Picanha Ssam with Kimchi Vinagrete and Honey Ssamjang

Method

1. Light 1.5 kg of charcoal and wait 25 min, until the coals are covered in white ash and the big flames are gone. Set the grate 15 to 20 cm above the coals. This is your charcoal (medium heat).

   charcoal (medium heat)

2. Make the kimchi vinagrete. Squeeze the kimchi lightly and chop it into 0.5 cm pieces; seed the tomato and cut it and the onion into 0.5 cm dice. Combine everything in a bowl with the rice vinegar, half the sesame oil and the sesame seeds, and keep it in the cooler.

   Add in this stepWell-fermented napa cabbage kimchi 80 gTomato 1Onion ½Rice vinegar 1 tbspToasted sesame oil 1 tspToasted sesame seeds 1 tsp

3. Stir the ssamjang, honey and remaining sesame oil together in a small bowl. Wash the lettuce and perilla leaves in clean water, shake them and pat dry with paper towel; wet leaves make slippery, bland wraps.

   Add in this stepSsamjang (Korean dipping paste) 2 tbspHoney 1 tspToasted sesame oil 1 tspLettuce or romaine leaves 12Perilla leaves 8

4. Pat the picanha dry, keep the fat cap on, and cut with the grain into slices about 4 cm thick, giving you 2 × 250 g pieces. Bend each into a C with the fat outside and thread onto metal skewers. Just before grilling, sprinkle the coarse salt evenly all over and press it on. Thread the garlic cloves onto a separate skewer.

   Add in this stepPicanha (rump cap / top sirloin cap), fat cap on 500 gCoarse sea salt 1½ tspWhole garlic cloves, peeled 6

5. Set the meat skewers over charcoal (medium heat) with the fat facing the coals and grill for 8 min; once the fat is golden and puffed, turn the meat sides to the coals in turn for another 10 min. Roll the garlic skewer at the edge of the fire at the same time and take it off when golden and soft. The meat is medium-rare when it springs back firmly under your finger.

   charcoal (medium heat)

6. Rest the skewers on a board for 5 min and tap off the excess salt with the back of a knife. Slide the meat off and slice it against the grain 0.5 cm thick. Slicing thinner than for churrasco is what makes it easy to wrap.

7. Lay a perilla leaf on a lettuce leaf, add a slice of meat, a dab of honey ssamjang, a spoonful of kimchi vinagrete and a grilled garlic clove, then wrap it up and eat it in one bite.