Counter 09 · Latin Grill
Carne de Sol with Fried Cassava
Beef salt-cured overnight in the style of northeastern Brazil, seared in clarified butter with onions and served with glassy fried cassava, tomato vinagrete and farofa. Salty, beefy and made for sharing.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Serves
- 6
- Level
- Hard
In Brazil's northeast, carne de sol is beef salted and left to dry in the breeze for a day, which firms the texture and concentrates the flavor. Your refrigerator handles the job with a rack and a sheet pan. Rinse and soak the meat before cooking or the salt will overwhelm it. Cassava is boiled first and then fried, giving a fluffy middle and a crackly crust that beats any potato. Clarified butter, sold as manteiga de garrafa in Brazil, is the traditional cooking fat.
Method
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A day ahead, rub the beef all over with the salt, set it on a wire rack over a sheet pan and refrigerate uncovered for 24 hours.
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Rinse the beef under cold water, soak it in fresh cold water for 30 minutes, pat dry and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes.
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Boil the cassava in salted water for 20 to 25 minutes, until fork-tender and starting to split. Drain, pull out the woody core, cut into thick batons and let them steam dry for 10 minutes.
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Heat the oil in a heavy pot to 375 F and fry the cassava in batches for 5 to 6 minutes, until golden and crisp. Drain on a rack.
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Heat 2 tbsp clarified butter in a cast iron skillet over high heat. Sear the beef in batches for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until deeply browned outside and about 130 F inside, then move to a platter.
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Add the remaining butter and the onions to the skillet and cook 5 minutes, until the edges brown. Pile them over the beef.
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Toss the tomatoes, bell pepper, vinegar and cilantro for the vinagrete. Serve the beef with the fried cassava, vinagrete and farofa.
