Espetadas de Madeira na Grelha
(esh-peh-TAH-dash deh mah-DAY-rah nah GREL-yah)
Dias de Festa
If you want to know the true scent of a Madeiran festival, you don't need a plane ticket—you just need a charcoal fire, good beef, and a handful of bay leaves. For decades, diaspora adaptations have tried to complicate this dish, soaking the meat in wine and vinegar for hours. But talk to anyone from the island, and they will tell you the secret is absolute, unpretentious simplicity. It is built on four ingredients: beef, garlic smashed with the papery skins left on, fresh bay, and a last-second avalanche of coarse salt. Because we cannot easily forage for the traditional laurel wood branches in an American suburb, we thread fresh bay leaves directly onto metal skewers. It is raw, intuitive cooking that is fast enough for a busy weeknight, but primal enough for a feast.
Before you start
Smash the garlic and tear the bay leaves.
Place the unpeeled garlic cloves on a board and smash them hard with the flat side of a knife until they burst open. Tear half of the bay leaves in half, discarding the stiff center stems which can impart a bitter flavor.
Prepare the finishing butter.
In a small bowl, mix the softened butter with the minced garlic and chopped parsley, setting it aside for serving.
Ingredients
- well-marbled beef such as sirloin cap, ribeye, or top sirloin2 lb
- garlic cloves10 large
- fresh bay leaves1 large handful
- coarse sea salt3 tbsp
- unsalted butter3 tbsp
- garlic clove1 small
- fresh parsley1 pinch
Method
- 01
Massage the aromatics into the beef.
In a large bowl, aggressively rub the smashed skin-on garlic and torn bay leaves into the meat with your bare hands, then let it sit on the counter for twenty minutes while you heat the grill.
- 02
Thread the beef and intact bay leaves onto long metal skewers.
Place a whole leaf between every second or third piece of meat, making sure to orient the fat caps in the same direction so they baste the leaner meat as they render.
- 03
Shower the meat generously with coarse salt right before grilling.
Never salt early; apply the coarse salt at the very last second so it forms a savory crust without extracting moisture from the beef.
- 04
Grill over fierce heat until deeply charred.
Cook for eight to ten minutes, turning frequently over high heat or glowing coals until the outside is crusty and the inside is medium-rare.
- 05
Knock off the excess salt and finish with garlic butter.
Pull the skewers from the fire and firmly tap them against the edge of the grill to shatter and release the excess salt crust, then prop them vertically and crown the top piece of meat with a dab of garlic butter so it cascades down the skewer.
Notes
Skip the liquid marinades.
Authentic Madeiran espetadas strictly reject wine or vinegar tenderizers, relying entirely on the volatile oils of the garlic skins and fresh bay leaves to perfume the meat.
Serve with the right accompaniments.
To complete the illusion of a Madeiran festival, serve this with crispy fried cornmeal (milho frito), sweet potato flatbread (bolo do caco), and a glass of dry red wine cut with carbonated orange soda.