Anticuchos
An easy Peruvian beef built around beef heart or sirloin, aji panca paste and aji amarillo paste — roughly 60 minutes start to finish, and rated medium to make. You'll find the full ingredient list (with a scaler to change the servings), 6 steps of method, substitutions, and ideas for what to serve alongside.
You'll mainly reach for grill / broiler and pan. At medium difficulty across 6 steps, it's manageable with a little attention.
What you'll need
Shopping list (3)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
How to make it
- Trim the beef heart of any fat, silver skin and tubes, then cut the meat into even 3 cm cubes so they cook uniformly on the skewer.
- Whisk together the vinegar, aji panca and aji amarillo pastes, minced garlic, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper to make a thick, well-blended marinade.
- Toss the meat in the marinade until thoroughly coated, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or ideally overnight so the vinegar and chillies penetrate for the deepest flavour.
- Thread 3 to 4 pieces onto each soaked wooden or metal skewer, leaving small gaps for even charring, and stir the oil into any leftover marinade to use as a basting sauce.
- Grill over very hot coals or a high grill pan for about 2 to 3 minutes per side, basting often, until well charred outside, juicy inside, and reaching at least 71 C internally for safety.
- Rest the skewers for a couple of minutes, then serve hot with boiled potato and a spoonful of fresh chilli sauce.
You'll use: Grill / broiler · Pan · Large pot · Saucepan · Blender
Ingredient substitutions
- Red Wine
- beef stock + 1 tsp red wine vinegar · grape juice + vinegar
What to serve with Anticuchos
- Aji de Gallina Chicken
- Arroz Chaufa Chicken
- Carapulcra Chicken
- Causa Limeña Chicken
Tips & common questions
How long does Anticuchos take to make?
About 60 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 6 steps and 10 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of red wine?
Try beef stock + 1 tsp red wine vinegar. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
How should I store leftovers?
Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate in an airtight container, and eat within 3 days. Reheat until piping hot throughout.
Related recipes
Anticuchos is an original Peruvian recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Anticuchos on a skewer, Raices Peruvian Cuisine.jpg (CC0) via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top — how we source recipes.