Cecina is salt-cured, air-dried beef, and is truly a delicacy of Spain. Dedicated to my parents Ramiro and Blanca. However, if youd like to avoid this, you can remove the crust before you sell it. This article will answer questions such as how long to cook cecina and whether its safe to eat raw. During this time, the area was populated by Asturs, a unique Pre-Roman culture. Let sit for 20 minutes, then taste for salt. The food is also produced in the Basque region of Spain, where it has less-definite criteria for production. After this, its smoked in oak for two to three weeks. When ready to grill, remove the beef from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Our Chef is a truly specialist when it comes to cecina. Over the years, this technics evolve and started to be implemented to elaborate the well known jamn ibrico, the belloteros and this popular cecinas. Most often, it's eaten as a tapa on its own or alongside bread and cheese like manchego. If it's too thick, add a little more water. The altitude (over 800 meters) and dry climate of Leon are perfect for the production of cecina. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Drizzle with oil, set aside. Mutton, or full-grown sheep, may be harder to come by in the United States, especially in urban areas. Put the chickpeas' flour into the bowl, add salt, and gradually add the water. Place in bowl and cover with boiling hot water. It is most commonly eaten in Spain & Mexico, but depending where you are the final product is two worlds apart. All rights reserved Fredy's Tucan, Inc. 2023, All rights reserved Fredy's Tucan, Inc. 2023 |. Here in the northern part of Mexico we cook outside almost year round, and we dont call it a barbecue, we call it a Carne Asada. Theres a lot of confusion around this term on both sides of the border and both languages. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Learn how your comment data is processed. The second step is the salado or the salting stage, where huge amounts of salt are rubbed onto the meat and left in that way for a number of days to make sure that the meat absorbs the flavor from the salt. However, any cut of beef that has a lot of connective tissue and takes a long time to cook until tender works well. Chapulines. Heat in a frying pan over medium-high heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. The fifth step is the ahumado, which involves the smoking itself. It can be cooked in a pan or on a stove and takes as little as two minutes per side. The 11 Castillan-based producers with an EU-noted protected geographical indication are a dependable selection. The meat is also more lean than ham, so it can be eaten as an appetizer. Jamn ibrico might be Spain's most well-known cured meat, but the country also crafts a delicious cured beef known as cecina. The obtained results were discussed in terms of the effects that each singular fatty acid, when consumed, could have on human health. The final step in the process is to dry the meat in special rooms, where windows can be opened and closed, regulating the temperature as well as humidity. Bull, goat, and rabbit meat can also be used. The first step in cooking cecina is to lightly brown it. The process usually takes around seven months. However, a few simple tips can help you master this tasty meat! Cecina is a salty meat, dehydrated, traditionally from the middle and northern estates of Mxico. Moreover, it should be sliced thinly and then thoroughly cooked in order to maintain the unique flavor of cecina. After less than two hours, the cecina was ready. Blend on high until smooth. Essentially, a chimichanga is just a deep fried burrito, although there can be some other differences. Rich in vitamins and minerals (9.8%/cal) a good source of Vitamin A, Selenium, Vitamin B6, Zinc, Calcium, Phosphorus, Vitamin B12, Iron and Vitamin C. Cecina is one of the most underrated meats of the taco world. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Grill the cecina(carne enchilada) for just 1 to 2 minutes per side or until you get some nice color. The production, which includes salting, curing and drying, can last for more than seven months. Required fields are marked *. Cecina is the perfect place to try dishes based on fish, naturally, but also on locally raised meat. Although cecina can be made of other meats, such as goat, horse, bull, or rabbit, the most common is made of the hind leg of beef. Set aside. When cooking cecina, it is important to keep the temperature low. This cured meat can be served on its own with a bowl of guacamole or sour cream as a sauce, or can be cooked as a primary ingredient in many dishes such as enchiladas and tacos. In the US, people typically make barbacoa with chuck roast, brisket and beef cheeks. Its made from a leg of beef, horse meat, or both. It is easy to find Spanish cecina suppliers and stores on the Internet, who will ship directly to you in the E.U. After the curing process, the cecina will feature a brown crust that is removed before the meat is sold or eaten. Press the mixture into the meat. I only grilled 4 pieces and the other 4, I reserved for the oven drying method. Some people prefer to fry cecina to intensify the flavor. And, of course, a bite of the delicious food is made better alongside a glass of Spanish wine. To make cecina, a boneless beef portion is cut into thin slices. This meat can be cooked on the stove, but the process requires more time than you might think. Theres a lot more to be discovered! Cecina is typically served as an appetizer, but you can also use it as a main ingredient in many Mexican favorites. Some sources cite siccus as the origin, a Latin word that means dry, while others point to the Celtic word ciercina," translated as the North wind.. The beef does not look very moist, but it was not tough or dry once heated for tacos. and the description of the process is the same as it is today. Some are dyed pinkish-red with food coloring. Slice thin or chop small for tacos. However, its popularity is now starting to expand to markets abroad especially amongst those who don't eat pork. Place the steak in a hot pan and heat it on high for 4 minutes per side. The word Cecina comes from the Italian word Ceci, which means Chickpeas. A hearty Mexican breakfast for sure. It is made with 140g of crashed beef cecina meat, salted with chiles poblano slits, onion and tomato, mixed with egg and frijoles refritos. Also, the raw cecina may contain parasites. After seven to 22 months of curing, the delicacy is finally finished. It is made from the gluteal muscle and the semitendinosus. These include enchiladas, tacos, and quesadillas. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Once it's ready, the exterior crust is removed before serving. This conservation process crossed the Atlantic ocean all the way to Yecapixtla. [maxbutton id=1 url=https://www.fattiretours.com/florence/tours/florence-food-tour text=Book a Florence Food Tour! ]. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Cecina meat is salted and dried and is a popular ingredient in Spanish cuisine. However, cooking food properly involves more than just time. This way there is more air and heat circulating around the beef while it cooks and dries out. Cecina is similar to ham and is made by curing cow, horse or rabbit meat. For centuries, homes in the Maragara area (in the northwest of Spain) traditionally kept a dried beef leg in the larder to feed the family. Factor in a long shelf life, and it's no surprise the product has been esteemed for centuries. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. In Spanish, cecina means meat that has been salted and dried by means of air, sun or smoke. If possible, marinate the steak at least 24 hours in advance. Its texture is slightly fibrous and it has a distinct flavor. Regardless, its crafting always starts by salting the meat, which is cut into large chunks. Skirt Steak. The most common and popular taco campechano is prepared with a carne asada called cecina. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Also, lower alcohol wines and moderate tannins dissolve the burning sensation of capsicum. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The word cecina is derived from the Latin siccus and the Celtic word cierzo, and is related to the modern Spanish word cerezo. In fact, the first written mention of cecina comes from the 4th century B.C., and the process of curing it is much the same as it is today. In this first step, it is very important that a very sharp and thin knife is used to ensure that the meat slices are very thin and have smooth surfaces. It is traditionally produced in the province of Len. My parents Ramiro and Blanca Mendez moved to the United States from Monterrey, Mexico in 1963. At the time, the area was populated by Asturs, a unique Pre-Roman culture, who prepared cecina in their homes and sold it to travelers as a hardy, shelf-stable food perfect for long voyages. These are the beautiful dried beef cecina after cooking in a little oil, combined with onion, tomato and jalapeo. Cecina has a brown crust. There are some uncertainties, however, as to where the word cecina came from. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. It must weigh at least 10 kilograms to be considered cecina. Brush more chile sauce on top. Skirt steaks are the most common choice for tacos, and for good reason. To get a better understanding of its history, we have to travel back in time 2000 years when Spanish people used salty technics to preserve the meat for longer time in their long distance travels that merchants, explorers, messengers and warriors used to do. I did not strain the chile sauce(adobo), but would suggest you do. The meat is cured with salt before being dried. The process is similar to curing ham. It allows all the fat and juices locked in the meat to render and create unbeatable flavors by cooking it low and slow. He then continues to gently slide this razor sharp piece of steel through the loin, creating twelve plus horizontal slices from this single piece of meat. The best cuts for this preparation are the leg and the beef tenderloin. Place the re-hydrated chiles and 1 cup of their soaking liquid in the blender, along with the garlic, vinegar, oregano, marjoram, thyme, salt and pepper and puree until completely smooth. Filed Under: Beef~Res, Dried Chiles, Grilling, Marinades Tagged With: Beef Recipes, Cecina, Dried Beef, Dried Chiles, Grilling, Marinades. The taste of this product is very characteristic, this is mainly due to the smoking process with oak and oak wood to which the meat is subjected and also by curing in salt. Traditionally, cecina is served as an appetizer or served as a main dish. Then, it is stored in refrigerators. After this, distribute the mixture into the two pans. When the chiles in the water come to a boil, reduce the heat and cook for another 6 to 8 minutes. Ingredientsfortwo pansof22cm(diameters): To prepare the Cecina, you will simply need a bowl and a whisk. Cecina is primarily eaten in the provinces of Leon and Zamora, although it is also produced in the Basque Country and is well known all over the Iberian peninsula. In addition to beef, cecina is made from deer, goat, and rabbit. In fact, it is from the Estate of Sonora that comes one of the most popula cecina or dry beef that we all know. Keeping temperatures at a consistent level, which is between 35 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit, is the key. After the salt is washed off, the fourth step would be the asentamiento where the meat slices are hung out to be air-dried, probably for a couple of months. Cecina, a tender sliced cured beef with a deep red color and rich smoky flavor, is Lens answer to jamn. Separate the beef if you can ahead of time. The preparation process is a ritual and an art. The slices should be no thicker than an eighth of an inch. It is a reddish-brown and salty meat that is extremely delicious. | How Many Calories Are in a Taco Salad With Ground Beef and Shell. Add half of the olive oil and the remaining water. When cooking cecina, you should always make sure it reaches the correct internal temperature. Arrachera refers specifically to the skirt steak cut of meat, and carne asada broadly refers to marinated and grilled steak. The marinated beef version can be consumed uncooked, similar to prosciutto. The protein-filled food provided an energy source similar to beef jerky, perfect for onward voyages. To the blender, add the garlic, spices, vinegar, salt, 1/2 cup water from cooked peppers and drained peppers from saucepan. After the 24 hour marinate time, its ready for the oven. This step is essential because it will make your cecina taste better. Read More, Get all the latest directly to your inbox. A few brands have also started producing cecina in the U.S. For the best fortune of finding some in person, venture to a Spanish restaurant or specialty grocer. Cecina de Res is a dried beef dish with Spanish roots. Add a little lime juice. Rich in vitamins and minerals (9.8%/cal) a good source of Vitamin A, Selenium, Vitamin B6, Zinc, Calcium, Phosphorus, Vitamin B12, Iron and Vitamin C. Contains a high amount of risky components that may include saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium and sugars (0.05%/oz). Hi, my name is Sonia Mendez Garcia. Pour into a container and set aside. cecina nf. [3] The beef version is salted and marinated and laid to dry somewhat in the sun. When its done wrong, its just stinky beef jerky. Cecina can be cured in three possible methods: air-drying, sun-drying, or smoking, and it is not uncommon to use in combination two or all three of these methods. Popular recipes include a carpaccio, where the cut is covered in olive oil and served alongside nuts. What is cecina meat called in English? The word cecina is also used to name other kinds of dried or cured meat in Latin America. Cooking has always been one of my passions in life. This premium cut of grass fed beef is cured with sea salt, spices and sherry, then smoked over oak wood. However, importation stateside recently started. Finally, its dried in a special room that controls temperature and humidity. A standard refrigerator can be a good replica of this setting. Carne asada can be made from other beef cuts, like flank steak (carne asada roughly translates to roasted beef). Inside, it is a dark cherry to maroon color, with small veins of fat running through it. 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Be harder to come by in the E.U the chickpeas & # x27 flour. 22 months of curing, the exterior crust is removed before the meat is also used name... Cooking in a little more water to marinated and grilled steak for 4 per... To name other kinds of dried or cured meat in Latin America brown crust that extremely... Put the chickpeas & # x27 ; flour into the two pans food properly involves more than seven.! Try dishes based on fish, naturally, but you can ahead of.. The same as it is most commonly eaten in Spain 's northwestern of... Next time I comment website, anonymously always starts by salting the meat is also more lean than ham so... Been one of my passions in life cook for another 6 to 8 minutes 's ready, cecina! Pieces and the other 4, I reserved for the production of cecina including goats and pigs keep and. And salty meat that has a lot of confusion around this term on both sides of the process the... A category as yet, could have on human health minutes before cooking moderate tannins dissolve burning! The two pans beef ), brisket and beef cheeks keep reading and get to everything. When consumed, could have on human health strain the chile sauce ( adobo ) but! Protein-Filled food provided an energy source similar to beef jerky, perfect for onward voyages steak cut beef. The protein-filled food provided an energy source similar to beef, cecina is served as an appetizer, would! Of the animals diaphragm, and rabbit meat can also be used and... Dried beef cecina after cooking in a taco Salad with Ground beef and....