We love to serve these juicy sammies cut into small, hand-held appetizers, which we call “montaditos” in Spain. They’re the perfect way to hold you and your guests over before the main meats come off the grill. But you can, of course, always serve them whole as the main dish with Spanish-style potato chips or a fresh green salad.
Recipe for Ibérico Secreto Steak Mini-Sandwiches with Homemade Aioli
Ingredients
- 1 Campo Grande Secreto
- 6 slices of sandwich bread, crusts removed
- Salt (to taste)
- Freshly ground black pepper
Aioli Ingredients
- ⅔ cup olive oil (not extra-virgin) or sunflower oil
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 egg at room temperature*
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Pinch of salt
- 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
Preparation
- To prepare the charcoal grill, put two handfuls of charcoal in the bottom of the grill and light. Let the charcoal burn until the coals are a bright red color. To ensure it’s at the perfect temperature for this type of quick-cooking cut, place your hand over the grill. You should be able to keep your hand there for 2-3 seconds max. If you are able to keep your hand near the grill longer, the temperature is too low and you should lower the grates closer to the fire.
- Prepare the aioli using an immersion blender. Place the egg, oil, and garlic in a long narrow container (like the container that comes with your immersion blender). With the blender blade pushed to the bottom of the container, blend until the oil starts to emulsify. Once half the mixture is emulsified, move the blender up and down until all the oil is combined and you have a homogenous mixture. Then stir in the lemon juice, salt, and parsley if using.
- Trim any excess fat from the Ibérico Secreto and season with salt and pepper. Once the grill is ready, place the Secreto on the grill and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, or when a thermometer inserted into the meat reads 145ºF (medium-rare). Remove the meat from the grill and let it rest. Keep in mind that Secreto is also a little bit thinner on one side than the other, so it’s likely that one area is a bit more cooked than the other. But with these cook times, you’ll be able to keep the whole cut super juicy.
- While the meat is resting, place the bread over the grill for a few minutes and toast on both sides.
- To build the sandwiches, slice the Secreto to fit the shape of the bread.
- Spread aioli on the bread slices, top with Secreto and the other slices of bread to make the sandwiches.
- Cut each sandwich in various smaller appetizer-size sandwiches and serve warm. ¡Buen provecho!
*If you’re hesitant about consuming raw eggs, you can also make aioli using milk. All the ingredients are the same. Simply substitute ⅓ cup of milk for the egg and continue with the rest of the instructions. Just make sure the milk is at room temperature, as combining cold ingredients with the room temperature oil can break the emulsion.