Ecuadorian Churrasco kicks off the World Cup of BBQ 2022
The first poll for the first cook of the World Cup of BBQ was an overwhelming vote for Ecuador. Not only did they win the first cook but they had a great win against the hosts Qatar today.
I had very little knowledge of Ecuadorian cuisine, and was surprised at the number of dishes that could be cooked on the BBQ. Maybe I will get a second cook from Ecuador later in the tournament.
It was no surprise that steak featured, as it is so popular in South America. Traditionally, the Ecuadorian Churrasco uses a thin cut of steak, but I used a thicker cut. What caught my eye with this, was the steak being rubbed with Cumin. I love Cumin but I would never of thought of rubbing it on a steak.
It is usually served with French Fries, Plantains, sliced Avocado and topped with a fried egg.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t get hold of Plantains. I don’t know if this is down to the time of year. Hopefully, I won’t have sourcing problems with the other cooks.
Preparation and the Cook
The first thing to do with this cook was marinate the steak. I mixed the Olive Oil, Garlic and Cumin together and then rubbed into the steak, leaving it to marinate for 3 hours.
There were also two Ecuadorian side dishes I prepared. Not BBQ, but both delicious. There was a side salad of Tomato and Onion Curtido which was really good, and Ají Criollo. This is spicy salsa made with hot peppers, cilantro, garlic, onion and lime. It was definitely on the hot side.
I removed the Steak from the fridge 1 hour before I wanted to start cooking to let them come up towards room temperature.
The Aldi Kamado was the BBQ of choice for this cook, setting it up for direct cooking, getting the temperature up to 250°C. The steak was cooked for around 4 minutes before wrapping for 5 minutes.
I also cooked Triple Cooked Chips. I have been doing my roasties like this for a while now and worked perfectly well doing chips in the oven.
The Verdict
I would never in a million years rubbed steak with Cumin. I have to say I won’t hesitate in future. The Cumin and Garlic marinade was fantastic on the steak, and you couldn’t really go wrong topping it with a runny fried egg.
I was also a little dubious about putting avocado on the plate but again it worked so well. It was a shame I couldn’t get Plantains, but I will definitely be cooking this again, next time with grilled Plantains included.
The Tomato and Onion Curtado was really refreshing and if you like spicy salsa give the Aji Criollo a go!
A simple dish, but a great way to kick thing off.
Ecuadorian Churrasco
Ingredients
- 2 350g Sirloin Steak (60 Day Aged)
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- 1 tbsp Ground Cumin
Instructions
- Mix the Olive Oil, Cumin and Garlic together, before pouring over the Steaks and massaging all over. Place the Steak into the fridge until you are ready to cook.
- About 1 hour before you want to start cooking, remove the steak from the fridge to let them start to come up towards room temperature.
- Set your BBQ up for direct cooking. I got the Kamado up-to 250°C, before cooling the steaks for around 2 minutes each side. I cooked the Steaks to 51°C when probed and then wrapped them for around 5 minutes.
- As the Steaks were resting I fried the Eggs and sliced the Avocado.
- After 5 minutes, place the Steak on the plate, top with the egg and then add the sliced Avocado and Chips (Fries). Enjoy!!!
