there wondering where the char went.

   Use sirloin, top sirloin, or rump cap with the fat cap trimmed down. Tender enough for quick cooking, not so expensive that dinner starts acting like a crown jewel.
3. 3

   Season simply

   Put the beef in a bowl with the oil, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin if using, and lime juice. Mix with your hands until every cube is glossy and smells like garlic and lime. The oil helps the seasoning cling and helps the surface brown; the lime wakes the meat up, but too much time in it can make the outside mushy, so don't marinate all afternoon.

4. 4

   Thread the skewers

   Thread 4 to 5 beef cubes onto each skewer, adding onion or bell pepper between pieces if you like. Leave a tiny bit of space between the cubes. If they are packed tight like commuters at rush hour, the sides can't touch the heat and you'll get grey edges instead of browned ones.

5. 5

   Heat the grill

   Heat a charcoal grill, gas grill, or grill pan until very hot. You want the grate to make the meat sizzle the second it touches. Oil the grate lightly, because sticking tears off the browned bits, and those bits are flavor, not decoration.

6. 6

   Grill hard

   Lay the skewers on the hot grill and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side, turning until the edges are browned and a little charred, about 8 to 10 minutes total for medium. Don't keep rolling them around out of nerves. Let one side pegar cor, then turn. Moving meat too much keeps it from building that boteco-style crust.

7. 7

   Rest and serve

   Move the skewers to a plate and rest them for 5 minutes. They should look glossy, with browned edges and juices settling back into the meat instead of running all over the plate. Finish with chopped parsley or cilantro and serve with farofa, vinagrete, and lime wedges.

Chef Tips

• •The honest Tuesday shortcut is using a grill pan. You won't get the same charcoal flavor, but you'll still get browned beef if the pan is properly hot and the meat is dry.
• •Skip powdered meat tenderizer and seasoning packets. They flatten everything into salt and fake flavor. Garlic, salt, pepper, lime, and heat do the work cleanly.
• •If your beef is very lean, add the full 2 tablespoons of oil. Fat carries flavor and helps browning. Dry lean cubes over high heat turn tough fast, and then people blame the recipe.
• •Make vinagrete first if you're serving it. Tomato, onion, vinegar, oil, salt. Let it sit while the meat grills so the juices come out and make their own sharp little sauce.
• •For the pê-efe version, serve the skewers with arroz soltinho, feijão, farofa, and couve. Same skewers, less snacking, more dinner.

Advance Preparation

• •Cut the beef up to 1 day ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator.
• •Season the beef 20 to 30 minutes before grilling. Longer than 2 hours with lime juice changes the texture, and not for the better.
• •Threaded raw skewers can be held covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours. Let them sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before grilling so they cook evenly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 140g)