Sun-Dried Beef (Carne de Sol)
Carne de sol Say it: KAR-nee jee SOH-oo
Carne de sol — literally "sun meat" — is the Northeast Brazilian cured beef found on every churrasco table from Fortaleza to the sertão. Fresh beef is packed in coarse salt and dried until it firms and deepens in flavor, then grilled fast and basted with butter. The result is tender, faintly salty and beautifully charred, served with cassava, rice and beans, and an ice-cold beer.
Sun-Dried Beef (Carne de Sol)
Carne de sol
Pronounced KAR-nee jee SOH-oo
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Level
- Medium
Also nut-free and egg-free.
Allergens: contains milk. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
For the cure
For grilling and serving
Method
Trim the beef of hard fat and silverskin, leaving a thin layer of fat on top, and pat it completely dry with paper towels.
Spread half the coarse salt over the bottom of a glass or ceramic dish, lay the beef on top and pack the remaining salt over it so the meat is completely covered. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours, turning once and pouring off the liquid that collects.
Rinse the beef under cold running water, then soak it in a bowl of cold water for 30 to 60 minutes, changing the water once. Slice off a thin sliver and taste: it should be well seasoned but not aggressively salty; soak longer if needed.
Dry the beef thoroughly, cut it into 1 in (2.5 cm) steaks or leave it whole, and score the fat layer lightly in a crosshatch so it renders evenly.
Melt the butter with the garlic and black pepper and brush a generous coating over both sides of the meat.
Heat a grill or cast-iron skillet until very hot and sear the beef for 4 to 6 minutes per side, until a dark, crusty char forms at the edges and the center reads 130-135°F (54-57°C) for medium.
Move the meat to a board and rest it for 5 minutes, then slice thinly against the grain — it should be rosy inside with a firm, salty crust.
While the meat rests, cook the onion rings in the remaining garlic butter in the same pan over medium heat until golden and softened, about 5 minutes.
Arrange the sliced beef on a warm platter with the onions and lime wedges, and spoon over any buttery pan juices.
Regional variants
Some cooks add crushed garlic and a pinch of colorau (annatto) to the butter baste for a red-gold crust; in the sertão the same cure is used on goat and lamb. Served on a hot chapa, it often comes sizzling under melted queijo coalho.
Cook's notes
- Taste a sliver after soaking — the salt level varies with how thick the cut is; soak longer rather than shorter.
- Dry the surface of the meat very well before grilling, or it will steam instead of forming a crust.
- Slice against the grain for tenderness, and keep the slices thin since cured beef is firmer than fresh steak.
Serve with
Baião de dois or rice and black-eyed peas, fried cassava (macaxeira), farofa and lime; cold beer or a cachaça.
Make ahead and storage
Cure the beef up to 3 days ahead and keep it refrigerated; cooked carne de sol keeps 3 days in the fridge and reheats best quickly in a hot pan.
