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Espetada-Style Grilled Garlic and Bay Beef Skewers
On the Portuguese island of Madeira, espetadas are made by threading chunks of beef onto fresh-cut branches of bay then cooking the skewers over the embers of a fire. The bay infuses the meat with its unique menthol notes while also releasing a heady aroma. To re-create espetada at home, we pulverize dried bay leaves in a spice grinder to make a seasoned salt, mix in garlic and olive oil, then use the mixture to season the meat before threading it onto metal skewers and grilling over charcoal or gas. Flat iron steak or beef sirloin tips offer the best combination of tender texture and rich flavor, but if you’re up for a splurge, beef tenderloin also is excellent. Though a bit unconventional, we add tomatoes to these beef skewers and also make a simple Madeira reduction to finish the dish. Seasoned with garlic and some of the bay salt, the glaze-like sauce bolsters the flavors on the beef.
4 to 6
Servings
Tip
Don’t use fresh bay leaves in place of dried; they won’t grind down into a fine powder. Also, don’t trim the beef; bits of fat—what the Portuguese call “the flower of the espetada”—help with charring and add rich flavor. Finally, don’t use top-shelf Madeira here; an inexpensive nonvintage bottle will do just fine.
45 minutes
plus grill prep
Ingredients
-
10
dried bay leaves, crumbled
-
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Directions
-
01In a spice grinder, combine the bay, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper, then pulverize to a fine powder. Transfer to a small bowl. In a medium bowl, combine 2 teaspoons of the bay salt, 1 tablespoon of garlic and 1 tablespoon oil, then mash with a fork until combined. Add the beef and toss, rubbing the seasonings into the meat. Thread the beef onto four 10- to 12-inch metal skewers alternating with the tomatoes; set aside.
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This isn't that hard to make and has a great flavor. I had served this with a bulghur salad but I wish I had served this with some kind of plain to just soak up the juice (rice, etc...) because the juice (the "jus"?) really made this. Now that grill season is almost over and I'm out of smoking pellets, I would still make this into the cold months. Maybe on a sheet pan in the oven or sauteed quickly on the stove? I'm not sure, yet.
We made this last week, followed the directions as close as possible. The dish tasted good, but it was entirely too salty. What could have caused this? What adjustments should we make for next time?
Hi Darrin -
Roberto Góis, the grilling expert we met in Madeira, simply stripped the branch of its leaves and used it bark and all. I would probably at least scrub the branch to clean it before use. Keep in mind, though, that the California bay laurel has a much stronger flavor than European bay trees. You may find that the bay salt combined with the branch is more bay than you'd like. Good luck!
Best,
The Milk Street Team
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