Carne en Vara

Name: Carne en Vara
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Venezuelan
Ingredients: 3kg beef with some fat, such as brisket or flank, cut into large thin sheets; Coarse salt; Long wooden stakes or a large spit, and a wood fire; Yuca, arepas and guasacaca, to serve

Carne en vara/KAR-neh en VAH-rah/

Also known as: Carne a la Llanera, Llanero Stake-Roasted Beef

About this dish

Large pieces of beef skewered on long wooden stakes and slow-roasted beside an open fire, a feast of the Venezuelan plains.

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Ingredients

🥩3kg beef with some fat, such as brisket or flank, cut into large thin sheets

🧂Coarse salt

🪵Long wooden stakes or a large spit, and a wood fire

🫓Yuca, arepas and guasacaca, to serve

Method

Serves 2

Rub the beef generously with coarse salt and leave for 30 minutes.

Thread each piece onto a wooden stake, weaving it so it stays flat and open.

Stand the stakes at an angle around a wood fire, about an arm's length from the flames.

Roast slowly for 2–3 hours, turning the stakes so both sides cook evenly and the fat crisps.

Cut into pieces and serve with boiled yuca, arepas and guasacaca.

✓ What Makes it Authentic

Carne en vara is the signature dish of the Llanos, the cattle country of Venezuela, where llaneros season the meat with only coarse salt.

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