Name: Anticuchos (Peruvian Beef Heart Skewers)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Peruvian
Ingredients: 300 g Beef Heart, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces; 1½ tbsp Ají Panca Paste, for marinade; 1½ tbsp Red Wine Vinegar, for marinade; 3 clove Garlic, minced; ¾ tsp Ground Cumin, for marinade; ½ tsp Dried Oregano, lightly crushed; 1½ tbsp Neutral Oil, divided; 250 g Potato, cut into thick rounds; 3 cup Water, for boiling potatoes; ¾ tsp Salt, divided; ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper, freshly ground if possible

Anticuchos (Peruvian Beef Heart Skewers)

1 hr 5 mintotal

35 min hands-on30 min hands-off

Prep 20 min · Cook 15 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Medium

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Method

Mix ají panca paste, red wine vinegar, garlic, ground cumin, dried oregano, 1 tbsp neutral oil, 0.5 tsp salt, and ground black pepper into a thick marinade.
Add the beef heart pieces and coat well. Rest for 30 minutes.
30 min
Boil the potato rounds in water with the remaining salt for 10–12 minutes until just tender. Drain and keep aside.
10–12 min
Thread the marinated beef heart onto skewers. Brush lightly with the remaining neutral oil.
Grill over high heat for 2–3 minutes per side, or cook on a very hot stovetop grill pan, until charred at the edges and cooked through.
2–3 min
Serve hot with the boiled potato rounds and any remaining pan juices brushed over the skewers.

How to tell it's done

The skewers should be charred at the edges, juicy inside, and coated with a deep red chili marinade.

Getting it right

Tip

Do not overcook beef heart; quick high-heat cooking keeps it tender instead of tough.

What to serve it with

Serve as street-food-style skewers with potatoes and a simple chili sauce.

Common mistakes

The meat is tough and chewy.: Trim the heart of every bit of sinew and silverskin before it goes into the marinade, and grill it hot and fast. Beef heart is lean muscle — two or three minutes a side, and the toughness people blame on the cut is nearly always the membrane left on.
There is no char, just grey meat.: The grill has to be genuinely hot and the pieces spaced apart. Anticuchos are street food cooked over fierce coals; a crowded, moderate pan steams them.

Substitutions

Beef Heart — For a less traditional version, use beef sirloin, but the texture and cultural identity will be different.
Ají Panca Paste — Use a mild red chili paste only if ají panca paste is unavailable.

Storing and reheating

The marinating meat keeps a day in the fridge and is better for it. Grilled skewers keep two days and are good cold or sliced into rice. Do not freeze once marinated — the vinegar keeps working and the texture goes mealy.

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Ingredients