Barbecue, Chilean style: slow-cooked on your backyard grill, beef brisket makes an easy entree - Food: Summer Entertaining

Sunset, July, 2003 by Jerry Anne Di Vecchio

I went to Chile to taste wines, and fell in love with the gracious tradition of dining in the vineyards. We set out one sunny morning on horseback through the Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. Just as the heat of the day peaked, we came to a shady eucalyptus grove, where wisps of smoke hinted at cooking.

On a barbecue grill, plump empanadas were heating; on a spit surrounded by low coals, slabs of fresh brisket were turning; and a nearby table was laden with Light vegetable salads, crusty breads, and a platter of local fruit, including pale green, purple-streaked pepinos--a South American relative of tomatoes, available at specialty markets here. The setting itself was a relative of our own wine country; the meal would be perfectly at home in the West.

It was so simple and laced with make-ahead possibilities that I've added it to my roster of easy-entertaining menus. The brisket, a cut of beef we usually braise for tenderness, yields firm but juicy, flavorful slices when cooked over very low heat on a gas barbecue. Or, for quick results, grill flank steak instead. Allow about 1 cup of sliced fruit per person for dessert. As for wines, I recommend the Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon from those vineyards we traversed, owned by the Undurraga family, who have been making wine for more than 100 years. Their wines are available in some wine shops here.

Chicken and cheese empanadas

PREP AND COOK TiME: About 45 minutes

NOTES: You can make the filling for these appetizer pastries (through step 2) up to 1 day before using; cover and chill. You can make the empanadas up to 1 day before serving; let cool, wrap airtight, and chill. Unwrap and reheat on a baking sheet in a 3250 oven for 20 minutes.

MAKES: 6 or 8 empanadas

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped cooked
      boned, skinned chicken
  1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
    2 tablespoons drained chopped
      pimientos (2-oz. jar) or chopped
      roasted red peppers
    2 tablespoons minced onion
  1/2 teaspoon pepper
  1/2 cup fat-skimmed chicken broth
    1 tablespoon cornstarch
    1 package (3 oz.) cream cheese,
      cut into small chunks
      Salt
    2 packages (10 oz. each) refrigerated
      pizza crust dough
    1 large egg

1. In a bowl, mix chicken with Swiss cheese, pimientos, onion, and pepper.

2. In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart pan, mix broth with cornstarch. Add cream cheese. Whisk over high heat until mixture is boiling (it will be very thick), 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape over chicken mixture and combine well, adding salt to taste.

3. On a lightly floured board, unroll pizza crust dough. Cut each rectangle crosswise into thirds, for six empanadas, or quarters, for eight pastries. On one end of each piece of dough, mound about 5 tablespoons chicken mixture if making six pastries, about 3 tablespoons for eight. Fold other end of dough over filling to form a rectangle, then fold edges together and pinch to seal.

4. Gently place empanadas, slightly apart, on an oiled 12- by 15-inch baking sheet (you'll need two for eight pastries). In a small bowl, beat egg to blend. Brush generously over each pastry.

5. Bake in a 3750 regular or convection oven until empanadas are very richly browned, 22 to 25 minutes (10 to 12 in convection oven). Transfer to a rack and let cool at least 10 minutes. Serve hot or warm.

Per empanada: 295 cal., 28% (82 cal.) from fat; 19 g protein; 9.1 g fat (4 g sat.); 35 g carbo (1.1 g fiber); 773 mg sodium; 67 mg chol.

Grilled Salted Beef Brisket or Flank Steak

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 5 hours for brisket, 15 minutes for flank steak, plus at least 2 hours to chill in salt

NOTES: A gas barbecue works best to maintain low, even heat to slow-cook the brisket, but for the flank steak use either gas or charcoal. One side of the brisket should be trimmed of all fat, the other side covered with a layer no more than 1/8 inch thick.

MAKES: 8 servings

1 rectangular piece fresh beef brisket
  (2 1/2 to 3 1b., max. 1 1/2 in. thick;
  see notes) or 2 beef flank steaks
  (2 1/2 to 3 lb. total)
2 tablespoons kosher or coarse salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Rinse meat and rub salt evenly onto all sides. Cover and chill for 2 to 3 hours. Rinse meat well and pat dry. Rub all over with oil.

2. To cook brisket, turn a gas grill to high, close lid, and heat for 10 minutes. Turn off all but one perimeter burner and reduce heat to medium or low to maintain a temperature of 225[degrees] to 250[degrees] (check with a grill thermometer or external barbecue thermometer, and open lid as needed to let temperature drop during cooking). Lay brisket, fat side down, on grill as far from flame as possible. Close lid and cook, turning brisket about every 1 1/2 hours, until meat pierces easily with a sharp knife (it will be firm but not hard) and is lightly browned, 5 to 5 1/2 hours total.

To cook flank steak, lay meat on a barbecue grill over a solid bed of hot coals or direct high heat on a gas grill (you can hold your hand at grill level only 2 to 3 seconds); close lid if using a gas grill. Cook, turning once, until flank steaks are done to your liking (cut to test), 7 to 9 minutes total for medium-rare.