Sitting in an asadero or barbecue restaurant in Colombia eating a beef, pork or chicken skewer with arepa and papa salada is like heaven to me. Street vendors set up outside the clubs and bars in Medellín, serving all kinds of skewers and grilled corn. The flavor of these chuzos is fantastic.
We marinate all of our meats overnight in Colombia. I remember coming home from the supermarket when I was a girl and watching my mom trim and marinate all the meats she just bought and storing them in plastic bags, which she would label with the date and the type of meat. That was an all day affair, but she had the meat ready for the rest of the week and with amazing flavor.
Ingredients
(4 Servings)
1 ½ pound beef filet, diced
¼ cup finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 chopped scallion
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ cup beer
Olive oil for brushing
Salt and black pepper
Directions
1. Mix the onion, garlic, scallion, ground cumin, beer, salt and pepper in a large zip lock plastic bag.
2. Add the beef and let it marinate overnight or for at least 5 hours in the refrigerator.
3. Preheat the grill to high. Thread the beef onto skewers and brush with olive oil. Grill until browned on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes total. Serve the skewers with a papa salada and small arepa.
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Lynda
on Jul 21st, 2009
@ 10:12 AM:
These skewers look delicious, as do your other recipes! I’ve been browsing your blog and I’m getting really hungry now for some Columbian cooking!
Oysterculture
on Jul 21st, 2009
@ 10:24 AM:
Oh…my…goodness. I am looking at heaven on a plate!
Muneeba
on Jul 21st, 2009
@ 11:06 AM:
Looking succulent and all-around delicious! My meat-loving husband would adore me if I made this!
Kim
on Jul 21st, 2009
@ 1:02 PM:
The beef skewers look awfully tasty. It’s so much fun to eat things on a stick : ) I have an award for you over on my blog today!!
Amber
on Jul 21st, 2009
@ 1:58 PM:
This look sooo delicious! I gotta make it for my next bbq..thanks for posting!
Danielle
on Jul 21st, 2009
@ 5:17 PM:
wow, those look great. anything with garlic and cumin has got to be good.
zerrin
on Jul 21st, 2009
@ 5:53 PM:
This sounds unbelievably scrumptious. I can feel how they smell. I didn’t know that Turkish and Colombian cuisines are so similar befoıre getting this recipe and meeting you. Thank you so much for your interest.
Erica
on Jul 21st, 2009
@ 6:26 PM:
Hi Kim,
Thank you so much for the award! I really appreciate.
Erica
on Jul 21st, 2009
@ 6:27 PM:
Thank you all so much for the comments!
Gera @ SweetsFoods
on Jul 21st, 2009
@ 7:27 PM:
Fascinating and dreamy these beef skewers drooling here……
Erica I’ve an award for you at my blog
Cheers,
Gera
Erica
on Jul 21st, 2009
@ 9:48 PM:
Hi Gera,
Thank you so much for the award! I appreciate it.
shannon
on Jul 22nd, 2009
@ 1:04 AM:
I love the prep before hand… one mess and the mains to most dinners looked after for a week! Wonderful
The skewers look super tasty!
Marta
on Jul 22nd, 2009
@ 9:02 AM:
Marinating is totally worth the time + effort. The results of tender and flavourful meat are unbeatable!
this is delicious, whether street food or fancy dinner party grub, lovely skewered meat always is a hit
Karen
on Jul 22nd, 2009
@ 11:19 AM:
Mmm, looks wonderful!
Taste Traveller
on Jul 22nd, 2009
@ 3:01 PM:
This looks great! It almost makes me want to do the same thing your mom would after grocery shopping & marinate everything. I’ll try my best this Saturday.
Carolina
on Jul 22nd, 2009
@ 4:26 PM:
Erica,
Te felicito por haber creado esta pagina.
I love the way you describe our food, culture, and traditions,,,You are always right on! You bring me back to Colombia every time I read your delicious recipes and descriptions on how, when, and where we eat them…I’m not a good cook but your recipes are always winners! and my Family is very happy about that
Erica
on Jul 22nd, 2009
@ 4:52 PM:
Hi Carolina,
Thank you very much for the nice comment! Es bueno saber que te gusta la pagina.
the epicurean's market
on Jul 22nd, 2009
@ 10:02 PM:
Loving how simple the ingredients are and I can only imagine how wonderful it must be. I’m looking forward to making this — another great recipe!
Helene
on Jul 22nd, 2009
@ 11:15 PM:
Marinating overnight, the savor must be so good.
Erica
on Jul 23rd, 2009
@ 6:44 AM:
Thank you everyone for visiting!
Luis
on Jul 30th, 2009
@ 11:16 AM:
Hello Erica…great page!
How do you make Arepa Paisa like the one shown in this picture? Is it done in a BBQ grill, oven or skillet?
Luis
Erica
on Jul 31st, 2009
@ 10:14 AM:
Hi Luis,
I cooked the round arepa in the grill over low heat, but you can use the Colombian parilla if you have it or just place the arepa in a baking sheet in the oven. Let me know if you have more questions.
Thank you for visiting!
Respondon
on Nov 19th, 2009
@ 9:52 PM:
I made these (to me they’re pinchos) a few days ago, and I used a thick piece of sirloin because filet (tenderloin) is so expensive. It was great (I made some quick yellow arepas, though white would have been more authentic) and would be even better with tenderloin.