The giant kebab of Bolivia's eastern lowlands (Beni and Santa Cruz): fist-sized chunks of beef threaded on long rods or green stakes, slow-grilled churrasco-style and served with boiled yuca and grilled cheese. The name is Guaraní, and portions are measured by the meter of skewer rather than the plate.
Also known as: pacumuto, pacú mutu, pacumutu de res, pacumutu camba
Watch it made
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg beef rump, fist-size 6 cm chunks
- 2 tbsp coarse salt
- 1 kg yuca (cassava), peeled
- 500 ml oil, for frying
- 2 limes
- 2 ripe tomatoes
- 1 locoto or other hot chili
- 1 small bunch quirquina or coriander
How to make it
- 1
Rub the beef chunks with coarse salt only — pacumutu is about beef and fire, nothing else — and spear them onto one or two long metal rods.
- 2
Stand or angle the rods beside a wood fire or bank of coals and roast 30-40 minutes, rotating a quarter turn every 8 minutes so the huge chunks cook evenly to the bone of the cut.
- 3
Meanwhile boil the yuca 15 minutes until just tender, drain, split into batons and fry at 180 C until golden and crisp.
- 4
Pound or blend the tomatoes, chili and herbs with salt into a rough llajua.
- 5
Slide the meat off the rods, carve each chunk in half to check for a rosy center, and serve with fried yuca, lime halves and llajua.
Pro tip: Keep the rods a hand-span from the flames — the fist-size chunks need radiant heat to cook through before the crust blackens.
