Lomo al Trapo and Peruvian Yellow Pepper sauce
If you’re bored with cooking the same old way or want to impress your dinner guests with a bit of culinary drama, Lomo al Trapo is the way to go. (Though the first time you cook this amazing beef tenderloin you need to take a few precautions.)
I strongly suggest you invite a Colombian to guide you through the experience lest you have a panic attack midway. Like roasting a suckling pig or flaming a Baked Alaska, this is not for the faint of heart.
Let Me Explain
First, buy an expensive tenderloin, one that you would treat with all the reverence of a vintage wine. The next step blows your mind!
Here’s what happened the first time I saw the making of a Lomo al Trapo.
Tenderloin on a bed of salt
The Drama Begins
When I gently handed over a gorgeous tenderloin to JC, my son-in-law, he sensed my concern. He patted me on the hand, and said, ‘Trust me.’ With that, my suspicions only heightened. I gasped as he placed the prime cut of meat on layers of cheesecloth and sprinkled it with cups of salt. (Yes, I said cups, not tablespoons!)
Pouring on more salt before wrapping
JC ties the meat in its salt-encased cheesecloth wrapper.
The bundled tenderloin gets a water bath in preparation for cooking. The name “Lomo al Trapo” means “beef tenderloin in a towel.”
Fear Strikes!
As the sweat began to form on my forehead, JC wrapped the tenderloin tightly in the salt-lined cloth and tied it securely with string. I warned him that the meat would be far too salty and inedible. He smiled and continued on his mission, while I began thinking of an alternative way to feed 15 people.
Just when I thought nothing else could be more weird, he took the dampened bundle, walked over to the fireplace, and tossed it in like a stick of wood!
During those first few minutes, I paced the floor in front of the hearth as he reclined calmly in a nearby chair, sipping a glass of wine.
Seeing the centerpiece of my dinner party lay smoldering in cinders was more than I could handle. I headed for the refrigerator to access the lunch meat selection.
Cooking Lomo al Trapo requires many hands over a hot fire. But no pots or pans!
Some 30-40 minutes later (cooking time depends on the how hot the fire is), JC pulled the charred chunk from the embers. By some culinary miracle, the wrap of cheesecloth and salt had been transformed into a hard cast.
My heart raced as JC approached the newly formed “log” with chisel and hammer in hand. He made a few chops to the casing and it fell away, like a plaster cast from a healed limb. (See video below.)
All It’s Cracked Up to Be
My jaw dropped! Before my eyes was a moist, perfectly seasoned tenderloin, medium done on the ends and beautifully pink in the middle. And it wasn’t salty!!! The saline wrap had formed its own protective “oven,” keeping the meat moist and tender. Applause all around.
We had Lomo al Trapo!
What do you serve with Lomo al Trapo? Salted potatoes, snow peas, avocado, and fried plantain (not shown) and salad. Fine eating on any continent.
A toast to 2020!
A hike in the woods the next day. A good way to start the New Year.
Mmm JC!