Do you know the Brazilians' secret for cooking those delicious meats on the grill? Marinate it! Prepare a tasty marinade takes you just a few minutes and the flavored oil soaks into the meat, adding more flavor and helping it stay juicier and more tender.
What we’re bringing today is a marinated beef on the grill recipe: first we'll marinate it, and after roasting it we'll present it at the table with a spinach pesto sauce that goes wonderfully with it.
We make it with beef, but you can make it exactly the same with any type of meat, whether pork, ox, chicken...
Important for roasting: remember to use a iron grill. Cast iron gets so hot that it sears the meat instantly, sealing in all the juice and flavor.
Le Creuset square skillet pan and Le Creuset Damascus steel knife
Ingredients (for 4 people)
- 1 - 1.2 Kg beef
For the marinade:
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp of garlic powder
- 1 tsp of chili
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 150 ml olive oil
For the pesto:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 200 g spinach
- 150 g feta cheese
- 1 tbsp of fresh chopped basil
- 125ml evaporated milk
- 50 g toasted Brazil nuts
- Salt and pepper
Preparation
We marinate the meat:
- Mix all the marinade ingredients and pour the mixture over the steak. Brush well so everything is coated, and put it in a sealable bag or leave it in a sealed container. Place it in the fridge overnight.
We roast the steak
- Remove the meat from the fridge one hour before you start cooking (it’s important to take the meat out of the fridge beforehand so the grill temperature doesn’t drop; besides, it will cook faster and better). Take it out of the bag or container you had it in and pat it dry with kitchen paper to remove excess marinade.
- Preheat the Le Creuset iron skillet or grill to medium heat. When it's hot, add the steak and cook it about 3 or 4 minutes per side.
- Once cooked, remove the steak from the grill, place it on a plate, and cover it to keep it warm for about 10 minutes. That will ensure the meat is juicy and retains more of its moisture when sliced.
- When serving, slice the steak into thin slices and serve it with the pesto.
Make the spinach pesto
- Add the oil to the skillet pan and heat it to medium-low. Gently fry the shallot and garlic for 5 minutes and let cool.
- Add all the pesto ingredients to a food processor including the fried shallot and garlic and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve alongside the meat (and don't forget the bread!).
Notes:
- It’s important to take the meat out of the fridge at least half an hour before grilling it so as not to sharply lower the grill temperature. Also, since it will be warmer, it will be easier for the center of the cut to cook, as the heat will reach it more easily.
- Remember not to handle the meat until the first side is well seared: the iron grabs the meat at first, but once it’s done it releases it. If you try to flip it and it’s still stuck to the grill, wait a few moments longer before turning it.
